Kind of public land?

W

Wise12375

New member
There are a lot of different kinds of public hunting land when you look at the south dakota public hunting maps on the gfp website. Let's say a guy was going to try and bag a few birds when the weather warms up in 10 or so days, what "kind" of public hunting land would you tend to focus on?

What "kind" of public hunting land would you not waste your time and money driving too?

2-years ago I hunted in SD and I would say that I would not drive to school lands and CREP, however, it was really dry that year and I think that is why the CREP was cut for hay.

There is a lot of spots on the map, however I am not sure what "kind" of spots I should be focusing on. Thanks for any input you can provide.
 
Wise12375 said:
There are a lot of different kinds of public hunting land when you look at the south dakota public hunting maps on the gfp website. Let's say a guy was going to try and bag a few birds when the weather warms up in 10 or so days, what "kind" of public hunting land would you tend to focus on?

What "kind" of public hunting land would you not waste your time and money driving too?

2-years ago I hunted in SD and I would say that I would not drive to school lands and CREP, however, it was really dry that year and I think that is why the CREP was cut for hay.

There is a lot of spots on the map, however I am not sure what "kind" of spots I should be focusing on. Thanks for any input you can provide.
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Public land is difficult, or has been hammered by hunters.
 
I just returned from hunting there 1/5-1/9. The GPA and WPA areas are productive with a good dog and some leg work. most birds were in areas that were near cattails and shelter belts but not necessarily in the middle of them. Lots of birds were still in the tall grassy areas Loafing mid day. Being stealthy and keeping the dog close will yield birds. Best of luck I am heading back there towards the end of the week.
 
2Golden said:
I just returned from hunting there 1/5-1/9. The GPA and WPA areas are productive with a good dog and some leg work. most birds were in areas that were near cattails and shelter belts but not necessarily in the middle of them. Lots of birds were still in the tall grassy areas Loafing mid day. Being stealthy and keeping the dog close will yield birds. Best of luck I am heading back there towards the end of the week.
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I hunted this frozen lake near aberdeen. Great habitat, but only saw 6 birds, and they were way back in.
 
I like game production areas. GPAs, these will be red on the map. Also CREP land was really good for me, this is brown on the map. It is a big state, and every region is a little different. Planning some scouting time once you get there will really help. Some spots, whether federal, state, or walk in programs will have been grazed or even I've seen fall burns and habitat work that has removed the cover. If you can drive around at sunrise this will help. If you can't, I'd pick a spot at the opening bell and just hunt. Your dog will get to run a little and maybe you'll find pheasants. After that drive around and look for a honey hole for the evening hunt. I've only taken 3 trips to upland hunt SD. Every one was a little different, but all were very much worth it.
 
Bob Peters said:
I like game production areas. GPAs, these will be red on the map. Also CREP land was really good for me, this is brown on the map. It is a big state, and every region is a little different. Planning some scouting time once you get there will really help. Some spots, whether federal, state, or walk in programs will have been grazed or even I've seen fall burns and habitat work that has removed the cover. If you can drive around at sunrise this will help. If you can't, I'd pick a spot at the opening bell and just hunt. Your dog will get to run a little and maybe you'll find pheasants. After that drive around and look for a honey hole for the evening hunt. I've only taken 3 trips to upland hunt SD. Every one was a little different, but all were very much worth it.
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I saw some birds.They were very smart.I did not fire my gun on public land.I hunted 2 days, and had to leave because of cold front.
 
Ive had my best luck on the WPAs this year. Last year the crep and WIA were good also but mainly hayed this year. Dont overlook those creps that have been hayed and still have a low spot or waterway thats hard to see from the truck though! Ive got a couple of those this year that are almost guaranteed if I only need one more bird.
 
They all have there perks, typically wpa's have cattails and late season probably best shot, some also have shelterbelts. GPA's would be very similar but may also have crops like standing corn. Both WPA and GPA require non-toxic shot. CREP can have all the above and typically near crop lands. Any could have been hayed depending on location in the state. I've had luck at all 3. Good luck postca report.
 
Any time of hunting season, in the parts of the state I hunt, on average, WPAs have the best habitat. (Note, this doesn't necessarily apply to spring nesting cover.) You just need to hunt whatever kind has the right kind of cover for that time of season, time of day, weather conditions, harvest conditions, etc.
 
In years where there is no emergency haying/grazing, I prefer CREP spots, and by a pretty big margin. I've also done well on WPA's and GPA's. I do like the fact that almost all GPA's have food plots on them.
 
roadscholar said:
In years where there is no emergency haying/grazing, I prefer CREP spots, and by a pretty big margin. I've also done well on WPA's and GPA's. I do like the fact that almost all GPA's have food plots on them.
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CREP, This time of year as well, over WPA/GPA? It seems like the latter 2 have better winter cover most of the time.
 
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