Help Needed :)

M

merlebo02

New member
From Mississippi and grew up going to Kansas pheasant hunting.. As ive gotten older (46) my passion for shooting birdies has changed to shooting birdies on the golf course :). I have 3 boys that have gotten into hunting (they are 15, 13, and 11) and i'm wanting them to have the same experiences I got as a boy chasing that mystical pheasant. Nothing quiet like a big rooster jumping up right in front of you.. This is a last minute decision but I think thats the best way to make memories.. We are planning on loading the truck up and heading to SD Friday (11/28) and hunting until Tues or Wednesday (12/2-3). I have been out of the pheasant hunting seen for a long time.. When we went to Kansas we use to take boxes of sweet potatoes (I live in Sweet Potato country) and land owners would let us hunt there land for a box of sweet potatoes.. Would this still be a possibility to find places to hunt up there? Would hunting public land (just me and 3 boys) be possible? I don't really want to do a guided service, id rather do it own our own.. What area of SD should I look into?? I understand how competitive hunting has become and how asking on a forum may not be my best solution but its worth a try :) Thanks to any help I can get
 
You never know til you try! Sounds plausible. I’d base in a town like Mitchell, closer for you..,there’s a bass pro there, too. Lots of public land within 50 miles, any direction…good bird #’s…find a smallish town with public ground nearby that has a cafe…be there at 7:30 am and have breakfast…chat with locals that are there…see if they have ideas about private land. Look for CREP ground…you can use lead. Don’t ignore ditches, effective way to hunt. Good luck!
 
benelli-banger said:
You never know til you try! Sounds plausible. I’d base in a town like Mitchell, closer for you..,there’s a bass pro there, too. Lots of public land within 50 miles, any direction…good bird #’s…find a smallish town with public ground nearby that has a cafe…be there at 7:30 am and have breakfast…chat with locals that are there…see if they have ideas about private land. Look for CREP ground…you can use lead. Don’t ignore ditches, effective way to hunt. Good luck!
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Thank you, really appreciate the advice!
 
Good cafe in Montrose I’m told..really good. Check out public areas near Fulton, Salem, Spencer…south of I-90 as well, like Freeman…good bird #’s there, too…north of Mitchell is good…Letcher, Forestburg, Artesian, Fedora, Roswell….good cafe in Letcher…
 
U can’t hunt til 10 am, after breakfast drive gravel roads in areas that have public hunting areas…WPA, GPA, CREP, etc…look for birds…it may snow soon, birds easy to spot…if you see them around, focus on those areas…they’ll hide in the cover and loaf when not out feeding…adjust your expectations…this will be a scouting/learning mission…you may get some shooting, you may not, but it should be great fun!
 
benelli-banger said:
U can’t hunt til 10 am, after breakfast drive gravel roads in areas that have public hunting areas…WPA, GPA, CREP, etc…look for birds…it may snow soon, birds easy to spot…if you see them around, focus on those areas…they’ll hide in the cover and loaf when not out feeding…adjust your expectations…this will be a scouting/learning mission…you may get some shooting, you may not, but it should be great fun!
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For sure it will be a good time! If nothing else I am making memories with my boys.. They are growing up way too fast!!
 
There’s a high fence whitetail ranch north of Fedora…go up there, ask around for the exact location.. fun to see the huge bucks, and good bird area…walk some ditches there…Sodak Prairie Acres. Also, if the gang needs a different diversion, day or nite, check out the world famous corn palace in Mitchell!! Kinda cool…
 
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benelli-banger said:
There’s a high fence whitetail ranch north of Fedora…go up there, ask around for the exact location.. fun to see the huge bucks, and good bird area…walk some ditches there…Sodak Prairie Acres. Also, if the gang needs a different diversion, day or nite, check out the world famous corn palace in Mitchell!! Kinda cool…
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I think we will try and make the 5 hr drive across to Mt Rushmore and also see the badlands? Would it be worth the drive or no?

Would there be any benefit to bringing a ranger for hunting?
 
That’s up to you, very cool area, not sure what the situation is this time of year…what’s open, etc…I associate that area with summer activities. A ranger is an ATV? I don’t think I’d be dragging that with, don’t know it’d really help with the hunting…I could be wrong! The days are short…hunting from 10-5, a few breaks in there, it’s over before you know it. You need to decide how many hunting days you want…
 
Lots of good info from BB. I don’t think there would be value in towing the Ranger all the way there but just my opinion. Another piece of advice for no dog is when a bird is shot have someone get a good mark on it and do t take their eyes off the spot. Others all get to that spot ASAP to find the bird. If bird is falling and any concern its alive still try to put another round in it.

As mentioned set expectations as a learning trip and time to spend with your boys and I expect you will have a good time. If you harvest a couple birds that will be bonus.

Make sure to let us know how it turns out.
 
If the boys enjoy the trip, come back next summer and scout for pheasant land, and head to the black hills then…more to do in the summer…canyon lake resort/motel is nice, in rapid city…trout right there in the lake, right in front of the motel!
 
There are many Hutterite colonies in the area, including the upland colony near artesian…go ask for hunting permission, it’s a trip seeing these colonies and meeting them! Different way of life…have your boys research the hutterites…fascinating communal approach to life, very religious….if you go to upland colony, the minister is Clarence…ask for him. But a farm boss may give permission as well…
 
In a perfect world you’d hunt some Milo or sorghum food plots…narrow rectangular strips, not too tall so the boys can see what’s happening…attracts the birds pretty well…good, stout cover…have one blocker at the end…lots of safety discussions about when it’s safe to shoot!
 
Lots of great info from BB and pay attention to details. Keep a daily diary, easy to forget. Good luck, it will be an education. My approach has always been it is a vacation first and hunting trip second. Be safe.
 
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