First time hunting Pierre area

J

John E

New member
Hello all.
Four of us retirees from Wisc/Minnesota will travel to Pierre area for our first time ever hunting pheasants in South Dakota. South Dakota pheasant hunting has always been on our "bucket list", and now we are actually going to do it. We are hoping to learn how/where to hunt the public lands in the Pierre area. I am doing my best to use the "2015 Public Hunting Atlas" (map on pages 46 and 47). Do any of you veterans have suggestions on how/where to get our public lands hunt started? Many thanks for your replies.
 
1st time

This is going to sound silly.
Get there a day and a half before your license start date.
Use the first evening to drive places that you google earthed that look promising, drive till dark watching for birds.
Get some dinner, a cocktail, and relax.
Early the next morning grab a large coffee and biscuit, and hit the road at day break, check out as much as you can watch for birds in ditches, field edges and the berm getting grit, when 10 am hits go get some breakfast and a nap. In the evening drive more areas and cover different types of cover.
That last evening you should discuss a game plan to what you saw over dinner and a cocktail, there is no magic pill or voodoo you have to find the birds, the grasslands are large but not impossible, a little driving and walking and you'll find them. Goodluck
 
Thanks to Tfmdl

Hey Tfmdl:
Thank you so much for those great ideas. We actually could get out there a day or two early and do this kind of scouting. Here's another question: I see when I go to purchase my license online that So Dak wants me to choose two different 5-day periods. What is that about?
 
John E said:
Hey Tfmdl:
Thank you so much for those great ideas. We actually could get out there a day or two early and do this kind of scouting. Here's another question: I see when I go to purchase my license online that So Dak wants me to choose two different 5-day periods. What is that about?
Click to expand...

Pick the last 5 days of the season which would be December 30-January 3 for your second 5 days. You can always change them to an earlier date.
 
2-5 day choices

When you purchase a license as a non-resident you will be entitled to a total of 10 days of hunting. These 10 days can be grouped together (consecutive) or (2) separate 5 day periods. If you intend to hunt more than 5 days during the same period of time then make the two sets of dates consecutive. If you intend to hunt at two different times (ie: one week in October, and one week in December) then specify the dates you intend to hunt. I guess it makes sense if you can only have 15 roosters in your possession. Hope this answers your question?
 
tfmdl is pretty much spot on with scouting scouting & more scouting to get any kind of success or at least a decint hunt they dont just happen because ur in SD on public lands...

all i would add is try if u can to avoid ez hunt location & pierre is really ez base camp so i would really think on traveling aways from town b4 u scout or hunt everybody from out east looks at the bird #s etc. but there are lots of birds outside of the major towns mentioned in the sd ringneck outlook... id be willing to hunt wear u see lots of birds dont be stuck in 1 area id say???

if u find a productive area be the 1st group there daily try to hold it down if u can sucks hunting a killer looking area just after a group stunk it up prior etc.

u mite wanna find good looking ditches aimless walking on the open prairie is not fun if u are not ready for that type hunt...
 
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Thanks for these suggestions

Thanks to you all for these helpful suggestions. A forum like this is a godsend for exploring the unknown areas. We will avoid opening weekend. Sadly we do not have a dog, but we are in good shape for long days of walking. We think we will head out there Oct 21. I know Pierre has the big numbers on the state count, but do you have other areas to suggest where we should go to avoid the crowds?
Good hunting to you all!
Thanks again.
 
With that date there will be no way to avoid the crowds. Best bet is to hunt during the week if possible.
 
Pierre is a total crap show the first three weeks. Basically any and all public within 30 miles gets walked multiple times a day. You can still have some good hunting but be prepared for the crowds
 
Crowds

Wow. Thanks to BigRand for that honest assessment. As a Plan B might we be better trying the areas around Winner, Mobridge, or Mitchell???
 
Unfortunately not really gonna matter where you pick that time of year. Anywhere with birds to speak of will be pretty full with hunters. Best bet I have found is to find areas away from bigger towns. The way I figure it is the bigger the town the more hotels this equalling more hunters. If you're willing to go the extra mile to drive that extra half hour or walk to places others won't you should do fine.
 
when he says crowds he means hordes. Anything before mid november will be stupid crowded. With a high count every hotel will be full capacity. The public is pounded day after day many times a day. If you go I would drive an hr before I started to hunt. Most won't do that
 
last 2 post are spot on not trying to scare you off but you gotta realize when planing ur hunt its SD guys from every state that does not have pheasants go hunt there every year when bird numbers are up like this year its worse... find a area that has no hotels or lodgeing near by or campground etc. & a town not mentioned on the sd ring neck road counts with proper habitat & u will find birds... i routinely drive 1hr or more 1 way to hunt fringe areas last time i hunted sd i tried to just hunt 1 area close to my cabin seen lots of educated birds once i got away from town & hunted real small areas mostly overlooked i killed birds not just seen lots flush wild or in ditches or feed lots etc. you gotta out hunt the hunters the pheasants are there no doubt...
 
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everybody from out east wants to get as far out west as they can to hunt pheasants in SDs highest bird #s cant get much farther then pierre...

i always think when guys wanna hunt pheasants in the counties with highest harvest etc. all i see in that harvest stat is wear alot of hunters hunted i avoid them counties because i hunt public land & that means lots of guys in the same land i wanna hunt no good...

my recomendation is start hunting in far eastern SD kill some birds with out compatition then move west to higher bird numbers if need be... not many locals in eastern SD not many outta state hunters focus on extreme eastern SD its a fly over pass through region to get to better pheasant numbers out west with more hotels cafes bars etc.
 
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