Ft.Pierre Nat. Grasslands

F

Fnewguy

Member
I'm heading out to S.D. next week to hunt pheasants with my brother and 1 dog. We will be hunting publics most of the week. It looks like we will be putting on a lot of miles. I have been enjoying all the hunting reports and siphoning a lot of practical tips as well. The question I have is if it is worth checking out the Ft. Pierre Grasslands. I have been reading that the grouse hunting is difficult this time of year and it sounds like there are more pheasants going North from Pierre. I am just trying to narrow my search. I have a rough plan of attack made by using the hunting atlas. I originally wanted to check out the grasslands for possible future reference as well. Its such a vast area that I am wondering if my time would be better spent elsewhere.

Thanks
 
Fnewguy - I was out there last week for a first time ever trip to SD. The Grasslands are simply put, just beautiful to behold. Make a little time to get off the main road check out the seemingly endless prairie and rolling hills.

My hunting in the Grasslands was limited. It seemed to me I needed to find tall weeds or dried cattails on public that abutted private crop fields. There just isn't that much of that kind of cover that I saw in the area of the Grasslands that I checked out, but again, make the time to enjoy the area if you haven't been there before. I found the grouse wing drop boxes an interesting concept, etc.

While I spent some time north of Pierre, I would also spend some time checking the area more east/and southeast of pierre. ;) The state hunting atlas is a great tool.

Most of the rural roads were marked but some weren't. I learned all about what a section road is and about how far apart they are (1 mile) and that helped a lot in locating some of the small lesser marked areas.

Best of luck to you.
 
Last fall while traveling from Pierre north to the Cheyenne River we noticed literally hundreds of rooster pheasants just north and west of Pierre about 20 miles. This year we made the same trip we seen maybe 5 roosters. What a difference a year makes!
 
the grasslands have been being hunted since early september starting with prairie grouse now pheasant season so id say you best bet for prairie grouse is the grasslands thats what they live in pheasants need a hole other type of habitat there is much better pheasant ground in SD then the ft pierre its just so vast to narrow down & pheasants are so wide spread there like any wear find water food & cover for birds through out the day & there will be pheasants there is is SD...

hunt the grasslands early if u want to avoid weary birds... guys go the ft pierre to train packs of dogs on horse back the pheasants get a education early there
 
Getting anxious for the hunt !

Thanks for the responses. Just what I was looking for. Hopefully I will have something of more interest to post in a couple weeks.
 
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