SD Public Hunting

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nics32

New member
Planning on taking a trip to SD late November/ Early December with my two GSP’s. We are planning to hunt public land, and were looking at the Hecla Area. Looking for recommendations on areas to hunt, Thanks in Advance!
 
Lots of cattails up there if I recall correctly…for a few years I did some trips out of Britton, a bit east of Hecla…some guys hunted ducks on the ND side, some of us hunted pheasants first thing in ND, then went to SD after 10 am…made for lots of activity! Much fun!
 
Lots of CREP west of Hecla…I like CREP…might work well with pointers…looks like CREP everywhere, every direction!!!
 
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Hopefully lodging isn’t too tough in early December….a good backup locale could be Redfield or Huron…stick close to the James River, you’ll find CREP…seeing all the public ground near the ND border, I’d try that unless a tough hatch or lots of snow in early Dec….
 
benelli-banger said:
Hopefully lodging isn’t too tough in early December….a good backup locale could be Redfield or Huron…stick close to the James River, you’ll find CREP…seeing all the public ground near the ND border, I’d try that unless a tough hatch or lots of snow in early Dec….
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I've had some places that I have looked into have a non refundable policy. Some are deposit only at 50%, but that can still be significant. I would look into areas with maybe a few lodging options that 1) allow dogs and 2) are flexible on their cancellation policy, say within 48-72 hrs.

Keep in mind that some of the hotels up there may charge an extra $25-50/night (PER dog)...now is the time to narrow down your options and get stuff booked out.
 
I’ve stayed at northern lights inn in Britton…I liked it…I just called, $25 per dog per stay…quite a bit there in Britton as far as food, etc…and public land everywhere! I’ve never seen so much!! You could hunt within 20 miles of Hecla and Britton, and never hunt the same public ground in several weeks! I loved my Britton trips…granted, was there earlier…some guys hunted ducks on ND side, some hunted pheasants on ND side (1/2 hour before sunrise?)…SD pheasant is 10 am…a guy got his $ worth! Contacted grouse up there too…ND…a bit further West…
 
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nics32 said:
Planning on taking a trip to SD late November/ Early December with my two GSP’s. We are planning to hunt public land, and were looking at the Hecla Area. Looking for recommendations on areas to hunt, Thanks in Advance!
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It depends on what you're looking for. If this is the start of an annual tradition, book your lodging, study the maps, drive around and pinpoint the places you think might hold birds (and what time of day they might hold them). Then just get out and follow the dog.

Best advice is that pheasants move around with regularity and don't just sit around on a piece of ground. You could walk a spot at 2:00pm that didn't have any birds and think it had been over hunted, but at sunset, that same spot could have 50 pheasants roosting there for the night. Think about where the pheasants might be and why. It will help you have a better hunt.
 
browndogs said:
I agree with Banger. Be flexible if you can. This makes it tough for lodging though...we bailed last minute last year due to a bad snowstorm and went south into KS instead and had a great time. Not the first time we have pivoted...hunting in miserable weather is just no fun.
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The area I went in South Dakota was really snowed in in January, unfortunately. Yes there were pheasants, but they were difficult to get to. I should have moved farther west I think, or south.
 
Golden Hour said:
Best advice is that pheasants move around with regularity and don't just sit around on a piece of ground. You could walk a spot at 2:00pm that didn't have any birds and think it had been over hunted, but at sunset, that same spot could have 50 pheasants roosting there for the night. Think about where the pheasants might be and why. It will help you have a better hunt.
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Great advice!
 
browndogs said:
Can be brutal up there that time of year too, keep that in mind.
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Or any other time of the year! I've seen it go from too hot to hunt in mid-October to too cold and windy to hunt 10 days later. But I had to leave SD in early December last year and was bummed because the weather was perfect for bird hunting and stayed that way for many days. You never know, but after Thanksgiving the odds of getting terrible weather definitely go up.

I'd be ready to bail and drive where the weather/hunting is better. SD is big enough that the weather in one part of the state can be vastly different from another part. Finding a hotel room is not a problem in most parts of the state except the first weekend of deer season starting mid-November, then you better have booked months in advance. It helps to have your vehicle set up so that you and the dogs can spend a couple of nights "camping" if need be.
 
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