Need Advice

P

Pheasantphan

Member
We have a trip planned from Arkansas to head to SD on Saturday. I have been intently watching the weather and would like an opinion on a couple of things. We had originally planned to go to Pierre area, though we are not locked in to a certain area. My questions: Will we be able to navigate off the main roads to get to places to even try to hunt? We are planning on hunting public ground. I am sure with the conditions we will need to pack for safety - shovel, clothes, food, etc in truck but is there anything else we might need?

We are taking a trip, regardless, as it was offered to a young friend of mine by his wife for Christmas, just trying to get an idea of what we were looking at.

Would it be better to try Kansas instead due to the conditions?

Thanks for your input and thanks for this website. I often get asked about duck hunting in Arkansas and try to be as positive and honest as I can when asked so I would just like to hear what you guys think about next week.
 
We were there up till Wed. this week and it was very difficult at best, I do not want to sound like a downer but with this pile of snow that is going through and the winds that are supposed to follow I wouldn't even attempt going. If you have a place in Kansas/Nebraska I would honestly give that a try.

If you decide to give it a try please be safe and use your head on travelling into areas that look sketchy.
 
Take the trip and make a memory. The weather on Saturday is miserable, but that is your travel day. Sunday the temps are in the teens, then the rest of the week the weather looks quite pleasant!

With the wind, a lot of this snow is going to blow and drift. So some areas may not have much, some quite a bit drifted up. Gravel roads should be plowed so I don't think you'll have to worry about those too much. Some of the actual parking lots of the public land may be drifted too much to pull into, but you can find an alternative place to park somewhere along the road.

Nothing beats watching a rooster bust out of a frozen clump of grass covered in snow! Some birds will certainly flush wild a ways ahead of you, so make sure you are quiet. Other birds are going to hold super tight and assume that you will walk past them, so walk slow and let them spook themselves up.
 
I was in Pierre hunting this week and just got back yesterday, (Thursday). The forecast is for snow blowing and drifting starting today and tomorrow. The birds are really pushed into small area's with good winter cover. The snow in most of the cover this week was very deep!!!! After this next storm I don't see how you are going to get close to any good cover. By the way we hunted private land with good winter cover. I would look at hunting farther south. Even if you just hunted southern South Dakota it might have less snow. Pierre and north will be a problem for you I guarantee it. Good luck and let us know how you did.
 
Thanks for the input so far guys. One thing I like about this forum is that, unlike many of the other hunting forums, the posts are sincere and honest opinions. With that being said, we are still not sure what to do. We have been to SD enough times to have some idea where to hunt, but I am sure the weather will change all that. We have no ideas about KS or NE, other than get a Walk In Atlas and start looking so it might take a day or two of scouting to come up with a game plan there, which is fine with us.

One advantage to SD is that if we do come there and buy our license we also get 5 days next year.

I guess we will see in the morning. I just don't like thinking "well, I wish I would have went" so we are going somewhere. Once again, thanks for the help.
 
Maybe just stay a little further south where there's a little less snow anticipated?? I'm most familiar with public opportunities within 1 hr +/- of Sioux Falls, but I know there's a ton of it in the Bonesteel, Geddes & Parkston areas. (including WIA's & CREP) The SDGFP Outdoors app is pretty decent for maps.
 
Im leaving for the cabin now, but have no intentions of hunting till Tuesday. (got to get a roof on) Not sure how long I'm staying, but the truck is loaded with everything from bird hunting to predator hunting to ice fishing. Suns supposed to shine Sunday, although cold. Monday is pretty good from there on out for the week..

One thing for certain,, you will be able too tell if anyone has been in an area.

Tough call coming from Ark. Not so much for me with it only being a little under 4 hours.

(I do have the snowshoes on the truck also, for whatever thats worth..
 
If you go definately bring snowshoes, i guarantee you will be wishing you had them. It isn;t so much the snow amount that is happening. It is the wind that is going to fill up any of the cat tail areas with it. And when i say fill it up, there were areas i was not able to go through. Waist deep snow you will suck the wind out of you faster then you can immagine.
 
I was up last weekend and the conditions were tough at best( in Pierre area) another 5-6 inches of snow will make most areas un huntable. But in kansas at least quail seem to be up. I think I would give it a go here
 
Pheasantphan said:
We have a trip planned from Arkansas to head to SD on Saturday. I have been intently watching the weather and would like an opinion on a couple of things. We had originally planned to go to Pierre area, though we are not locked in to a certain area. My questions: Will we be able to navigate off the main roads to get to places to even try to hunt? We are planning on hunting public ground. I am sure with the conditions we will need to pack for safety - shovel, clothes, food, etc in truck but is there anything else we might need?

