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More concerned about the dogs just getting alot of flushes and points, even if the vast majority is hens. Then public would be plenty good as long as dogs can get close.
 
onpoint said:
Haymaker, What it boils down to is, what's important to you. What may mean the world to some..means very little to others. Simple fact is, the more people who can't afford to participate in a activity. The less that activity becomes important to them.

Here's where I see the only hope there is in this sports survival. That bad times in our economy will price enough out of it. That the commercial end of the sport begins to die out. Yes, habitat will suffer in the end but just maybe when there's little demand to pay $100's a day to hunt. People will once again be able to gain access at a rate the common man can afford. If not? a select few will not keep the sports head above water. The key to the sports survival is in numbers of hunters not the amount of money of a select few. The common man who was priced out will see little reason to support what they can't enjoy. Just look at the UK. The rich thought that money alone could save their sport forever but instead. those who were priced out of the sport voted in restrictions and laws that continues to halt the sport of hunting in it's tracks. A man/women who makes a $100 million a year.. vote carries the same weight and power of a homeless man who lives under a bridge. It's not a secret that hunting is a dying sport and we loose 1000s of hunters a year. With each of them, we loose voting power. I doubt the Ind. will acknowledge this or change. Too many are seeing the short term profits that are able to be made. They will ride the wave and like the good years before our economy took a dump. People said the good times could never end, well they did and they will in the sport of hunting too. The number of people who can afford $200-$250 a day for land access shrinks each minute of everyday.

Onpoint[/QUOTE

On Point
I am not sure which way would be the best financially, fee hunting or ditch to ditch farming. I do believe that I am a better steward of the land by not farming wetlands, planting trees, leaving corn stand over winter, planting food plots ect. Last fall my uncle who hunted here 40 years ago brought his grandson for a hunt. I believe he will be back to hunt again. I think that my kids will keep the tradition going after I am gone.
Personaly I prefer to have a working mans' hunt because I like the kind of people I meet. They become friends. You make good points, I am trying to be part of the solution.
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Haymaker, I commend you for doing your best to take a few out and watch them enjoy the fruits of your efforts. You can't let everybody on your place but if everybody allowed just a few like yourself. It would make the sport a much more user friendly sport. Good feelings and great memories are worth a lot. Not always does money replace them. If only more were like you.

Take Care, Onpoint
 
PA: if you're just looking to get the dog some good work, then public is the way to go plus you will likely pick up a rooster or three along the way.
 
I also commend you Haymaker for what you said. I am one of those guys you talked about who cannot afford the high prices a lot of the places are asking for 3 day hunts, that is why I've looking for places to hunt that don't ask for high prices to hunt. I did find a place in S.D. to hunt that I can afford. I am in the process of getting the money around by selling some scrap iron and selling some other stuff that I have to get the money before I totally commit to it....Phil V.
 
Phil V. said:
I also commend you Haymaker for what you said. I am one of those guys you talked about who cannot afford the high prices a lot of the places are asking for 3 day hunts, that is why I've looking for places to hunt that don't ask for high prices to hunt. I did find a place in S.D. to hunt that I can afford. I am in the process of getting the money around by selling some scrap iron and selling some other stuff that I have to get the money before I totally commit to it....Phil V.
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Thanks for the nice words and you also ON POINT. I am not looking for a pat on the back just want to shed some light on the subject. I started taking money for hunting when I was getting close to having three kids in college at the same time. Before that I did let people hunt and they would bring me some token of their appreciation, which was fine but it did not pay the tuition. My last one is about done now and it has turned into a nice sideline that will help keep the land in the family for another generation. It also let me add another quarter that the ditch to ditch farmers don't have. It has a nice grass waterway and several acres of sloughs. If the deer don't kill them I will plant some trees too.
 
Moeller,

I agree with you. I see myself as "the common man" I can't afford multiple "treaspass fee" hunts so we do one to SD. I also take one fishing trip to NW Ontario Walleye fishing. We just got back. We bring our own food and the cost is still $162 per guy per day. Minnows were $5.00 a dozen. We brought our own worms which we caught prior to the trip. Why do we go to Canada and this place? 5 guys, 5 days caught 1600 Walleye. I pay to hunt pheasants because we have great habitat for the dogs and see 100's of birds.
So, my 2 trips a year are SD and Canada both for 5 days. Can't afford anything else in the sports.
 
