Can Anyone Help Me Out ?

F

FredMcIntire

New member
I'm a police officer here in Indiana, and like so many others, I'm looking to make a trip out to South Dakota this year. I know season doesn't open until October 15th; however, I have 2 weeks off work this year, October 9th through October 22nd.

I'll most likely be hunting by myself, and its unlikely I'll have a dog with me. Can you point me in the right direction to get in some decent foot hunting in South Dakota ? I'm assuming my best bets, and possibly my only options opening week, are going to be public land hunting.

If you'd prefer to eMail me privately, my eMail is Fred@FredMcIntire.Com .

Any information that you can provide is GREATLY APPRECIATED !!

Fred
 
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I am from Indiana also and went to SD last season. If your hunting without a dog I would suggest hunting the ditches along old county roads. You can go to the SD website and get a booklet that shows all the public ground and roadways. We found most of our birds along old roadways that are no longer maintained. In the SD hunting atlas these are the roads that are shown with the broken lines. I hope this helps.
 
Hoosier Gsp said:
I am from Indiana also and went to SD last season. If your hunting without a dog I would suggest hunting the ditches along old county roads.
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That's going to be your best bet. Ditches start filling up with birds around 3-4PM until sunset.

If your working public land walk the fence lines/field edges. Pheasant like to dust themselves were crops and fields meet.

Good luck and don't get discouraged. They are a skilled opponent and will most likely give you the slip;), but when you finally get a nice rooster it's very rewarding. :cheers:
 
I agree with the advice given so far and I would stay south of I 90 and west of US 281 but not west of Winner SD, also read the rule book on road hunting and game retrival rules.
 
SDJIM said:
I agree with the advice given so far and I would stay south of I 90 and west of US 281 but not west of Winner SD, also read the rule book on road hunting and game retrival rules.
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By the way it sounds that part of the state is among the hardest hit with a drop in bird #'s.:( Not a good area for ditch hunting either. For what ever reason the farmers/land owners cut most of the ditches in that area.:confused:
 
Hey Fred - I am from Greenfield and a group of us go out to Faulkton SD every year to hunt some private lands. Unfortunately we're not heading that way until 10/22 or we could maybe meet up and hunt some together...I agree with the others - afternoon ditches are pretty sweet if public lands are too busy.

Have a safe, fun trip - once you've been there once you'll be HOOKED!:thumbsup:

-Jeff
 
1pheas4 said:
By the way it sounds that part of the state is among the hardest hit with a drop in bird #'s.:( Not a good area for ditch hunting either. For what ever reason the farmers/land owners cut most of the ditches in that area.:confused:
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OK let me narrow it a bit--say east of the Missouri river,south of I 90, west of SD hwy 45 and north of SD hwy 44--- always been good road hunting in that area, and yes some farmers do mow the ditches but not all. LOOK for unmaintained or minor secondary roads. The reports I'm getting say yes the birds are down but its spotty as some areas have lots of birds and several miles away not so good,so ditch hunting could be spotty just keep after it.:cheers:
 
Well, I'm probably not the one to continue on with giving advise as to were to ditch hunt. My group and I really haven't done much the past 5-6 years. But I've found that the further west of Mitchel we went the better the ditch hunting got. Always north of I-90.

South of I-90 gets spotty. Not saying it doesn't have areas. Sticknley was a great spot for us in the 90's for ditch hunting. It's not what it was anymore but there are still patches of decent #'s.

Haven't gone too much further west of Kimball yet, though I've heard the ditch hunting is good from kimball to Chamberlain. Whether south or north of I-90 from there on I'm not sure.

Good Luck!:cheers:
 
Fred - Where do you plan on going? Where are you staying? Its hard to help if you don't narrow things down a bit. Are you planning on paying for access? The best option for getting some birds might be to head off the beaten track and do some road hunting. It takes a little practice to get the right speed and approach but you will get some birds that way. I'm not too big a fan of driving up on birds but if you are alone, with no dog, it might be an option for you. Just be safe, and remember you don't have to jump out blasting, it is more fun to spot the birds at a distance and try to sneak up on them on foot. The last hour or hour and a half is about all the hunting you will get with this method.
Some of the best hunting I've had has come from a buddy of mine buying couple rounds of drinks in the local bar. Not my style, but it works for some:cheers:
 
I hunted for years alone with no dog. I'd say I limit 90% of the time. Find a red county in the distribution map. Get as far from a paved road/major highway as you can. Look for a wooley(unmowed,weedy) ditch, catails even better, with a good crop on one or both sides. I would walk a mile or so out and back. I watch the weeds in front of me for movement gives me a better chance. I also practise a lot so when the shot presents itself its a done deal.
 
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