Is South Dakota just hype?

[A5 Sweet 16]

I am going to ask the same question "is it worth the hype?", but with a little perspective.
I am planning to hunt SD public land the first week of December, just my dad, my dog, and myself (no firm decision on location yet). I chase roosters in MI, on mostly public land. I do decent every year, shot 10 roosters last season, 9 on public.(Hunted 15 days) My goal every hunt is to see a pheasant, and my dog and I have no issue with walking (sometimes running) all day to flush a wily public land pheasant. My best day on public land last season was flushing 4 roosters and 11 hens, got 1 rooster. (Thats multiple pieces of ground, with 5+ hours spent afield)
So with that in mind, Is South Dakota worth the hype? We are making the trip no matter what, as its more about hanging out with my dad, but still interested to hear some responses!

I'm super biased, but yes, it's worth it. First, & very importantly, the State of SD releases exactly ZERO pen-reared birds on public land, like MI does in certain areas. In 41 seasons & many, many roosters, I've shot a grand total of 4 pen-reared birds on public land that were escapees from nearby private preserves. So you'll be hunting all wild birds. But if you have a basic understanding of the average day in the life of a wild pheasant, you should have absolutely no problem at least SEEING way, WAY more birds than you're used to. Your & your dog's experience level (& a little luck) will determine whether or not a few might allow you to shoot them. I & a few others on here contend that a reasonably experienced hunter & dog should almost always be able to get 3 shot opportunities hunting SD public land for a full day. I'd even stretch that to include a pair of hunters & pair of dogs. But a pair of hunters w/ only 1 dog will theoretically have to hunt twice as long to get 6 shot opportunities, because you can really only effectively hunt as much ground as your dog(s) can hunt. Come on out & have fun! It's going to be a great season!

 

[Matt D]

Think it’s been really well covered. One dog for 2 people is gonna be a little tough possibly. May want to plan to walk a few ditches to let the dog rest while doing that. Saving the dog for more field/cover hunts but still getting to hunt. Just an opinion but something we did before we had enough dog power to cover what we wanted to hunt.

 

[tomfive5]

I'm super biased, but yes, it's worth it. First, & very importantly, the State of SD releases exactly ZERO pen-reared birds on public land, like MI does in certain areas. In 41 seasons & many, many roosters, I've shot a grand total of 4 pen-reared birds on public land that were escapees from nearby private preserves. So you'll be hunting all wild birds. But if you have a basic understanding of the average day in the life of a wild pheasant, you should have absolutely no problem at least SEEING way, WAY more birds than you're used to. Your & your dog's experience level (& a little luck) will determine whether or not a few might allow you to shoot them. I & a few others on here contend that a reasonably experienced hunter & dog should almost always be able to get 3 shot opportunities hunting SD public land for a full day. I'd even stretch that to include a pair of hunters & pair of dogs. But a pair of hunters w/ only 1 dog will theoretically have to hunt twice as long to get 6 shot opportunities, because you can really only effectively hunt as much ground as your dog(s) can hunt. Come on out & have fun! It's going to be a great season!

I stay as far away from the pen raised release sites in MI as possible. Id rather walk all day and see a few hens then walk for a hour, get shot at, have someone else's dog follow me, just tp kick at a bird to make it fly Looks like we will be headed to the Huron area early December. Thanks for the advice, I am really looking forward to the trip.

 

[tomfive5]

All I can add is spend the time between now and then getting in shape. Dad ,dog,and you.

I am sure you will have a great time !

Grouse season has been on since 9/15 in MI, and pheasant season starts this weekend and we will be out every chance we get. So the dog will be in shape, not making any promises about my dad and I!