I'm from Michigan and will be heading to South Dakota Nov 25 - Dec 1. This will be my first SD hunt. I will be hunting in the Huron area. i was wondering if anyone knew of good public land to hunt in that area, or if anyone has any tips that would be great. Such as parts of fields to hunt, good places to eat ect... any info would be greatly apperciated! thanks.
info on SD hunting
- Thread starter marcwigg
- Start date
Downtown Bang!
Member
I'm not sure if the choice of Huron is based on other factors but if you intend on hunting public land only this area would not be at the top of my list. My assumption is going to be that the public parcels in the Huron area get pounded and pounded hard.
I hunt public land and like to hunt areas where hunter traffic is slower, the pheasant hunting is less commercialized and lots of public land options are available. Most of the pockets that fit those criteria are North of Hwy 212, West of I-29, and east of the river. If you order the public hunting guide from the SD GF&P website you can kind of get an idea where to start.
As for how to hunt the cover the best advice I can give is hunt cover that fits your dogs strengths and trust the dog if he is a proven bird finder. Hunt out of the way and hard to get to sections of the parcels and throw the birds a change-up by approaching them from unusual directions. If the weather has deteriorated and there is decent snowfall be prepared to dig birds out of the cattail sloughs and thicker shelterbelts. If the weather is still good hunt roosting grass next to cut corn during the last hour and don't be afraid to hunt thin cover next to or in the food source during the day.
Finally, if the public land isn't producing look for and hunt un-mowed road ditches next to harvested crops. Birds will loaf there during the day and migrate through those areas at roosting hour to get to roosting cover. You can hunt these spots with a dog just like you would a fence line or narrow shelterbelt. Just become familar with road hunting rules before you jump in with both feet. Landowners can be sensative to this style of hunting.
Good Luck
DB
JMBZ71
Member
Q
Great advice, as always DB.
Marc, be sure to refer to the SD Hunting Atlas for information about WIA's or public lands in the area you plan to hunt. If you go to the link below, Map Sheet 34 shows WIA's and pulic lands in the Huron area (not a whole lot there). Huron's in the high density pheasant range but you'll probably have to knock on some doors and maybe even open your wallet to hunt'em.
http://www.sdgfp.info/Publications/Atlas/Index.htm
Also, don't forget to pickup some steel shot if you plan to hunt any of the Game or Waterfowl Production Areas around Huron.
Best of luck!
Great advice, as always DB.
Marc, be sure to refer to the SD Hunting Atlas for information about WIA's or public lands in the area you plan to hunt. If you go to the link below, Map Sheet 34 shows WIA's and pulic lands in the Huron area (not a whole lot there). Huron's in the high density pheasant range but you'll probably have to knock on some doors and maybe even open your wallet to hunt'em.
http://www.sdgfp.info/Publications/Atlas/Index.htm
Also, don't forget to pickup some steel shot if you plan to hunt any of the Game or Waterfowl Production Areas around Huron.
Best of luck!