SD trip 2023

Bob Peters said:
Basically this thread turned from Matt's report into the all too familiar "good old days of easy door knocking" vs. modern times SD and paying a trespass fee in order to hunt quality private land. This discussion will continue on this site forever, as it is a perennial issue. I can find agreement with both sides. It sure would be nice to knock on a door, have a friendly chat, and get the go-head on hunting a private farm. On the other hand if the guy asks a reasonable fee, and it looks like there's a lot to hunt, I would for sure consider throwing some dough into his hat. If I can classify a third option, which is definitely a step down in my book, it's a real-life pheasant hunting lodge! This is the all-inclusive type place. Modern lodging, manicured foodplots, your limit is three birds but if you want to keep killing you can, it's just x amount of $ per bird. We drove by a place like this last fall in SD, and at sunset there was literally a guy herding a large group of birds away from the road to protect them from road-hunting. And he was like 20 feet from them with his arms stretched wide guiding them like sheep. Those birds were about as un-wild as they come. I think a lot of out of towners fly or make a long drive to hunt these places. Then they tell everyone back home about South Dakota and the unbelievable pheasant hunting. The only good thing I see about these joints are some old-timers who are too crippled up to hunt wild birds in wild places can get out for a few final trips. I do usually go to a game farm or two in MN every year. When I do, I never tell people I went hunting. I simply say, "we went to the game farm." As an old buddy who has now passed on would say about shooting pen raised birds, "it's a canned hunt." It is indeed.
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Great post. I don’t disagree with your thoughts on the all inclusive. I have been on the all inclusive a few times. In my industry for years it was common to have multiple invites yearly for a SD trip. I always looked at them for what they were in my eyes, a social event that included shooting some birds. Not hunting though. The value in the trips for me were the other people there and the out of the field conversation. I would argue though those places also have their place on the pheasant prairie. They introduce people to pheasant hunting even if it may not be true hunting. Same as the game club here in OH I guide at. With out some introduction point many would never fall in Love with what we all enjoy so much. The other reason I say they have their place is they do manage their land for cover and such. Not all those birds stay on the ground they own. Again, I am in no way implying that a full out inclusive commercial operation is the same as chasing wild birds. It isn’t and never will be.

Let me tell you though that my first year of experiencing SD pheasant “hunting” was at an all inclusive in Gregory/winner area. I had never hunted pheasants before since they were all gone from my area of OH way before I was old enough to hunt. I’ll be honest I had no idea they weren’t wild birds until after the fact. That trip was what wetted my appetite to eventually get dogs and start making trips out west to chase birds the “real” way. So that is an honest to god, first hand example of how an all inclusive hunting operation turned a young man from OH into a fledgling bird hunter that has continued to learn and grow as a hunter. That was roughly 25 years ago or more.
 
I take my dogs to a put-n-take once or twice before season. Nope, it's not real hunting.

In my trade we use flight simulators. It's not real flying; it's training for real flying. It allows canned situations and tests. The Feds require annual refresher training if people fly for money.

For me, it's the same when taking my dogs to the put-n-take. It's a hunting simulator. It allows me to set up certain situations in different covers, etc. I look at it as annual refresher training for the dogs before we go do the real thing.

Eventually the day will come when I myself am unable to do the real thing in the fields of SD for days on end due to health issues or age or whatever. You can bet your boots I'll take the dogs to the hunting simulator for a day now and then if I am able to do so.

People shouldn't worry about what other people do vis-a-vis upland hunting. Do your thing and be happy that you can. Enjoy it as long as you can.
 
benelli-banger said:
Did their dad’s and granddad’s farm? It’s the Hamm’s….
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I think this family homesteaded in 1901. I knocked on their door. I was a army officer so that's how I got in.I don't give them more than beer.I don't give them c notes.Thats my point with you people. Give them a 6 pack, or a box of game loads.
 
I asked about your farmer contacts only to understand their farming history…I believe that they’re doing OK, it’s much easier when you’re born into it. Regarding your ongoing paranoia about paying to hunt, I think you’d be shocked at how few who visit this board do it...and if they do, good for them. We’re jumping around as far as topics go, but marriage has been broached here in a different thread…my thoughts on a successful one: listening is important…as is understanding, or at least attempting to…and compromising…repeating onesself over and over doesn’t accomplish much…I never served in the military, where commands are given and must be followed, but I’ve found that that’s antithetical to a good marriage…behaving like a judge probably not terribly constructive either…but I’ve only been involved in marriage once, for 32 years next month. About the same length of time I’ve been hunting out of state for about a month or more annually…I have a very supportive wife, hopefully she’d say that about me, but I struggle in my capacity as a good husband, and always need to be self-aware, or at least attempt to be. Anyway, this board would still be a bargain at twice the price! 🥳🍻☀️
 