The Bird Business

I've been coming to SD for the last 7 years with family. It's an 11 hour drive from Indiana to get to the Watertown area. The travel cost alone keep a good majority of hunters in their own respective states. I truly belive that here in Indiana, (which used to produce birds in good numbers) that there are 4 roosters in the entire state that are wild and there are 10,000 hunters looking for them! For that reason alone we choose to travel and combine our bird hunts with a "lottery" waterfowl license. We spend $220 to be legal before we even leave the house. We hunt all public ground. Some years are better than others but bottom line is we see birds and we get shots. We've had "lightning strike" at a few local watering holes where some of the locals invited us out to hunt for no charge. We've NEVER showed up empty handed...Gift cards...cases of beer....what ever......We really appreciate being able to hunt the private land......The people of SD and their appreciation of the "out of town" hunters keep us coming back. We know that there are tresspass fees out there...some more than others.....and we'll pay them if the public land ever dries up.......Those of you on the site from SD....THANK YOU....please keep doing what you are doing and we'll keep visiting every year.....We appreciate the opportunity to hunt your state. Time and time again you hear everyone complaining about one thing or another. We all need to take a step back sometimes and remember that it can all go away in the blink of an eye. The diasters with flooding in some states will cripple the wildlife populations and the crops.......Thanks again to those in SD that welcome us......
 
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Terry: I agree 100%. Coming from Houston, a trespass fee is just part of the expense if I need to go that way. We hunt public as much as possible along with the occassional "lightning strike, private" hunt. The majority of folks in ND and SD are solid people that will do what they can to help you and we really appreciate it.
 
Thanks guys for the nice, kind words about South Dakota. I know there are certain problems in this state. But is any other state any different? Guess I get a little tired sometimes of the bashing that South Dakota gets. It is what it is. I think very positive for the most part, but if it isn't your cup of tea then by all means stay away. But you don't need to bash SD because there is something about it you don't like. JMHO
 
It's going to be my first time in your state Zeb. I'm sure that I'm going to have fun hunting at where I'm going to there. Phil V.
 
trepass fees

The exact same thing happened in our area of Texas when the deer started
moving in in the mid 70's, and I can promise you that it would nearly be
impossible to just walk up and get permission to hunt deer,Turkey or Quail on private land,
if you are not local and have friends in the area. I made my first trip to SD
in 2008, and never asked for permission, but hunted public in the middle of
the week (dogless at that) and shot a few birds and nearly always at least
saw birds. I was very impressed with the available productive public land,
Which we have very little of in Texas. Our trip up in 2009 wasn't nearly as
good I can blame that on late crops. At least by what I read here you and
one other buddy and your dog at least have a chanch to get permission to
hunt, but that sure isn't the case here, for deer,Turkey, and Quail acct. there are no pheasants in our area, and I for one certainly am impressed with, and very
much appreciate the efforts your state goes through to provide access
to public for hunting. And God willing and the creeks don't rise will be back
this year with my dog and my buddy. Thanks SD.
 
Here's the deal, I'm no one two trip a year hunter. I want to hunt numerous times a week if not every day. Those trespass fee's are out of the question. Not even physically possible.

I choose to go where I can enjoy days and days of hunting. Oh I hunt South Dakota, just not for pheasants. I don't agree with what has happened to pheasant hunting there and I guess that's my prerogative. I hunt with numerous locals, they don't actively hunt pheasants anymore either.

I have better pheasant hunting right here in Minnesota We have not anywhere near the hunting pressure where I go and I can literally hunt 100s of areas in only a small area of the state. South Dakota can't even come close to touching the public land that Minnesota has. In fact I'm not sure any state can top Minnesota for public land access, specially in the northern half the state. no pheasants there but plenty of Ruff Grouse, Wood cock, waterfowl and big game.

If you all want to hunt pheasants in South Dakota, by all means have at her. I like to hunt where the only people i see all day are those who are hunting with me.
 
i wouldn't object to paying a reasonable trespass fee to hunt pheasants, but to drive that far, pay the state $110 and a landowner another $150-200 per day to shoot 3 pheasants is just not for me. others may disagree, it is a personal choice for everyone, but when it comes to value, it just doesn't work for me.
 
Fees

I'm sure the great State of MN has great bird hunting. I'm not doubting that at all. I also agree that SD has greatly Commercialized and Sensationalized the sport of pheasant hunting. When you do that EVERYONE is going to try and cash in....Boys, thats America and theres nothing wrong with some profit taking.....I firmly believe that a nuculear bomb can go off in the middle of the state and SD would advertise that the bird population is AGAIN up in record numbers. My 5 day trip costs me around $900 including fuel, ammo, dog supplies and of course beer. It's my "Holy Grail" trip.....it's my 5 days away from the work, wife, and kids. It's a guy's only "Shoot birds, tell lies, pee in the bushes" hunting trip. For me it's a small price to pay for SANITY. We are in our comfort zone and we know where we are going and on what days. We know how to hunt and block each state property we hunt. In 7 years we have not seen another hunter on any of the units we hunt. Not bad odds....I'd love to hunt another state but when I'm shelling out $900 for a trip the last thing we want to do is search out property and hunt blind....Maybe one day we'll get out of our cookie cutter routine and try somewhere new but for now I'm dancing with the girl I took to the prom....She puts out............
 
