Help me make up my mind....

TomU

TomU

Active member
This is my second year coming to SD and plan on starting the first weekday after the opener. I have about 10 hunting days this trip and am looking for opinions about the second 5 days out in the field.
My original target was Redfield and the surrounding area. But, looking at the Pub Hunt Atlas, the State Harvest Report and ONX the area SE of Groton and into Western Day county has a lot more public ground and the 2022 Harvest numbers are not bad (if they are close to accurate).
Any Thoughts?
 
Good reports coming in from many areas…really seems like things are shaping up well…use the 7-10 am time to scout, 50, 75 miles or more…you can learn a lot in a few days…
 
Agree with BB exactly. Hearing lots of good reports. Talked to a land owner friend yesterday. He just bought 2 quarters and I asked him if there would be any birds on those and his quote was “this year there are birds everywhere”.that is painting with a wide brush but similiar to what I’m hearing from almost all my contacts out there. Looking forward to getting boots on the ground.

BB is also correct about traveling some miles. Last hour of the day if you are done hunting is also prime scouting time.

One month from today is our scheduled departure. The official count down clock has begun.
 
While there is a lot of public land in the areas you mentioned, normally those area are not the best pheasant areas. Yes, there are birds there but if you stay west of Hwy 37 you will have better luck.
 
Dakotazeb said:
While there is a lot of public land in the areas you mentioned, normally those area are not the best pheasant areas. Yes, there are birds there but if you stay west of Hwy 37 you will have better luck.
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Appreciate that. Thanks.
 
In areas with sufficient habitat, the pheasants came through the winter doing well. A great nesting/brood rearing spring/summer has leant itself well to the pheasants. As with any year, you might have to put some miles on the gravel roads to find the pockets that were able to sustain the birds, but they'll be there.

I work in the fireworks industry and each year I am contacted by people that want to start a stand and make some money. I give them the same advice I give people wanting to do the DIY pheasant hunting. You have to commit to at least three years, if not five. It takes time and experience to figure out niche markets, just as it takes time and experience to find pheasants and, more importantly, identify those areas that are likely to hold pheasants. Tom, I think it doesn't matter where you go, just keep grinding and learning and putting more and more quality hunting spots and memories in the bag and you've got it made. Best of luck!
 
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Golden Hour said:
You have to commit to at least three years, if not five. It takes time and experience to figure out niche markets, just as it takes time and experience to find pheasants and, more importantly, identify those areas that are likely to hold pheasants.
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I hunt pretty much the same part of the state every year. It's not a very large area, but it contains quite a bit of public land & CREP/WIA. There are MANY areas in the state with just as many pheasants, if not considerably more. But I do OK. It's interesting how pheasant numbers (that are actually huntable) vary greatly from spot to spot each season, which is mostly a result of what's happening on adjacent/nearby land that year. They're still in the general area, but just use the smaller chunks differently, making hunting opportunities different. Point being, you can't just try a few spots in a given area, even if you hunted them very successfully last year & see zero this year, & expect to have a good feel for how many birds are around & how they're using the area. If you're unsuccessful, chances are you just weren't in the right spot at the right time. But they're almost always around somewhere.

It may be that in eastern SD, the further west you get, the more pheasants there are. In general. But very huntable numbers exist, on a large scale, not just pockets of them, all the way east to I-29.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
It may be that in eastern SD, the further west you get, the more pheasants there are. In general. But very huntable numbers exist, on a large scale, not just pockets of them, all the way east to I-29.
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Whew! Thanks for cutting it off at I-29. Now all these lurkers are still in the dark about my border jumping spot out by Revillo.
 
I hunt 2 trips to SD typically last week of oct/1st week nov and then always 1st wknd in december. we hunt from north of 12 to south of i90. east river west river james river and every river in between. you do your homework in the offseason. you find the public spots that produce year after year and its pretty simple from there on out. you make connections with the locals and get 1st hand reports from them during the august and september months and then make a game plan. be flexible hunt hard and you will be rewarded. we hunted a public piece last year 4 days. had more than enough birds and took home our limits each trip to it. best of luck.
 
Goosemaster said:
Lol.I didn't see much cover around redfield. Saw a lot of plowed fields.
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I would tell you to come hunt MN, but I don't want all the birds educated in my stomping grounds. I'd rather hunt behind someone in a shiny new suburban with a dog that speaks with a German or English accent than an old farm boy in a 40 year old pickup with a trusty retriever riding shotgun.
 
Hwy 281 has lots of hay fields right next to the road so they got cut early and often the last couple years. Just off the that highway from Aberdeen to Redfield is very good hunting. This area had good winter carry over, a large early hatch that survived and also some late nesting the got flooded out but successfully re-hatched broods. Many birds this year and last year was great hunting.

I drive south of Groton every year coming in and those public lands are vast cattail marshes that are part of the James River CREP public areas. Hard to say which you are seeing on the map but it is usually standing water and not anything we stop to hunt. Day county public land is waterfowl GPAs around the pothole lakes and you might do good but you'd find more birds farther west as Dakotazeb recommends.
 
There might be more phez west, might, some places, but maybe not. you don't gotta go west. Certain people been crying for a long time about they can't find no birds in the east part. But there's plenty of people who shoot lots of birds right where your talking bout.
 
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