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Goosemaster said:
I think this family homesteaded in 1901. I knocked on their door. I was a army officer so that's how I got in.I don't give them more than beer.I don't give them c notes.Thats my point with you people. Give them a 6 pack, or a box of game loads.
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“You people”…good way to refer to others that you’re attempting to build consensus with…not…🤩🤡❤️💋
 
benelli-banger said:
I asked about your farmer contacts only to understand their farming history…I believe that they’re doing OK, it’s much easier when you’re born into it. Regarding your ongoing paranoia about paying to hunt, I think you’d be shocked at how few who visit this board do it...and if they do, good for them. We’re jumping around as far as topics go, but marriage has been broached here in a different thread…my thoughts on a successful one: listening is important…as is understanding, or at least attempting to…and compromising…repeating onesself over and over doesn’t accomplish much…I never served in the military, where commands are given and must be followed, but I’ve found that that’s antithetical to a good marriage…behaving like a judge probably not terribly constructive either…but I’ve only been involved in marriage once, for 32 years next month. About the same length of time I’ve been hunting out of state for about a month or more annually…I have a very supportive wife, hopefully she’d say that about me, but I struggle in my capacity as a good husband, and always need to be self-aware, or at least attempt to be. Anyway, this board would still be a bargain at twice the price! 🥳🍻☀️
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My point is...you should not pay money to hunt.Hunting is expensive as it is, without giving farmers money fgs. The ones who want cash, are the ones I'm against.
 
Goosemaster said:
My point is...you should not pay money to hunt.Hunting is expensive as it is, without giving farmers money fgs. The ones who want cash, are the ones I'm against.
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Hunting isn’t necessarily expensive, but it can be if you choose so. I have 10,000’s of public acres here in N MN that I can hunt, just like MT and the Dakota’s have all kinds of public land that can be accessed. One of my hunting pals lives in the Western suburbs of Mpls and takes a half day and drives less than an hour and hunts public ground…contacts birds regularly…$30 license/stamp. Many others on this board do the same thing. It’s like golf…play your muni down the road for next to nothing, or fly to Scotland to play St. Andrews…if you want to fish, hunt, golf, etc, you can…excuses aren’t allowed. BTW, I own land in SD…costs me about 3k annually for taxes, food plots, etc…not even beginning to address the needed burning that we‘ll do hopefully next year, which will require assistance from locals with the needed equipment. Do I pay to hunt? I’d say so. I could shoot more birds for less $ if I were engaging in the type of pay to hunt scenario that you’re so freaked out about…I enjoy owning land and providing habitat more than shooting the birds there, but I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon, taking a walk and hopefully bagging a bird or three…different strokes, it’s all good.
 
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Why do you guys even try to rationalize the opinion of Goose. He has one clear motive and that is to stir the pot…. Every year we have this discussion and he speaks of Hamms beer, blah, blah, blah…. The facts are simple, if the farmer is not getting paid for habitat there will be no birds. I own a quarter of land in prime pheasant country and I can tell you I cost myself thousands of dollars every year by leaving the habitat, but you know what, would not have it any other way.
 
Drake1 said:
Why do you guys even try to rationalize the opinion of Goose. He has one clear motive and that is to stir the pot…. Every year we have this discussion and he speaks of Hamms beer, blah, blah, blah…. The facts are simple, if the farmer is not getting paid for habitat there will be no birds. I own a quarter of land in prime pheasant country and I can tell you I cost myself thousands of dollars every year by leaving the habitat, but you know what, would not have it any other way.
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I’m dumb…🤪😆😜
 
Agree on the all-inclusive lodge hunts or game farm outings mentioned above here.

I've been to a couple myself over the years, really only for one reason: to train a dog. They guarantee success with a bunch of dumb, slow birds and that's what young dogs need. Its by no means "hunting" though. Some of them act more like domesticated poultry than wild pheasants.

And I would never brag about a trip to a game farm either. If that was my only route to shooting a pheasant, I wouldn't be bird hunting anymore.
 
In the trenches farmer here. Don’t like the pay to hunt either. The bigger question is why so few farmers hunt? Hardly any do around here. I’m sure some do but I don’t know any. Lack of hunters and their not voting is the biggest threat. Keep yer powder dry and run em to me.
 
Most farmers strive to drive profits as high as possible. Most successful bigtime farmers must act this way since their investments are huge and many cycle through equipment on a very short time basis. You need to make money when the harvest yield is high and crop prices are adequate to high. These two things often do not align well.

CRP was developed to pull margin land out of production which in turn reduced the overall production of crops in the US. Profits from growing started to eclipse income from setting land aside. This resulted in lower CRP (and other conservation programs) enrollment. CRP would increase if competitive or if other subsidies were eliminated.

To be honest, small towns most often do better with more land in production. People are hired to help (jobs), implement dealers sell more (income and jobs), seed and chemical dealers sell more (income and jobs), crop consultants have more acres under their management ... that money cycles through small town economies ...
 
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