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TerryB said:
I'm sure the great State of MN has great bird hunting. I'm not doubting that at all. I also agree that SD has greatly Commercialized and Sensationalized the sport of pheasant hunting. When you do that EVERYONE is going to try and cash in....Boys, thats America and theres nothing wrong with some profit taking.....I firmly believe that a nuculear bomb can go off in the middle of the state and SD would advertise that the bird population is AGAIN up in record numbers. My 5 day trip costs me around $900 including fuel, ammo, dog supplies and of course beer. It's my "Holy Grail" trip.....it's my 5 days away from the work, wife, and kids. It's a guy's only "Shoot birds, tell lies, pee in the bushes" hunting trip. For me it's a small price to pay for SANITY. We are in our comfort zone and we know where we are going and on what days. We know how to hunt and block each state property we hunt. In 7 years we have not seen another hunter on any of the units we hunt. Not bad odds....I'd love to hunt another state but when I'm shelling out $900 for a trip the last thing we want to do is search out property and hunt blind....Maybe one day we'll get out of our cookie cutter routine and try somewhere new but for now I'm dancing with the girl I took to the prom....She puts out............
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I love it! :)

I don't condone the fees charged for hunting and I don't pay them. Never will. That's why I hunt a lot of public land. You can make a trip to SD whatever you want it to be. If you don't want to pay fees there is plenty of public land that you can do okay on. I hunt SW Minnesota too, and mostly private land. I'll shoot and see more birds on public land in SD than private land in MN. I'm not trying to make this a SD vs. MN debate. Just stating the facts.

If you want to hunt some Sharpies and maybe find a rooster or two try the Goebel Ranch DU land NW of Ipswich. There must be 5,000+ acres there for you to walk all day. I love hiking back in the pastures with my Brittanys. No one else in sight and you can get lost in thought out on those open prairies. That's what it's all about, not the number of birds you harvest.
 
Dakotazeb said:
I love it! :)

I don't condone the fees charged for hunting and I don't pay them. Never will. That's why I hunt a lot of public land. You can make a trip to SD whatever you want it to be. If you don't want to pay fees there is plenty of public land that you can do okay on. I hunt SW Minnesota too, and mostly private land. I'll shoot and see more birds on public land in SD than private land in MN. I'm not trying to make this a SD vs. MN debate. Just stating the facts.

If you want to hunt some Sharpies and maybe find a rooster or two try the Goebel Ranch DU land NW of Ipswich. There must be 5,000+ acres there for you to walk all day. I love hiking back in the pastures with my Brittanys. No one else in sight and you can get lost in thought out on those open prairies. That's what it's all about, not the number of birds you harvest.
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Good post George, I myself have had better hunting in Minnesota and i agree, lets not make this a Mn vs Sd thing also. Folks should just go and do what works best for them. Much like you, I go to get away from today's rat race high pressure life that is forced upon us all. You, the dog and your favorite shotgun. Nothing better

Onpoint
 
So true

Dakotazeb said:
I love it! :)

I don't condone the fees charged for hunting and I don't pay them. Never will. That's why I hunt a lot of public land. You can make a trip to SD whatever you want it to be. If you don't want to pay fees there is plenty of public land that you can do okay on. I hunt SW Minnesota too, and mostly private land. I'll shoot and see more birds on public land in SD than private land in MN. I'm not trying to make this a SD vs. MN debate. Just stating the facts.

If you want to hunt some Sharpies and maybe find a rooster or two try the Goebel Ranch DU land NW of Ipswich. There must be 5,000+ acres there for you to walk all day. I love hiking back in the pastures with my Brittanys. No one else in sight and you can get lost in thought out on those open prairies. That's what it's all about, not the number of birds you harvest.
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I hope we never get into the pissing match of "my Dad can beat up your Dad" when we talk about SD vs MN bird hunting. I'm 48 years old and I have an 8 year old and a 4 year old...(that's not a typo....8 and 4!!!!) I'm only a few years away from making "Lasting Memories" when I start taking my oldest. I really want him to experience the positives when he comes. The negatives are there and we'll never be able to avoid them but it's my job to keep them as far away as I can for as long as I can. I know when I finally bring him along he's going to be able to experience the sport as it should be......He'll be a responsible and respectful hunter. I know that I can take him to any bird producing state and he's going to have the time of his life. It's more about the family hunting trip first and foremost and the bonding that only him and I can appreciate.
 
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