Another Great SD Hunt

Lake Itasca

Lake Itasca

New member
This is my 23rd year of hunting pheasants in SD, it never gets old. My buddy and I and two dogs limited out fairly easy(which really surprised us with all the doom and gloom reports). I'd say the birds are up slightly from last year, still way down from years gone by. We did see one large group going into a standing corn field early in the morning, around 50 birds or so. Other than that big group it was a few here and a few there. The birds held really tight for mid-November, rooster ratios were off the charts. The first 17 birds we saw were roosters! The latest we finished a day was 2:50 PM. We hunt ditches exclusively in the central part of the state.

I love being over there during the rut, get to see some really nice whitetails running does at all times of the day. As a wildlife photographer, I'm in heaven!
Back out again in mid-December, hope the snow stays away! My first post here, will try to load some pics.
 
Thanks for the informative report and congrats. on the successful hunt.

Good looking Golden: what are his bloodlines? I'm on my 5th Golden, background - Topbrass (Illinois) dogs.

Also, can you amplify how you hunt the ditch? Selection, walk, block et al.

PS: We visited Itaska State Park this fall - awsome scenery and beautiful colors!
 
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Hey jonnyB,

There is some Topbrass a ways back, that was one busy dog :)

As far as the ditches go, cut corn or sunflowers, good thick cover, we leap frog each other and walk it solo. If the cover runs out that guy will post. We have such a collection of spots now over the years that it's just a matter of if crops were planted that year. We try never to hunt the same ditch twice in a 5 day hunt. We usually bypass standing crops, not that you can't get some, it's an odds thing. Hope that helps!
 
Thanks for the summary and response.

I can recall hunting only ditches (in Iowa) many years ago and limiting in a couple of day's. Some of it was road hunting, most was walking and blocking.

We try and select ditches next to picked fields that have good cover - grass et al. Sure is an inexpensive way to hunt, no trespass fees!
 
jonnyB,

We almost met then cause I was up there from the 24th of September through October 11th. My new book on Itasca was released on 9/28 and I had book signings both weekends. I'm usually up there for at least two weeks for peak fall colors. It's a great place!
 
A good time!

My hat off to you! Great photos and hunting experiences!

Continued success.:)
 
Hmmm - book on Itaska. If you can, tell us more about it. Fiction? Guide Book, Personal experiences? Would like to know more. Thanks! Jon
 
I'm not Jonny, but those are amazing photos.. Thanks.. Its nice to see the appreciation of wildlife in general, and not just for the fez..
 
JonnyB here...thanks for posting - great photos!

One of my favorite times in SD, in the late fall, is about 3:30 to closing. The setting sun casts light on the different shades of gold; a most peaceful time.
 
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