January hunt

Looking at ONX I see a lot of parcels that are labeled SD State Trust Land. Most just give some info and location but some will say, "leased to a person name".
Question. Can you hunt State Trust Lands that are not leased out?

Tom
 
Looking at ONX I see a lot of parcels that are labeled SD State Trust Land. Most just give some info and location but some will say, "leased to a person name".
Question. Can you hunt State Trust Lands that are not leased out?

Tom

Those are typically School and Public Lands and regardless of whether they are leased or not, they are open to public hunting. You have to access them via public roads. If you can't get to them by using a public road, then you have to have permission from the adjoining landowner(s) to get there.

I will add that these lands are not good for pheasant hunting and are typically pasture lands. Which can be good for sharptail grouse, depending on the area of the state you are in.
 
Golden Hour, Thanks for the clarification and heads up. I'm thinking about SD this year instead of KS. I'm looking at the area around Gettysburg as I have a lead on good lodging around there, Knowing no one there, I'm trying to make sense of the public hunting areas. I'll download the public lands info from the link posted previously and keep on looking.

Tom (SW Utah)
 
Dec. and January are my favorite months. Deer hunting has calmed down and you rarely see anybody in the field. I’m retired so I look for weather windows and leave accordingly. 30ft tow strap, clevis, corn scoop, food, water, downy sleeping bag, ice shack heater, all should be on the list. If your rig fails or you slide off when the sun is low, you will spend the night. If it’s brutal out you might be better off in your rig. I’m out alone a lot, so much more risky. Buddy up if you can. Two mile walk out could be your last.
 
I've never put much stock in time of year or weather for hunting. If the season is on and I'm not at work, I'm likely watching Sage do her thing. Loving every minute of it.
Yeah, it sure makes a person realize how lucky he is to actually live in SD. But yes, if the season's on, Ace & I are out there. Each part of the season has it's strong points. Except early December. I hate early December. Wait, no I don't.
 
I've never put much stock in time of year or weather for hunting.
I put a lot of time and planning into this aspect. I don't have an unlimited amount of time to hunt because I have a full time job, a kid, a house, and a lot of other obligations that require my time and attention. Not to mention physical limitations. So I try to pick a day that is generally going to be more enjoyable and increase my odds of success. A calm day in early December when the temperature is 20 degrees after a fresh snow is ideal. I really have no interest in hunting in gale force winds or when its 75 degrees out. Or when its a sea of corn. Those conditions often reduce the chance of success and make it far less enjoyable, so I avoid them when I'm able to.

I look at it like a day of fishing. I generally already know what kind of conditions are going to present better odds for success, so I try to target those days. Of course you could strike gold even in the worst of conditions too, but the chances are reduced. The primary reason I choose to hunt more later in the season rather than earlier are temperature, crops, and other hunters.
 
Lots of walk-ins around Bob's resort, 15 miles west of Gettysburg on hiway 212.
Say what, there is?? Bob's falls in about a 75 mile circle where theres hardly no public land. My buddy hunts deer out that way all the time & says what pubic land there is is way better for deer than pheasant and is really hunted a ton. I wouldn't go there.
 
Say what, there is?? Bob's falls in about a 75 mile circle where theres hardly no public land. My buddy hunts deer out that way all the time & says what pubic land there is is way better for deer than pheasant and is really hunted a ton. I wouldn't go there.
We have a member on the site that rents a house in Gettysburg and give a map on public areas to hunt and what to avoid. I think his handle is purple16
Sure takes the guess work out of where to hunt
Not sure if he runs the house in January
Should be able to find him in the hunt section of the site
 
I’ve been following this thread ‘cause I’m planning on an end of Nov, first of Dec hunt. I was thinking of the Gettysburg area and then i saw some comments about the amount of public land in that area.

I used ONX and downloaded the SD public lands for that county and didn’t see much in that area. Continuing one county North I see a bunch around Akaska, some even showing adjacent to crop fields. There’s also a place called Manslodge. Looking at their website and talking with Tim it seems like it may be a good base for a week’s hunting.

Anyone willing to talk with me about Pheasant hunting in that area.

Thanks, Tom
SW Utah
 
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