Newbie in SD this week

M

MrRedNWhite

New member
Title says it all, newbie in SD this week with my dog chasing pheasant. Staying around Redfield area in a motel, but willing to drive. Have a setter, so mostly looking for CREP lands. Any suggestions welcome, particularly with this weather - if we can even get 2 days of decent hunting and some bird work I would call that a success
 
MrRedNWhite said:
Title says it all, newbie in SD this week with my dog chasing pheasant. Staying around Redfield area in a motel, but willing to drive. Have a setter, so mostly looking for CREP lands. Any suggestions welcome, particularly with this weather - if we can even get 2 days of decent hunting and some bird work I would call that a success
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Good luck, you’re on the right track! Don’t know that area well, but there’s birds around Athol, that I know…don’t know how much public land there is in that direction…
 
You've probably seen it, but if not, get the South Dakota Public Hunting Atlas. Online version is fine. I prefer the paper kind. You're not just looking for "good looking cover". You're looking for a spot that offers the type of habitat pheasants use during that particular hour of the day under those particular conditions. It's quite dependent on the adjacent ground. Crops, trees, grass, slough, pasture?
 
MrRedNWhite said:
Yeah. I'm aware on all accounts. I came up in early October for grouse and chickens on Ft Pierre Grasslands. Met some incredibly nice folks and absolutely got my ass handed to me birdwise. I do it for the dog.
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The first time I hunted South Dakota on my own, I got my ass handed to me.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
You've probably seen it, but if not, get the South Dakota Public Hunting Atlas. Online version is fine. I prefer the paper kind. You're not just looking for "good looking cover". You're looking for a spot that offers the type of habitat pheasants use during that particular hour of the day under those particular conditions. It's quite dependent on the adjacent ground. Crops, trees, grass, slough, pasture?
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A5 I’ve always hoped you would start up a different thread on this topic. You do a great job explaining why and when on your videos.
 
Glock said:
A5 I’ve always hoped you would start up a different thread on this topic. You do a great job explaining why and when on your videos.
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Ooo. A thread like that would be fun & long. Maybe one situation per post? 🤔
The more people who can come to SD (or wherever) & have success somewhere besides a preserve, the better.
 
check out even marginal private land next to public
land owner's often say yes because they are not getting asked alot
public birds will often flee the heavy pressured public ground to the close private ground even with less cover
you may also get access other ground they have that you don't see
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
You've probably seen it, but if not, get the South Dakota Public Hunting Atlas. Online version is fine. I prefer the paper kind. You're not just looking for "good looking cover". You're looking for a spot that offers the type of habitat pheasants use during that particular hour of the day under those particular conditions. It's quite dependent on the adjacent ground. Crops, trees, grass, slough, pasture?
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Yes, I ordered one of these early this fall. This is a great public resource that the State of South Dakota puts out..as an out of stater from somewhere with pathetically public lands, I really appreciate what South Dakota does for its resident and visiting outdoors people.
 
Got an email from SD GFP in the past day…they’re facilitating the ability for us hunters to thank landowners for putting land in programs that allow us to hunt…may be an email thank you…I think that’s great…I’ve thought about sending thank you notes…I’ve thanked them in person when I serendipitously bump into them near the land I’m hunting…👍
 
wildcat said:
check out even marginal private land next to public
land owner's often say yes because they are not getting asked alot
public birds will often flee the heavy pressured public ground to the close private ground even with less cover
you may also get access other ground they have that you don't see
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This is so true. Years ago I got permission to hunt a spot bordering on public land for two sides. Didn’t look like much from the road but there was a woolly ditch in the middle of the pasture that was full of birds. Two months in the season and the farmer said nobody had asked.
 
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