Riverman
Member
Myself and three others (two vehicles) hunted central SD in an area with Pierre to the south and Mobridge on the north, and east and west about 30 miles. This area is not considered part of the "golden triangle" of Chamberlain, Mitchell, and Winner, but we find it is a lot less crowded and has plenty of birds. Have been hunting this area for 23 years, 2-3 trips each year. We hunt a mix of walkin, private, public, GMAs, WPAs and ditches. We rarely hunt in a group and usually we are by ourselves once we leave the truck. Most crops were harvested and we saw very few fields with standing crops, which was unusual at this time of year when we usually see 50-75% of fields still standing with crops. Conditions were really hot and dry--temps in high 60's low 70's each day and a couple of days with winds 15+ mph. Roads were as dusty as I have ever seen them.
Other than 2005/2006 I feel like we saw more birds than we have ever seen. And very few hunters! We had plenty of shooting and most birds were holding very tight and dogs had to work them out of kochia, which was the best cover. We seemed to have better luck and more birds if we were within a mile or so of water, usually a farm pit or wetland. On some walks I saw well over 100 birds that were flushing wild out of fields with nesting cover. In fact, on some walks I had too many birds and birds flushing close caused birds further out to flush, which is usually more common later in the year. Our harvested birds were a healthy mix of second-year birds (30-40%) and yoy birds (60-70%). This suggests good carryover from last year (it was a mild winter) and probably light harvest pressure. We also saw more grouse than we have ever seen. We rarely shoot grouse since we are usually flushing a lot of hen pheasants and it can take a few seconds to stop looking for the rooster and realize that it was a grouse. And grouse are often flushing in large groups and not really that available, but it is fun to see so many.
I was really surprised with the few hunters we saw in the fields and in the towns. Gas prices were really cheap (relatively) at about $2.89. We head back in a couple weeks for our second trip and I hope they get a little more moisture to improve scenting conditions. Hunting for 2 weeks in SoDak is a bargain at $125!! I hunt birds all over the western US, but if you like to hunt wild pheasants there is no place that compares. Support PH and other groups that improve and conserve habitat and provide access!! The walkin programs are really worth supporting and I think most G&F agencies do a good job with them. I would gladly pay double my license fees for more access to quality areas.
Other than 2005/2006 I feel like we saw more birds than we have ever seen. And very few hunters! We had plenty of shooting and most birds were holding very tight and dogs had to work them out of kochia, which was the best cover. We seemed to have better luck and more birds if we were within a mile or so of water, usually a farm pit or wetland. On some walks I saw well over 100 birds that were flushing wild out of fields with nesting cover. In fact, on some walks I had too many birds and birds flushing close caused birds further out to flush, which is usually more common later in the year. Our harvested birds were a healthy mix of second-year birds (30-40%) and yoy birds (60-70%). This suggests good carryover from last year (it was a mild winter) and probably light harvest pressure. We also saw more grouse than we have ever seen. We rarely shoot grouse since we are usually flushing a lot of hen pheasants and it can take a few seconds to stop looking for the rooster and realize that it was a grouse. And grouse are often flushing in large groups and not really that available, but it is fun to see so many.
I was really surprised with the few hunters we saw in the fields and in the towns. Gas prices were really cheap (relatively) at about $2.89. We head back in a couple weeks for our second trip and I hope they get a little more moisture to improve scenting conditions. Hunting for 2 weeks in SoDak is a bargain at $125!! I hunt birds all over the western US, but if you like to hunt wild pheasants there is no place that compares. Support PH and other groups that improve and conserve habitat and provide access!! The walkin programs are really worth supporting and I think most G&F agencies do a good job with them. I would gladly pay double my license fees for more access to quality areas.
