Trip Advice - Pending Weather

If you are going to be south of US Hwy 14 there won't be much snow but north of Hwy 14 and up into the NE part of South Dakota it looks like 6-10 inches. Not sure how much we have gotten thus far in Watertown as it's blowing so much. Winds are 21 mph gusting to 31 and looking outside it seems like more. Good ol' fashion blizzard going on today. Visibility is less than 1/4 mile.

Think I'll just stay warm inside today. Don't even want to go out and blow the driveway until the snow and wind let up.
 
I can't make it this year either first time in forever. My advice go. Take 80 through Iowa and then head north stay south of the really bad stuff. Hunting will be great for sure
 
Originally, this was the week I'd picked to take my SD trip. Instead, we changed it to December to "make sure it'd be good and cold". So, to the OP, I'd give my left testi to be in your shoes right about now!
 
Here's the latest snow forecast for the area.

10snowat1230p.JPG
 
Dakotazeb said:
If you are going to be south of US Hwy 14 there won't be much snow but north of Hwy 14 and up into the NE part of South Dakota it looks like 6-10 inches. Not sure how much we have gotten thus far in Watertown as it's blowing so much. Winds are 21 mph gusting to 31 and looking outside it seems like more. Good ol' fashion blizzard going on today. Visibility is less than 1/4 mile.

Think I'll just stay warm inside today. Don't even want to go out and blow the driveway until the snow and wind let up.
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The hiway 14 tip is valid from what I see, tho could be some slippery spots Monday early Tuesday to look out for. The wind is not going to be civil till Weds however.
 
Snow

George,

Looks like you are getting close to the same amount of snow we are getting in Northern WI. We have 8" on the ground already today with the worst yet to come tonight. We are slated to receive 16-18" when it's all said and done.

Can't wait until next Friday when the dogs and I head for SD. Will be nice to get away from all this white stuff up here.

Hopefully we will have a dusting for our hunt Thanksgiving week. Always nice to have the white ground as a back drop to a flushing rooster. Seconds, minutes and hours can't fly by fast enough!
 
Todays Report from Pierre

Rolled into town over the weekend and learning the area. Got a late start today due to the weather. Hunted some cattails on public land. Snow and wind. Dressed for the weather and at times it was pretty cold on the face even with the headgear. Eyes watering and sometimes hard to see. So Tried to get on the down wind side of some cattails. Just me and the dog hunting. Did not want to stray to far from the truck since it seemed better to be on the safe side.Cody pushed a lot of birds out of the heavy cover. It was hard to see him and reign him in since he was having so much fun. Ended up getting a rooster for a couple of hours of hunting in pretty miserable conditions. Around 3Pm it was snowing hard and visibility was bad so called it and headed back to town. Lots of birds in the cover and can't wait to get out there tomorrow. The snow is supposed to quit tonight and get cold and clear. Looking forward to some great hunting. A little Local whiskey called Coyote from the Pierre area tonight and back at it tomorrow.
No regrets and not half bad!
:cheers: Ragin Rooster.
 
Wind chills of -20 in parts of SD this week. Be careful if you venture into the fields. Think I'll stick close to the fireplace. I use to go out in that stuff but age has made me wiser. And maybe a bigger weenie! :)
 
Hey George,

Souinds like a thoughtful plan - to stay home...

When and if you go - what direction will you hunt?
 
jonnyB said:
Hey George,

Souinds like a thoughtful plan - to stay home...

When and if you go - what direction will you hunt?
Click to expand...

If I just go out for a couple of hours I'll find some public spots within 30 miles of Watertown. Very few birds in this area. If I make a day of it I have to get west of Clark and better if you are west of Hwy 37 and better yet west of Hwy 281.

So far this year is one of the worst pheasant hunting years I've had in a long time. Now the weather turns to crap. I'm thinking I'd be better off heading to our winter home in Arizona. :)
 
To raginrooster:

Regarding the watering eyes and trouble seeing - wear ski goggles and this will go away. Ski goggles are an overlooked piece of equipment for hard core winter pheasant hunting. They are particular useful for situations when sideways sleet and snow is pelting your eyeballs. Don't forget some defog solution or paste (Cat Crap brand paste works well).
 
Floyd said:
Regarding the watering eyes and trouble seeing - wear ski goggles and this will go away.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of a sign next to the entrance door of a Kum N Go in Glasgow, MT. one year because it was priceless. It said, "Please remove masks before entering." Here in Calif. guys wearing masks into a quick stop aren't there to buy anything and only in the plains states would a store owner be polite enough to say "please" when asking anyone to remove a mask.
Great country and love these sorts of "adventurous" conditions...that you're having and not me at the moment.:cheers:
 
Sunday weather

Our definitions of balmy may differ; here in North Carolina it is currently 70 degrees. But come Sunday, I expect to be in South Dakota; it'll be a shock!
 
Just wanted to thank you guys for the advice/encouragement. Had an awesome trip, even with some brutal temps and wind. In 4 days we had well over 50 flushes - just 1 guy n 1 dog and all on public land. Unfortunately 90% of our flushes were hens. I guess that's a price you pay going a little later in the season on public land. Either way it was an awesome trip, saw some monster whitetails and mule deer, and met some really nice people. Not sure if I ever want to make that drive again though, at least not solo....
 
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