south dakota

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bbasil

New member
I was thinking about heading out to South Dakota this fall for a few days. It appears I'm looking at $175 per day to get on private land + lodging + license. It appears that is the going rate? Is it worth it? I'm assuming the public areas are packed and hunted hard. What are your experiences trying to find wild birds? Thanks
 
SD

I have gone a couple of times the price is usly cheaper later in the year and depending on the private land. My first year I got tricked and it was more like a game farm. So just a heads up. The public land gets hit but There are always birds around.
 
There is a lot of ground to hunt out there if you put some effort into it. The State published maps of public access land. You can hunt road ditches. You can ask landowners for permission.

If you are expecting someone to do all the leg work, then just do a little online research and pay the fee. I've done both, gone it totally on my own with no private land to hunt, and also paid to hunt and stay. I had fun each time, never disappointed. But I'm also one who loves the hunt above the need to shoot a limit every day.
 
I agree with Ranger Rick. One thing I might add if you are going to DIY, plan extra time as it will take longer to find the best spots on public.
 
SD

Just head out and hunt some ditches, some public, and knock on a few doors and offer to pay. The folks out there are great. This will be my third year and don't shoot many birds but have a great time. Before you know it you make some friends out there and it gets better every year. Just love to hang out there whether I get much shooting or not.
 
I'll probably bring my golden retriever and leave the English setter at home. Plus the setter is still not fully trained. He's only 8 months. I heard flushing dogs work better on wild pheasants. True?
 
bbasil said:
I'll probably bring my golden retriever and leave the English setter at home. Plus the setter is still not fully trained. He's only 8 months. I heard flushing dogs work better on wild pheasants. True?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. It really depends on the dog. A flushing dog is no good if you can't keep it within shotgun range. Sometimes it takes a dog, both flushing and pointing, a while to figure out pheasants. I hunt with Brittanys and they do a great job on pheasants. I certainly would not leave my young English Setter home. It would be a great learning experience for him. Just make sure he is obedience trained and you can control him in the field. Get him e-collar trained. Don't expect much from him on his first hunt but the experience he will get will be valuable.
 
Dogs

I took my dog out there at eight months last year and she really learned a lot because she got on so many birds each day. Mostly hens, but they really get a snoot full out there. Ten or fifteen points and flushes a day brings em along pretty quick. She'll be pretty disappointed in you if you leave here behind.
 
Basil when are you going and what part of the state? I'm planning an early hunt with my younger golden. There are advantages to both flushers and pointers and IMO boils down to terrain and how you like to hunt.
 
The trip has gotten away from me a little. I wanted to do early season but my kids/family's fall weekend schedule is getting booked. I'm also doing a grouse week in October in Northern WI. I might have to do something later in the season. The advice here has helped a ton.
 
I think I'm going to try to get out there nov 8-11. I'd like to hunt near the mitchell due to proximity area but it appears the best bird numbers are further west and north. It also appears that there isn't as much public land as there is north and west. There seems to be a ton of land between gettysburg and faulkton. Anybody hunt there?
 
Basil:

You pose an interesting question about hunting SD - one we have covered several times on this site.

Have hunted SD for 25 years. And the experience has evolved: banging on doors and establishing relationships; visiting with townspeople - bartenders, waitress', hotel managers, even one of the town ministers, where we slept one night.

Finally I learned about a hunting situation that reduced the door banging to a minimum: a farmer that had a house where we could stay ($50) and a reasonable charge to hunt.

You can find these situations if you're diligent in meeting people and doing youir homework. Expect to do lots of driving, if you're not content to pay the fees that are charged.

One other thought: consider purchasing a "county map" that lists the landowners, with telephone numbers et al. Send me an email and I'll give you the particulars.

Good luck!
 
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