Not So Wild SD Pheasants

UGUIDE

UGUIDE

Active member
It's a small world....so I am in the bar at this lodge on the tip of NW Angle in Minnesota/Canadian border on Lake of the Woods and the resort owner introduces me to a fellow ice fishingman who likes to pheasant hunt also. Turns out they used to hunt near Winner and haven't gone back since 2005. Turns out the reason was because back on Friday night before opener 2005 they were sitting in a bar BS'ing when a semi-truck driver came in asking for directions. Let me first say they they were under the impression they would be hunting famous all-wild South Dakota pheasants the next morning at noon opener. Well the semi-truck drover proceeds to tell these hunters he's got 12,000 pheasants on board and needs to find a couple hunting lodges to deliver these too, one of which is the ranch these guys are hunting the next day.

I promptly presented him with my business card. Buyer beware.
 
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Talking to one group of hunters I heard one of the funniest things, they hunted two different farms. They said they really liked hunting so and so place because they shot so much better than over at the other guys place. They had no clue the one guy was releasing birds. Really wanted to do the old Bill Engval Here's your sign. Any place that is a preserve in SD has to release one bird for every one shot by law.
 
Another concept I find confusing is why nimrods will make a pilgrimage to South Dakota to shoot pen raised birds, when they could do it within 50 miles of home. Must be the really nice cigar bars, ala the Beretta Trident rating. I also assume none of them are actually hunters, just guys who like pretend. Hats off to the guys who never went back, and to the all wild U-guide operations and similar, where you actually hunt, and failure is possible, because it makes success worthwhile.
 
carptom1 said:
that would take me like 40,000 shells to kill all those
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Thats good.

oldandnew said:
Another concept I find confusing is why nimrods will make a pilgrimage to South Dakota to shoot pen raised birds, when they could do it within 50 miles of home.
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Come on O&N for as wise and thoughtful as some of your posts are this should be an easy one. I am convinced it is not about the hunting, it is about booze, strippers and no wife.
 
How many released birds are harvested avg per year in SD, and are they counted towards harvest counts? If so I think maybe these numbers are a bit scewed. Most states only report wild birds harvested. Just a ??? Not trying to start anything.
 
quail hound said:
How many released birds are harvested avg per year in SD, and are they counted towards harvest counts? If so I think maybe these numbers are a bit scewed. Most states only report wild birds harvested. Just a ??? Not trying to start anything.
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Don't believe there are any harvest totals for released birds and no they are not included in GFP's overall harvest totals.
 
Preserve Numbers

From the SD Wildlife website

PRIVATE SHOOTING PRESERVE PHEASANT HARVEST AND RELEASE RECORDS
2009 -10


220 preserves 375,373 pheasants released -227,138 harvested

177,638 (78%) pen raised harvested

50,180 (22%) wild harvested

The figures for the last ten years are available by opening the preseve application page on the website.
 
moellermd said:
Thats good.



Come on O&N for as wise and thoughtful as some of your posts are this should be an easy one. I am convinced it is not about the hunting, it is about booze, strippers and no wife.
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I've hunted SD the past 5 yrs,found a lot of wild pheasants but where are the Strippers?
 
Strippers and other liers

The math is fishy. I find it hard to believe that these huge lodges with the capacities of 8 to 20+ clients per day, only harvest 1000 birds on average per year. I see almost that many on the Outdoor Channel in one evening! Bodies stacked like cordwood, in front of an army of grinning sports. That means that each operation would average about 5 shooters per hunting day, with each getting a limit, ( they all do, of course), for a 75+/- day regular season, plus I presume a extended season. I am sure that's possible with some of the smaller operations, but certainly the big ones are many times that number. Looks like the report is based on the "honor" system, and the state takes their word for it. It also seems like a staggering percentage of the pen raised chickens get harvested, far in excess of the numbers on a normal perserve, where a significant higher percentage of birds escape, also a great number of these release birds are spring release hens, after the hunting season, because they are cheaper, but still qualify for the matching requirement. Looks to me like a report designed to minimize the impact of the big commercial operations. Which the state seems to cater to. Having run a perserve briefly, I can tell you, we would in a six month season and a very small operation, 20 members, about 10 of which hunted, (shot), regularily, release approximately 500 pheasants, and harvesting both hens and roosters, ( no natural reproduction), averaging 78 hunter days and with 2 hunters per day. Harvest avg. approximately 60%. We had quail as well, which was the main bird of choice. Still the numbers don't work. We had no strippers either, but probably could have doubled or tripled our membership if we had!
 
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Hens don't count

In SD only Roosters can be counted in your released bird totals. From GF&P
http://gfp.sd.gov/licenses/shooting-preserves/default.aspx


A minimum of 300 rooster pheasants must be released within the preserve during the first year of operation and a minimum of 600 rooster pheasants each season thereafter. Hen releases are allowed on the preserves, but their numbers cannot be included on the game release records, nor can they be used to meet the required minimum release total for the preserve. The total harvest of released and wild birds cannot exceed 100% of each species of birds released. For example, if 800 pheasants (680 marked and 120 wild) were harvested on the preserve, release records must show that at least 800 rooster pheasants have been released on the preserve acres. All birds released on the shooting preserve must be marked by either toe clipping or by the enlarged nares from some type of anti-pecking device. In either situation, this marking must be done before the birds are six weeks of age. A department representative MUST verify the marking method and release of the birds. All birds must be kept until they are at least 15 weeks of age. Species of game birds hunted and tagged on the preserve may include only those species listed on the preserve permit. All birds must be released on preserves from August 1 through March 31.
 
