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South Dakota pheasant 2018

We got back from our trip on Saturday. My Dad, son and I had a great trip. We primarily duck hunted but hunted pheasants for a couple hours most days and the numbers are definitely improved from last year. I have been going since 2003 and last year was the worst I had seen for pheasants. We had a great time, my son got his first rooster, first limit of roosters, first Sharptail and first goose and did well on the ducks. It seems as if the best duck hunting is yet to come. Fair amount of beans and lots of corn standing yet.
 

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When you go to a place like S. Dakota, how do you know where to go and when you get there, how do you find a place to hunt? I've never hunted out of state in my life but still thinking about it.
 
Don, the South Dakota public hunting atlas is the first place I start and is a big help. They have good online maps and the app is good also.
 
Don, get the atlas and cruise a few walk in areas. Try to find something with good cover and feed readily accessible. I usually try to make sure there are at least two sides in corn but that is just my preference.
 
Don Fischer said:
When you go to a place like S. Dakota, how do you know where to go and when you get there, how do you find a place to hunt? I've never hunted out of state in my life but still thinking about it.
Click to expand...

Not the "correct" answer for a public lands hunting forum, but we often connect through an outfitter - they are much cheaper than antelope/deer/elk folks of the mountain states. You usually get a b&b type accommodation plus meals and access to surrounding private farmlands.
 
Nicely done folks! Love the pic of the young man with his first rooster!! I think I need to add SD to Hank's bucket list.
 
We returned Sunday from our annual SD hunt (North Central/East River).

Weather was rough - full on blizzard all day Friday so we only hunted 1/2 the day. Scratched a couple out, but it was hell just getting around. Saturday was cold and beautiful, we found birds in cattails and grass, but many of our spots were effectively inaccessible due to the snow drifts on secondary/tertiary roads. Sunday (we only hunt 1 slough complex before everyone heads home) we made a absolute mess of the shooting but managed to scratch out 3.

80% of the corn and all the beans were out. Saw WAY less hunters than normal - I imagine the Friday storm kept a lot of folks at home. My unscientific assessment of numbers is that they were surprisingly in-line with the GFP estimates - more than last year but still significantly below the 10 year average. From conversations with the few other folks we saw, the further downriver you go, the better it has been until you go past Pierre.
 
I went out and explored areas west and south of Pierre. The pheasant numbers were significantly down on public compared to GFP. Birds were concentrated on private. 11+ miles behind a good dog. I was a little disappointed. Also saw less hunters. I just assumed they already knew the areas were baron. I keep looking at pictures of other people's success and they are at outfitters.
 
btweedy said:
I went out and explored areas west and south of Pierre. The pheasant numbers were significantly down on public compared to GFP. Birds were concentrated on private. 11+ miles behind a good dog. I was a little disappointed. Also saw less hunters. I just assumed they already knew the areas were baron. I keep looking at pictures of other people's success and they are at outfitters.
Click to expand...

Well that blows up the info we got from a few other guys that had come up from that way :)

I should have noted that we hunt 90% private (not via an outfitter, however - just connections we've made over the years). The two public pieces we like held a few birds, but not big numbers.
 
cedahm said:
Well that blows up the info we got from a few other guys that had come up from that way :)

I should have noted that we hunt 90% private (not via an outfitter, however - just connections we've made over the years). The two public pieces we like held a few birds, but not big numbers.
Click to expand...

I was on a public land mission and was hitting areas I have frequented the last 10 years or so. Even some so called honey holes were about empty. The places I used to frequent often were not huge but were bordered by decent private areas that had food. This time, the ground was mostly dirt. I saw decent numbers but all private. Ended up exploring a few new areas to try to find new public land spots.

I wasn’t posting to be negative but I don’t like when I meet or hear people who are disappointed who have these expectations of 100’s of roosters flying from every field. Especially because most of the time they are from out of state and paid $$.
 
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