Can confirm exactly what Mr. Zeb is reporting. I have been hunting that area coming from Redfield east towards Watertown for 30 years and we generally stop about 50 miles out from Watertown, not crossing far past Hwy 37 (Groton to Doland). There were a few more birds out that direction in the 90s but nothing lately that we would ever leave prime territory for. Watertown is in the middle of the prairie pothole region and while there are potholes of pheasants in between the potholes of ducks, it just never seems to produce as many as the massive crop fields of the James and Snake river areas to the west. If you have honey holes around Watertown and know how to get there without drowning, you get a lot of birds but that is local, experienced hunters in Coddington county on private land. That is a different group of hunters than Spink for instance that has many more lodges and all the CRP and CREP public land around James River. Too many variables in the hunter success reports to take anything but the broadest of assumptions from them. I've not found anything more reliable that local reports, with the farmers in the fields giving the most complete picture compare to people driving through though both are valid if they've seen enough years to compare hatches. From those kind of sources in the Redfield area, the numbers are way up from last year.
South dakota (and north) roadside survey.
- Thread starter Bob Peters
- Start date
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
Golden Hour... have you & your videos been fooling us the last several years? I was of the understanding that the majority of the pheasants you shoot every year come from public land, primarily WPAs, almost all within 30 miles of Watertown, all season long. And I know you're generally not hunting more than a couple/few hours to shoot those birds, usually walking considerably less than 5 miles a hunt. And your videos indicate good numbers of pheasants in those areas. Are you, in fact, hunting cherry, unpressured private land all season long? Or are the people that say there aren't many birds around those areas simply not hunting them the right way or at the right times of day? I mean, I honestly think in general Codington County public land is equal to or better than much of the public land I commonly hunt in Moody & Lake Counties. And I feel like I see/shoot plenty of pheasants in those "dismal" spots. Time to come clean, GH.
As with all general statements YMMV. But if a first time poster says they have an opportunity "to stay in either Waubay or Aberdeen to pheasant hunt and which should they choose?" then what would you tell them is generally the better option for them? Watertown vs Redfield, Madison vs Mitchell, Lake City vs Britton? Or the evergreen post "I'm headed out to the Fort Pierre national grasslands and want to know the best spots for pheasants" to which someone seems to post frequently that "you can get them there as long as you hunt hard" which vastly understates the relative amount of effort and success vs hunting east river. Yes, you can find birds in the pothole regions but in general if you are looking for a place to come hunt and have a choice you should head farther west and stop if you hit a big, wide river.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
This post hasn't been about "where should a novice go?" Two seemingly experienced hunters are claiming the Watertown area isn't much good, especially on public land. That's just far from accurate in my humble opinion. That said, if novices can shoot pheasants where I hunt (& they do), they can shoot them in Codington County too. They can't ALL hunt in the absolute "best" areas. And why should they? It's completely unnecessary.
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