2021 RINGNECK OUTLOOK

Chestle said:
If I read their IA DNR site correctly, a non-res small game ANNUAL license including Habitat is $144.

I would gladly pay SD $144 for a full season license. I usually spend way more than that on multiple 10 day licenses.
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I agree, if SD charged something in that neighborhood for a full 75-day season like Iowa I'd be more convinced. Comparing South Dakota's license of $121 that limits you to 10 days in the field during the entire season and comparing Iowa's license that has no limitations, South Dakota's should cost about 907 bucks. Makes Iowa seem like a steal when you compare the number of days you can hunt.
 
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How often has an increase in a license fee or any tax produced positive results down stream and a long term benefit? Raising taxes rarely generates more money long term and even short term for that matter if you lose a percentage of your base. You may have a short term gain on license fees as long as the percentage increase bridges gap of hunters lost, but as has been mentioned it is a very small piece of the pie. The massive revenue losses occur with cutting that percentage out of food, lodging, ammo, gas, and other miscellaneous costs that go to the local small businesses/economy. If SD loses even 10% of NR hunters then total revenue from NR actually decreases by a much larger percentage. The license cost is far less than 10% of my total cost/contribution that I provide to the SD economy. I also take my two sons (9 and 6 yrs) with me and if I stop going then that is future hunters/revenue that will be lost.
If I recall correctly a $25 habitat stamp was just added in the last year or two.
Bottom line is raising fees/taxes is rarely the answer to any question unless one is trying to decrease the base participation, which I don’t believe is the case with SDGFP.
I can’t wait to take my boys and new pup to SD this Fall. Last year in SD was my most enjoyable hunt I have had in 16 yrs and the best bird numbers I had seen in 12+ years. If your sitting on the fence, get off and join us in the fields of SD this Fall!
 
benelli-banger said:
No wonder Kristi Noem canceled the pheasant count, doesn’t want to advertise bad news, which they basically admitted....
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Great point, if it was good news they would market the hell out of it to drive the NR hunters to the state. I wish I could say things were going to get better but the trend is down for habitat= wild birds.
 
With the inflationary trend we are now living with the cost of hunting will be going higher. With commodity prices heading higher the value of what land can produce will escalate.
 
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I think the general consensus of all the replies is the long term trend of wild bird numbers is downward, as human population increases and modern farming practices have emphasized production leading to less habitat. That being said there are around a million wild roosters harvested a year in SD. You can be negative and stay home or let it taint your hunting experience. You can put on rose-colored glasses, go hunting, and ignore it. Or you can be a realist, go hunting and enjoy it, and do whatever you can to help the situation of wild upland birds and educate others on the subject. No one can predict the future. Enjoy the days afield you're lucky enough to get each fall, I know I do.
 
Bob Peters said:
I think the general consensus of all the replies is the long term trend of wild bird numbers is downward, as human population increases and modern farming practices have emphasized production leading to less habitat. That being said there are around a million wild roosters harvested a year in SD. You can be negative and stay home or let it taint your hunting experience. You can put on rose-colored glasses, go hunting, and ignore it. Or you can be a realist, go hunting and enjoy it, and do whatever you can to help the situation of wild upland birds and educate others on the subject. No one can predict the future. Enjoy the days afield you're lucky enough to get each fall, I know I do.
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Well said Bob! Enjoy everyday and try to make a positive impact on things within your control.
 
"I don't mind paying a higher license fee and extra for a habitat stamp if it allows the state to hire more bureaucrats for the Wildlife Division and the state Department of Tourism so they can expand their pheasant marketing efforts."......Said no real pheasant hunter EVER.

H-A-B-I-T-A-T. There, I spelled it out for them. If you build it, they will come.

Don't they always say word of mouth is the best advertising? Provide lots and lots of good habitat with public access. When hunters have successful hunts, word gets around.
 
unfortunately, the SDGF is run like a business. money, fees, stamps all end up as benefit to local officials (another biologist, OMG).
we have seen this movie before, in other states. when it comes to decent public ground there will never be enough.
this year it will all be virtually hayed, with no benefit for the sportsman who antes up the cash for a chance to hunt a cut field.
so the state gets their fees, from license and habitat stamp and the rancher gets CRP payment plus the hay.
leaves the hunter on the outside, looking in! this game won't last for long. hunter numbers headed south again.
 
Just returned from South Dakota yesterday. My purpose in going was specifically to meet a Native American guide for a hunt on Crow Creek Res, and to find out what I could about pheasant prospects for 2021. Plus, I just plain like South Dakota. My travels took me to Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Chamberlain, Ft. Thompson and Pierre. Results as follows:

1. Sioux Falls: stopped at Scheels there at the Empire Mall---plenty of ammo--16 ga. Prairie Storm $32.99/box of 25. Plenty of steel loads; 12 & 20 ga. Prairie Storm lead around $23-25/box. Good selection of rimfire ammo and even some 9mm. Asked about birds; they had no tangible info but the area looked green and crops fairly good.

