South Dakota pheasant hunting
- Thread starter 4406v
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Headding to Vivian Nov. 1 for the same.
We went the last 2 years to the Gregory area. Plenty of birds. Man had a nice set up. Sadly he was a 3rd generation SD farmer of 73 years old. He passed on this spring and his family, was not into it like he was so it's over as far as I know.
Looked long and hard for another "real" SD farmer who had a place to let us hunt on. Hope we got lucky. He's another old guy but his son is into it with him so it may be a longer term thing.....if we like the place.
I don't have any experence with the big commercial places and large hunting parties but I know lots of folks love them. Plenty of birds taken that way.
And I'll tell you this, hitting a pheasant is nothing like slinging buchshot at a hog in the palmettos. We looked like fools out there the first year. Second time we were better prepaired, shot a good bit of skeet and 5 stand in the month before the hunt.
That helped improve our shooting to just plain awful.........
We went the last 2 years to the Gregory area. Plenty of birds. Man had a nice set up. Sadly he was a 3rd generation SD farmer of 73 years old. He passed on this spring and his family, was not into it like he was so it's over as far as I know.
Looked long and hard for another "real" SD farmer who had a place to let us hunt on. Hope we got lucky. He's another old guy but his son is into it with him so it may be a longer term thing.....if we like the place.
I don't have any experence with the big commercial places and large hunting parties but I know lots of folks love them. Plenty of birds taken that way.
And I'll tell you this, hitting a pheasant is nothing like slinging buchshot at a hog in the palmettos. We looked like fools out there the first year. Second time we were better prepaired, shot a good bit of skeet and 5 stand in the month before the hunt.
That helped improve our shooting to just plain awful.........
Good bird hunting down there. Can't wait for the opener. Getting ready for the resident opener in the middle of Oct. Only public land is open for us, but the last 5 years have been unbeleivable. Nothing like that first bird of the year blowing up at your feet. Good luck, you should have a good hunt in front of you. flyboy
I have seen the hunting shows.Over 100 birds per square mile in some areas.I have pheasant hunted here in Pa. in the past but the Pa. Game Commision stopped stocking birds a long time ago.I know NOTHING I have ever experienced will compare to South Dakota pheasant hunting and I can hardly wait.
I should expand that when I hunted pheasants it was in South Central SD.
Visiting relatives I was asked if I wanted to shoot some pheasants. I of course said heck yah. When I asked where we were going the guy said the back yard. The dogs scared up a bird every two minutes.
Oh the back yard was about two acres that wasn't in corn or soy at the time.
That was also before they had the hunting pig, so I missed that opportunity.
Visiting relatives I was asked if I wanted to shoot some pheasants. I of course said heck yah. When I asked where we were going the guy said the back yard. The dogs scared up a bird every two minutes.
Oh the back yard was about two acres that wasn't in corn or soy at the time.
That was also before they had the hunting pig, so I missed that opportunity.
I grew up in Huron, South Dakota, which is about 20 or so miles north of woonsocket. I really dont think it matters where you hunt, you go out into the country you will find pheasants everywhere and i mean everywhere. Not too sure where open walkin areas would be, as i downed most of my small game by road hunting. Best of luck
Countertop
New member
I go up to Aberdeen every December and hunt a Hutterite Colony and a couple of beef feedlots.
Good times. Was with folks from SD this week, they're telling me there might even be more birds than last year.
Good times. Was with folks from SD this week, they're telling me there might even be more birds than last year.
What I was trying to find out was a little more information about the actual hunting itself.I hear you are allowed to hunt the ditches along roads and wondered how that works?Do the landowners have a problem with this??? What is the best method for getting the birds to flush without a dog? I hear the birds are really wild and like to run is this true? What choke,shot etc.is going to work the best from a 12 gauge?should I use the pump or autoloader?
We haven't had a population of pheasants here in Pa. worth hunting in YEARS and I can hardly wait!!!
We haven't had a population of pheasants here in Pa. worth hunting in YEARS and I can hardly wait!!!
Federal #6. Full choke.
Yes you can hunt along side roads. Better to get permission from a farmer to hunt in the stubble though.
Some pheasants run, but mostly they'll fly. Grouse is the bird that has more runners than flyers now.
Hunting without a dog means a lot more work on your part. Look for clumps of weed or grass that might hide a pheasant, walk up to it and if they're there a bird will pop up when you're about 5 yards away, give or take. You might find birds right at your feet.
Yes you can hunt along side roads. Better to get permission from a farmer to hunt in the stubble though.
Some pheasants run, but mostly they'll fly. Grouse is the bird that has more runners than flyers now.
Hunting without a dog means a lot more work on your part. Look for clumps of weed or grass that might hide a pheasant, walk up to it and if they're there a bird will pop up when you're about 5 yards away, give or take. You might find birds right at your feet.
I've only been so this is based on limited experence, more on what the old guys that were with us said.