We are taking a trip, regardless, as it was offered to a young friend of mine by his wife for Christmas, just trying to get an idea of what we were looking at.

Would it be better to try Kansas instead due to the conditions?

Thanks for your input and thanks for this website. I often get asked about duck hunting in Arkansas and try to be as positive and honest as I can when asked so I would just like to hear what you guys think about next week.
Click to expand...

I have been watching this forum, and this caught my eye. I would buy a spare battery for the vehicle you drive up in. We got caught a couple years ago in -16 weather with a strong wind, and having an extra battery would have been nice. We were lucky enough to get a jumpstart from a local at the motel we were staying, but we were nowhere near anywhere that sold a battery. Cheap insurance.
 
Thanks again guys. Snowshoes??? I don't think I have ever seen a pair here in Arkansas and it honestly sounds like a good way for me to hurt myself. The snow yall are getting would shut down Northeast Arkansas for a week, no school, no work, no church, and a run on milk and bread. 4 inches stops us in our tracks.
Thanks for the battery advice, we usually carry a set of cables but also try to bring a charged jump box with us along with tools and a wide variety of other car gear. We also carry food, water and a few other personal supplies at all times. We have had an issue or two while out there but nothing major.
But the destination decision is yet to be made, other than we are leaving AR about 10 in the morning!!!
 
Pheasantphan said:
Thanks for the input so far guys. One thing I like about this forum is that, unlike many of the other hunting forums, the posts are sincere and honest opinions. With that being said, we are still not sure what to do. We have been to SD enough times to have some idea where to hunt, but I am sure the weather will change all that. We have no ideas about KS or NE, other than get a Walk In Atlas and start looking so it might take a day or two of scouting to come up with a game plan there, which is fine with us.

One advantage to SD is that if we do come there and buy our license we also get 5 days next year.

I guess we will see in the morning. I just don't like thinking "well, I wish I would have went" so we are going somewhere. Once again, thanks for the help.
Click to expand...


Nebraska is my opinion I'm going in January... Google Nebraska F.O.P. areas get ur atlas & burn bootleather u will be happy u did for future hunts plus quail in Nebraska...

Only reason I'm trying to go back to SD in 2016 is I have another 5 days to burn its going to be crazy tuff to hunt SD after this snow storm...

Some guys wanna be macho & say just go be real & look at weather... I just shot. A MN rooster today 10-12 degrees no fun after awhile now add a SD wind ouch

Good luck on what ever u decide to do & do let us know how your hunt goes SD or NE
 
Unless you have areas with good winter cover to hunt you may be driving along way for tough hunting. When there is this much snow the birds will be seen in spots you cant get access to (farmers feed lots/trees, etc.,). whatever you decide best of luck.
 
We were looking to hunt the North Central part of SD next week. Those who have been hunting, have birds been leaving the cover as you come in? Or are they sitting tight enough to get in range? Thx.
 
I don't know if this has been updated after the latest storm, but it is really only an approximation anyway.

http://www.intellicast.com/Travel/Weather/Snow/Cover.aspx

Once the wind starts blowing, the depth varies greatly with the open fields and higher roads swept pretty clear but low spots and behind wind breaks really filling in. The roads that are built up a little will be no problem, but if you come across a tree row on the upwind side, look out. I was in North Dakota a few years ago traveling down a good section road at night when we came to an old farmstead with a tree belt. Instantly the truck was up on two feet of hard drift and totally immobilized. Luckily we had a shovel and could trade off digging and warming up in the cab. About a half hour later we made it back out and could look for an alternate route.

The hunting is a lot different in these conditions compared to early season. The birds will be tightly concentrated in areas they can find shelter, but near food sources. Small brush patches or very tall weeds give them some protection from raptors, but they are almost impossible to get close enough for a shot unless there is a way to approach out of sight. A patch of buffalo berries on the side of a steep hill can work if you know exactly where it is and approach from behind the hill. Maybe a couple of quick shots and then you are off to another similar setup. Dogs are actually a detriment to this kind of hunting unless they are very well controlled at heel until the mass flush.

I am going back to SW ND after Christmas and anticipate this type of situation. (Yes, I will be taking snowshoes)

Jerry
 
Pheasantphan, Might check for sure but Kansas used to have a license deal that if you purchased after December 15th then got next year too. whatever you decide good luck and hope you missed freezing rain and snow in Mo.
 
If I was in arkansas, I would go to oklahoma or texas panhandle. Shorter drive, better weather, and mixed bag action. South Dakota is just gonna get you a lot of snow and pheasants.
 
Made it to SD after a somewhat nerve wracking drive through MO. We have already seen 3 or 4 places with pheasants and/or grouse. They may be tough to kill but we will give it our best. Thanks for everyone's help!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top