2. Mitchell: Cabela's low on all ammo, prices high BUT the Wal Mart just to the south had 2-12 gauge 4-packs of Federal 1 1/8 oz. target loads for $23.76 each and I bought those. Was informed at gun counter they had been very dry, not many birds being seen/reported. East of Mitchell, the Salem-Montrose area also looked very dry. Saw lots of cloudy skies but little in the way of real rainfall; just mist and drizzle.

3. Chamberlain: visited with a very hospitable FSA employee, a young lady named Rachel at the UDSA office. She showed me a computer screen with a database showing rainfall in various areas of Central SoDak over the last few weeks....not good, saw lots of low numbers ie. .05, .1" etc. for amounts. She did say last winter was relatively mild and the bird carryover should be decent. She shares an office with a Pheasants Forever bird biologist and they talk, so I got the feeling she is reasonably well informed on the subject.

4. Ft. Thompson: Crow Creek Res: I was to meet my contact at the Lode Star Casino. Had been there before as we had hunted the Res in 2014, 2016 and 2016 with a different guy. My contact never showed. I tried texting and he replied with a suggestion to meet at another location; he didn't show there either. Suffice it to say we will not be hunting with this individual this fall. BTW, I have been to a number of Indian Reservations in the West and this is one of the poorest. Frankly, it's Third World and there isn't enough time or space to get into all of the geopolitics and negative history on the issue of Native American and Government politics surrounding the issue. There certainly are legitimate viewpoints on both side of this subject. I'll just say we moved on from there to---

5. Pierre: Spoke with Caleb at Steamboat's (they process gamebirds for hunters and he also has a scuba diving business). Asked about bird numbers and he reiterated what Rachel had told me, that pheasant carryover should be good, and that he does processing business for some 52 different pheasant hunting operations in Central SD; he talks to them and he is hearing that guys are seeing some birds and that there are plenty of grasshoppers for chicks to feed on. Went to Runnings Farm Supply and the gun counter guys seem to think there are enough bugs to get the birds by IF they can get a rain soon. DISCLAIMER: Much of this info comes from people with businesses dependent on tourism income--so I do NOT necessarily buy it all--I'm just reporting what I was told.
I did get from Caleb a short list of guides he considers reputable. I called several and arranged a fall hunt with one. My son and I will be coming out to Pierre the second week of November.

PS---took I-94 on return trip and on the east side of Madison WI. stopped at a relatively new Fleet/Farm store. It was very well stocked with all manner of guns, including Benelli, Browning, Franchi, Winchester and others, rifles, shotguns and handguns. They had .308 and .223 ammo as well as shotgun ammo (mostly steel) and some rimfire ammo including Speer 30 grain .22 WMR hollowpoints, some of which I bought. Nice store, just west of the interstate and visible from the road.

BOTTOM LINE ON ALL THIS: As usual, there will be some good hunting in South Dakota this year--and areas where the bird numbers will be disappointing. A lot depends on the rain---BUT several people told me that most if not all of the outfitters "seed" their habitat with at least some pen raised birds. When you figure that thousands of nonresidents come from everywhere to hunt a relatively defined area of east and central parts of the state, and they all want to shoot birds or they're unhappy, I guess it's inevitable. Money talks, and bullshit walks.........
 
Yes, most outfits that get over $150/gun/day are releasing birds...just the amount of land you have to take out of crop production is staggering if you’re going to attempt to create enough bird habitat to cycle hunters through all season...create some food plots, buy roosters for $15, and hope your “hunters” can hit 2/3 of them! Then farm all that ground that your hunters were gonna stumble around on looking for the enemy! We men evidently have big enough egos that it doesn’t dawn on us that when 90% of the flushes are roosters, if you can call them flushes, something may be wrong with this picture!!!🤣 I have done some guiding/handholding for a few of these outfits...the customers aren’t dumb, but they don’t pick up on what’s going on...to the benefit of the outfitter, obviously!
 
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Alaskan swamp collies said:
Just think if increased license fees translated to leasing more private land for public access. Wishful thinking.
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i thought that $25 habitat fee was for more walk in ground??

not really, i knew it was lining someone's pockets! i am about done with SD.
Iowa is becoming much more attractive.
 
I don't understand the negative attitude on this site. We all have a passion for pheasant hunting or we wouldn't be here.. There will be good years and there will be bad years.. One year our group went to North Dakota and during our time there killed 120 birds. The following year due to a devasting hail storm we killed 24. But every day I accounted for 2 birds.. I walked to the edge of every fence post and took every cattail opportunity.. Even in a bad year, I had a great hunt.. Last year in Indiana I walked 7 miles for 2 wild roosters.. Quit complaining about resident vs Nonresident, weather, CRP haying or hunting pressure. Make the effort to hunt, and enjoy the experience with your dogs and friends. If 100-200 bucks makes or breaks you in this game, then you were never in it anyways.
 
Just because someone has a different opinion on something than you does not make it a "negative attitude". Some of us speak in terms that we feel reflect reality. My opinion is and will remain that what is left of a dwindling resource should be prioritized for residents of this state. Honestly, it comes off as pretty weak when "quit complaining" is used to discuss a topic.
 
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A state of emergency order signed Tuesday by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will allow producers to begin mowing ditches for hay. A Department of Transportation rule prohibits mowing ditches in eastern South Dakota until mid-summer primarily to provide cover for pheasant chicks.
 
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