Use a IC choke and #5 in a premium load. That's what they told us and it worked good. From what I say FC would be a hinderence. We were hunting a lot of thick stuff, even some tree rows, and most of the shots were well inside of 25 yards. Some much closer.
That said I can see where a full choke would be useful in big fields.
Comes down to what type land you are hunting.
We're going in a few weeks, to a new place, and I'll start with the IC but carry the others just incase. I know I'm ignorant so I like a backup plan.
Use a IC choke and #5 in a premium load. That's what they told us and it worked good. From what I say FC would be a hinderence. We were hunting a lot of thick stuff, even some tree rows, and most of the shots were well inside of 25 yards. Some much closer.
That said I can see where a full choke would be useful in big fields.
Comes down to what type land you are hunting.
We're going in a few weeks, to a new place, and I'll start with the IC but carry the others just incase. I know I'm ignorant so I like a backup plan.
srt 10 jimbo
New member
Going to Lyman county October 27th-30th
I have just returned from South Dakota and all I can say is WOW!!! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!
Our group shot 115 birds in 3 days even though most of the corn is still standing and over 6' tall.We did have some strips cut in the corn and 3 labs to help out.The action was fast and at times unlike anything I've ever seen.If you've ever thought of going to South Dakota for a pheasant hunt I'll tell you to definitely go.The guys I hunted with have been hunting there over 30 years and they said it was a little slow this year.I can't imagine it being better than it was.
Our group shot 115 birds in 3 days even though most of the corn is still standing and over 6' tall.We did have some strips cut in the corn and 3 labs to help out.The action was fast and at times unlike anything I've ever seen.If you've ever thought of going to South Dakota for a pheasant hunt I'll tell you to definitely go.The guys I hunted with have been hunting there over 30 years and they said it was a little slow this year.I can't imagine it being better than it was.
The resident opener was good to us. Made it a three day trip, took the camper and stayed in a campground on the tailwaters of oahe outside of pierre. A good time was had by both man and beast. I agree that the bird numbers were down from the last couple of years, but still good hunting. I know the dog had fun.
FLYBOY:
That dog says it all....................
This will be our 3rd year, leaving on Nov. 1 for Vivian which is in Lyman Co. south of Pierre by about 60 miles.
When we went 2 years ago was the first experence we have ever had hunting with dogs, other than deer dogs and one really pitiful excuse for a quail dog. Watching the dogs and seing how happy they looked and then seeing the interaction between the owner and the dogs was something.
Those dogs just seemed to be smilling the whole time they worked and then when it was all done for the day the way the guy who owned them cleaned them up and praised them and took care of them.......he loved those animals.
That dog says it all....................
This will be our 3rd year, leaving on Nov. 1 for Vivian which is in Lyman Co. south of Pierre by about 60 miles.
When we went 2 years ago was the first experence we have ever had hunting with dogs, other than deer dogs and one really pitiful excuse for a quail dog. Watching the dogs and seing how happy they looked and then seeing the interaction between the owner and the dogs was something.
Those dogs just seemed to be smilling the whole time they worked and then when it was all done for the day the way the guy who owned them cleaned them up and praised them and took care of them.......he loved those animals.
There are a group of guys from here that go every year. They hunt on a farm, I'm not sure where, but they always do very well. More birds than they can shoot is what I'm told.
I hope you as good a hunt as these guys around here do and the other people who posted in this thread!
I hope you as good a hunt as these guys around here do and the other people who posted in this thread!
bswiv the dogs are half of the fun of a good bird hunt, the guy I hunt with most of the time has a britney, my golden and him work well together. If you have never hunted around pointers, you don't know what your missing. Just watching a good bird dog work is reason enough to go out.
UniversalFrost
New member
guys, i envy you . i missed pheasant season the last 2 years in a row.
I am a native south dakotan. most of the family is up in north east south dakota, but my family farm (2k acres) is in yankton and bonhomme counties) great pheasant hunting down in that neck of the woods. the ex's family has around 3k of ranch land near winner, sd, and good hunting as well, but the pheasants are more abundant in my area due to more corn.
also, don't know if they changed the rules recently, but back when i grew up you could hunt the ditches as long as you were not withing a few hundred yards of livestock. some great hunting the ditches and railroad tracks if you don't have public land or permission to use private land. also north eastern nebraska is great for pheasant hunting and they have lots of small public parcels you can hunt.
I am a native south dakotan. most of the family is up in north east south dakota, but my family farm (2k acres) is in yankton and bonhomme counties) great pheasant hunting down in that neck of the woods. the ex's family has around 3k of ranch land near winner, sd, and good hunting as well, but the pheasants are more abundant in my area due to more corn.
also, don't know if they changed the rules recently, but back when i grew up you could hunt the ditches as long as you were not withing a few hundred yards of livestock. some great hunting the ditches and railroad tracks if you don't have public land or permission to use private land. also north eastern nebraska is great for pheasant hunting and they have lots of small public parcels you can hunt.