Eureka SD Hunt First Time

Hiltonkv

New member
First time going out west to hunt pheasant in Eureka SD with my Wirehaired pointing griffon. Wondering what type of public land to look for and what to expect. Any tips are much appreciated Thank you!
 
My 1st ever trip to SD I stayed in Hosmer and hunted that area up to Eureka and north of it. Being 1st time ever out there, took a bit to figure out what I needed to look for. Next couple of years stayed in Hecla, but still made a day run over to the Eureka area to hit familiar spots and found some new spots east of Eureka that produced too. Plenty of birds to run into over that way, however you will run in to some pressure right around Eureka...but if you find a good piece, hunt it, even if it has been hit.
My best properties are GPA, then WPA, then WIA adjacent to crops/water.
Use the maps to narrow down a couple of properties and go hunt them. Good thing about not being able to hunt til 10am is you can drive and scout in the morning and not feel like you are missing time in the field. Also gives the dog some extra recovery time.
 
Stayed in Eureka at the Lakewood inn for many years. Hunting was good, not great but very decent. All public. Back then lots of okay public and got better with snow and colder temps.
 
You're in a good area there, but to be truthful there ain't a bad one in SD east of the river. It is beautiful country, I can see it in my mind right now. You're out in cowboy country, just need to find some crops near good habitat. There might be some driving involved between spots. We hunted there three years ago. It feels like it was yesterday.IMG_27381.jpg
 
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