SD Fall colors/hunt w new family next year

A

akmt87

New member
Hey guys, I was just curious about a trip from MT our to SD next fall with the intention of getting my wife and (will be 9 month old) daughter out on the road in our truck and slide-in camper. We are super "road worthy" and spend tons of time driving and camping wherever so the more primitive the area the better. Our goal is to spend 5-7 days seeing some fall colors, camping, and bringing the dog so while they are resting I can head out for a hunt. My dog is a 10 y/o lab and we have put hundreds of miles in here and in Idaho, we are used to hunting funky spots not just classic pheasant cover.

So breaking it down to priorities:

Priority 1: Be in an area with great fall colors
Priority 2: Be in a "zone" where pheasant hunting is possible
Priority 3: Hopefully on the west side of the state.

I know thats a lot to ask, you don't even have to be specific, if I get pointed towards a zone or a town I can Onx my way to the birds hopefully.

Thanks! Travis
 
akmt87 said:
Hey guys, I was just curious about a trip from MT our to SD next fall with the intention of getting my wife and (will be 9 month old) daughter out on the road in our truck and slide-in camper. We are super "road worthy" and spend tons of time driving and camping wherever so the more primitive the area the better. Our goal is to spend 5-7 days seeing some fall colors, camping, and bringing the dog so while they are resting I can head out for a hunt. My dog is a 10 y/o lab and we have put hundreds of miles in here and in Idaho, we are used to hunting funky spots not just classic pheasant cover.

So breaking it down to priorities:

Priority 1: Be in an area with great fall colors
Priority 2: Be in a "zone" where pheasant hunting is possible
Priority 3: Hopefully on the west side of the state.

I know thats a lot to ask, you don't even have to be specific, if I get pointed towards a zone or a town I can Onx my way to the birds hopefully.

Thanks! Travis
Click to expand...
Cant really help on the locations your looking for…. but congratulations on the new addition 😀
 
They best colors in the fall are definitely the black hills. If you hit it right it can be really amazing for about a two week period. As far as pheasants around the hills it's slim pickings. The closer you get to the river the better chance you'll have at putting up birds.
 
Black Hills for fall colors. That isn't pheasant country, though, but it is pretty and not very crowded in the fall. We pull a travel trailer when we hunt. In SD we generally stay at State Parks. They are well maintained, have water, dump stations, showers, etc. and are "hunter friendly", though hunting in the Parks themselves is not allowed. Many of the Parks are adjacent to State land where hunting is allowed. They do cost, though. We've found a few locations that allow camping without a fee, but they are few and far between. The west side of the State is where the Black Hills are, of course, but outside the Black Hills, the west side isn't really too good of pheasant country. There are Sharptails more than pheasants. If I were doing it, I would head for the Missouri River starting at about Mobridge and work my way down until you find something you like. It is amazing country and offers lots of hunting opportunities on State and Federal lands.
 
Hard to beat the Black Hills, but some equally beautiful fall colors can be found at Sica (pronounced "see-chee") Hollow up by Sisseton. Often overlooked and you'll be much closer to good numbers of pheasants. Win-win. ;)
 
Mmmm... I like those colors! Thanks for all the tips guys I never like mixing trips because it seems like you can't give 100% to the stated activity which is usually chasing roosters but this fall I'm going to have to compromise a bit with the possibility of chasing a few birds. This is some great info though and I surely appreciate all of it! Sounds like black hills for a few days then mosey east and think more about flushes and retrieves!
 
Fall colors doesn't necessarily have to mean trees. The prairie corridor of the river is absolutely stunning in the fall. If you haven't seen the Badlands, this is a must see. I sent you a PM about basing out of Chamberlain.
 
Fall colors in trees... not much except for a stop in the Black Hills along the way. There is still plenty of camping that will fit your needs along the way though - Black Hills, Badlands. Then you'll hit the wide open prairie where you'll have the beautiful fall color of tan or brown. Whether that's grass, corn, beans, sunflowers, gravel roads, pheasants or sharpies.
 
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