Ready for hunting

W

wlffmnnn

New member
Getting ready to head out on the 17th for my first hunting trip with my own dogs. I would really like to make this trip as successfull as possible b/c I will be hunting with my dad who I don't get to see all to often b/c we live 2 1/2 hours apart. My 16 yo nephew will be going with us for his second trip also. We do not know where to hunt and were going to utilize the public hunting areas. We can not decide between South Dakota or Kansas since this will be the first time we have tried it. He have done preserve hunts in the past but are trying to go more economical. If you have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks
 
If you are strictly after pheasants then South Dakota would be your best choice. There is plenty of public land to hunt although it can be a challenge at times. Now that most of the corn is out and cold snowy weather has arrived the hunting should get better.

Where are you coming from?
 
Coming From Oklahoma City, by way of Tulsa to get my dad and nephew. We are following directions a friend of my dad's gave him. He told us that it is faster for us to go through Kansas City then up to Sioux City. The whole trip for me will take about 15 -16 hours. I am a little nervous about the whole thing because this is my first trip with my own dogs. I am concerned for them more out of me being a rookie at this then something going wrong. I know it will be cold up there. Do I need rip stop vests or some kind of vest to keep them a little warmer? Also if you don't mind what is the weather like now, and what can we expect for the middle to latter part of next week? Thanks for the help.
 
Temps across South Dakota have been really cold. Sub zero temps for lows at night and single digits above zero for highs. Next week it looks like a little improvement but temps will still be below normal. Highs in the teens and lows around zero. South Dakota did get some of the snow that blew through in the past couple of days. Most of the snow was in the Sioux Falls area and very southern part of the state. Mainly south of I90. North of that and here in Aberdeen we only got 1-2 inches. Perfect for pheasant hunting. Just wish it would warm up a little. Temps aren't so bad as long as we don't have any wind. I've got a buddy from Colorado coming the middle of next week to hunt for 5 days and I've been watching the weather pretty close.

Good luck to you and have a great time. What areas are you planning to hunt and what are you running for dogs?
 
All I have been told is in the southern part of the state. I guess my dad is keeping it hush hush until we go. Don't know why but it is what it is. I am going to run 2 shorthairs a 2yo which has not seen a wild bird yet and a 4yo which was my brothers, and she has seen wild birds. It may be silly, but I am actually more excited about seeing the dogs perform than I am about shooting the birds. Again I am concerned about their well being since I have never taken dogs that were mine hunting before. I know I will mess up somehow, I just want the mistakes to be minimal so it is as enjoyable for them as it is me.
 
Wiff, bring their shot records as required by SD, water dishes/bowls, snacks like dog bones for in the field, a first aid kit for dogs, and those chest protectors which some call skid plates are good protection from brush, fence, etc. I hope you have a good hunt-cold and snow [but not much] are perfect pheasant hunting conditions out there.
 
Geno said:
Wiff, bring their shot records as required by SD
Click to expand...

To be technically correct it is not the shot records you need but health papers from your vet saying the dog is good to go. A few guys do this but not very many.
 
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If you don't have the health records for your dogs I wouldn't get to worried. I have never heard of anybody getting asked for papers. You might want to get a beeper collar or even a bell for your dogs collar. When the dogs get into some of the thicker cover it can be tough to keep track of them. The beeper collars are great because they change sounds when the dog goes on point. I think the only thing that might cause problems is if the dogs get out of range and start kicking up birds but that can happen to anybody. If you can keep the dogs close enough you should have a great time. GOOD LUCK!!
 
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