UGUIDE said:
It's a small world....so I am in the bar at this lodge on the tip of NW Angle in Minnesota/Canadian border on Lake of the Woods and the resort owner introduces me to a fellow ice fishingman who likes to pheasant hunt also. Turns out they used to hunt near Winner and haven't gone back since 2005. Turns out the reason was because back on Friday night before opener 2005 they were sitting in a bar BS'ing when a semi-truck driver came in asking for directions. Let me first say they they were under the impression they would be hunting famous all-wild South Dakota pheasants the next morning at noon opener. Well the semi-truck drover proceeds to tell these hunters he's got 12,000 pheasants on board and needs to find a couple hunting lodges to deliver these too, one of which is the ranch these guys are hunting the next day.

I promptly presented him with my business card. Buyer beware.
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I have heard that the pheasant population in SD was routinely enhanced with the addition of pen raised birds at the beginning of the season.
 
I, like many of you, love to hunt wild ringnecks, but I also like to "have" success. Not only because I really enjoy the dinner benefits, but mostly because I love the dog work. It’s hard to have good dog work without birds.

One small club Owner where I frequent told me a story that brought me a smile. A Gentleman found out he “supplements” his wild population with pen raised birds, he said to the Owner “well I don’t want to shoot any of those pen raised birds”. To which the Owner replied, “then don’t”, there was a long pause, and the Gentleman asked “well how can I tell the difference when they flush”? The Owner replied, “I don’t know, just don’t shoot the pen raised ones if you can tell”. The Gentleman had a great trip and didn’t ask any further questions.

I drive 14 hours to hunt South Dakota, and I for one, am glad that there are supplemental birds. I also hunt, about every weekend, local hunting clubs and enjoy every minute of chasing these “foolish” pen raised birds. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up chasing completely “wild” birds, and I truly love the challenge, but remember these “clubs” are assisting at keeping a good thing going in South Dakota, and I am glad I have the chace to make my "Pilgrimage".
 
BritChaser said:
I have heard that the pheasant population in SD was routinely enhanced with the addition of pen raised birds at the beginning of the season.
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Where in the hell did you her that? With all the wild pheasants we have I doubt that the GF&P would go to the expense of releasing birds to enhance the numbers.
 
Preserve-and released birds

So what constitutes a "preserve"? Does any farmer who charges a gun fee/tresspass fee have to follow the preserve rules and put out supplemental birds?

I've made two trips to SD and had heard that birds where put out but never heard the real rules. I also never noticed any special markings on the birds we were successful in harvesting.
PairOfLabs
 
that's just envious rantings of the south dakota haters. I live in kansas and come up once or twice a year. I have never seen anything like it. Too many birds left in december for them not to be wild. My dad used to hunt there during the soil bank days and always told me stories of the great bird numbers. I have hunted great spots in kansas, iowa, and missouri. All would only be decent spots up there. On the topic of preserve birds and unknowing people hunting them, my son used to have a scout leader that hunted a couple of farms over from us in Mankato kansas. On lean bird years we would maybe shoot half a limit or so. But even in the worst years he would tell us they would shoot 100+ pheasants. Finally I had to let him in on the secret that the place he hunted with his family really was a pheasant farm. I don't know whether he knew or not, but it sure shut him up.
 
Every time I go to SD I ask ranchers and they all tell me the same thing we release them by the millions:eek: Why would this shock you It's all about the dollar. There rooster to hen ratio should tell you something 400 to 1. I got friends that hunt there and they say the birds got blinder marks on their becks but the camps they stay at say their wild. I could care less what they do or how they do it. To me huntings all about working the dogs and hanging out with friends:cheers:
I hope I did a good job stirring the pot:D
 
In talking with several farmers who offer pay access to their private ground in Tripp and Gregory Counties, many said they will supplement the wild birds with released birds later in the season. These are not preserve or guided hunting places, just private ground that you pay to do it yourself. I never went to any of these places.
Also had a well connected Winner local who said that many of the large high dollar lodge set ups in the area that offer both wild and preserve type hunts, have killed many of the wild birds by the general wild bird opening. I believe the preserve season opens Sept 15 and the General hunt a month later, also the preserve limit is higher. Besides, who can tell a wild bird from a pen raised bird on the flush? I'm sure the guys flying into Winner on their private jets don't know or care if it is a wild bird or not.
I will say that while hunting on our own on private ground in northern Tripp Co. I have never seen pheasant numbers like that anywhere else. But, with a limit of 3, it does not take a thousand birds to kill a limit. The problem we had was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our day after limiting 6 guys in late November.
Not sure if or when I will go back to that part of SD as I have other places with solid wild bird numbers, few hunters, and a bottle of Crown gets me all the access I need :cheers:
 
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PairOfLabs said:
So what constitutes a "preserve"? Does any farmer who charges a gun fee/tresspass fee have to follow the preserve rules and put out supplemental birds?

I've made two trips to SD and had heard that birds where put out but never heard the real rules. I also never noticed any special markings on the birds we were successful in harvesting.
PairOfLabs
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POL, a preserve requires a special license from the GFP and also the hunter on the preserve gets a special license that costs less than the regular NR license....about $50 compared to $114.
 
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