Hello to all. First time poster here. Last year my father & I and my two sons, 12 &14, traveled from Wisconsin & hunted public land and ditches in the Huron area November 12-15th. We had one dog. It was the first time I've hunted in South Dakota since the 80's and I was hoping to give my sons an experience. We came back with no birds and really didn't see any birds that we could realistically shoot. The birds we did see were at a distance and on private land. The one owner we did ask for permission wouldn't allow us to hunt as he had it reserved for others (which is reasonable). The weather was warm, high 60s/70s and at least the first day it was 50 mph winds and almost impossible to hunt. Needless to say, we were disappointed and embarrassed. I didn't expect to get our limits by noon every day, but I didn't expected to get skunked either. It was a combination of bad weather, inexperience & plain bad luck. Even though, we did have a good time. I'm considering the Bowdle/Selby area this year, but I am concerned about a second trip. Constructive advise would be appreciated.
Tough hunt last November
- Thread starter Big R
- Start date
Last year was rough, at least in the area we were in. We went very early season last year and two days of 100 degrees was downright horrible. But a group of 4 of us limited out the first 100 degree day and then got 7 the second. Everyone else back at the hotel either gave up on the day or got skunked.
In my short 6 years of going to SoDak it was the worst hunting I've ever had, but its more about the memories than anything else. One of the first years I went we didn't see any pheasants till the last 2 days. We starting hunting prairie chicken and grouse instead.
In my short 6 years of going to SoDak it was the worst hunting I've ever had, but its more about the memories than anything else. One of the first years I went we didn't see any pheasants till the last 2 days. We starting hunting prairie chicken and grouse instead.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
Don't hunt that far north & that close to ND thanks for u honesty but if u did not see any pheasants on the public u were hunting on or even driving around you were I a dead zone hevi hunted etc. In Huron 1st Saturday in November is the pheasant fest hunt compatition guys from all states come everybody has a SD hunting license & 5 days per license plus gun dogs so I'm pretty sure 4-6 days b4 ur hunt the area got hunt way hard ... I see 50-100 birds driving around look 4 public close if need be... Don't waste time knocking on doors when u can be hunting do that at a bar cafe gas station etc. Not needed... Was ur dog experienced ? If u hunted last in 80s ???
Get away from towns with ez lodging it gets hammered why fight mother nature low bird numbers 5 group's of hunters at a motel for same land? Drive 30-45 min out from ez lodging do what others do not aka drive farther away to no so hunted spots hunt cattails sloughs creeks stuff others don't don't be scared to wear rubber boots to hunt islands of dry ground pressured birds use. Crazy spots... Hunt nasty thick woody areas ... Pinch birds between u & ur dad & sons etc. Can't expect to walk hand in hand through ez crp grass & kill birds late season ior a month after opener... Follow a combine to a harvest etc.
I'm just trying to help ya but if u did non of the above last trip u were doomed stay away & south of aberdean & u in the core SD pheasant range & u should be good along MO river down to Nebraska border will hold birds get there a day early drive till u see birds close to public... Get to public 1 hour at least b4 shooting... Be at a spot at dark to hear birds cackle & see them fly in to roost... Get to the good spots early avoid hammering same spot day in day out just cuz u got birds they will move...
Call a few biologist in the area u plan to hunt b4 ur hunt & after season open maybe imagine all the guys calling & asking the same questions guys keep asking here is the pheasants in this area this county etc. Gets way old ask em how he done on private or public etc. More or less birds then llast year etc. How water situation the norm how far harvest along...
I wish u the best I'll be out there Nov 9-13 I think can't wait
Last edited:
Big R
Sorry to hear about your trip. You will get MANY opinions on this forum but here is mine. 12 years ago my son completed his hunter safety and I planned a trip with my son, father, brother and myself. The instructor recommended a private farm with 100% wild birds SW of Aberdeen. We went for the first time and it was incredible. It exceeded every expectation we had. I'm 50 years old and have been hunting ever since I was old enough to walk the fields. I've hunted many many lean years in ILLinois where seeing a bird was considered a success. If you can afford it, find a farmer that charges a treaspass fee. You won't regret it.
Last year I made a second trip to SD and hunted NW of Redfield in December. We hunted large public ground and ditches and barely saw a bird. We knocked on doors and received many "I'm sorry, I have family coming this weekend". We finally got a yes as one farmer had a 20 acre cattail patch near his home. 2 of us limited in 30 minutes. Birds are not sticking around public ground that gets pounded every single day. If you have to hunt public I would go opening weekend. Birds are young and dumb and your chances will increase dramatically.
As a non resident who drives from IL to SD each year I would not hunt ditches / public ground for the exact reasons and experience that you had.
Yes, there is good public hunting in SD. I just don't have the time to find it in 5 days of hunting after driving 12 hours.
Good Luck
Bob
small munsterlander owner
Banned
Figure on 100$-300$ per gun per day for private land 50$ if u damn lucky multiply that $$$ by number of hunters & days u hunt just to walk land ... Now see how much $$$ u r out if u miss 1 day of work & scout your hunt area 1 day... Trust me these horror story's on public land are not the norm u gotta be pretty un lucky to have the experience u have twice... Worst hunt I had last season was by redfield herd the area I hunted had hail go figure no birds hunt NW on a huge public chunk seen more hunter sign moved onto a small public area seen a 100-150 bird flush in range on public land... Next day hunted another small area limited in 45 min just took a little looking after I found 2-3 good areas I had a routine by day 5. All I'm saying is i was in same area as hockeybob found lots of birds on public did not have to pay...
Do it what ever way fits your bank account not all public land is equell & if u Hunt it after another group it sucks if u are the 1st guy mite make a world of difference ???
Do it what ever way fits your bank account not all public land is equell & if u Hunt it after another group it sucks if u are the 1st guy mite make a world of difference ???
I have the solution! Big R pays sm Munster a flat rate of $100 a day for his group to tag along with sm Munsterlander. Big R is guaranteed to see 100 bird flushes on public land and Sm Munster can leave the camper at home and use the $100 a day for a motel room each day. Munster is warm and rested and Big R has shot more public land birds than he knows what to do with. A WIN WIN for everyone.
BrownDogsCan2
Well-known member
bob if you asked nicely I bet Munsterlander would lend you his legs and his dog.
A lot of people think that if you go to SD you will see clouds of pheasant every day. That I can testify is not the case. We have been hunting in SD for over 10 years. We started out by hunting public land and we had limited success. I lived South Bend Indiana at the time but I would drive to south dakota in August to scout which if you are going to humt public and ditches scouting is the key. I made a point of meeting as many people as I could. A long story short I meet with the Uguide organization and we have hunted with him every since. We started with Uguide at his beginning and it was no bed of roses. That was 6 of 7 years ago and he was just starting his habitat improvements. That 1st time the second day we hunted hard and had a dry run going on to about one hour before sundown. We hit a piece of crp that we thought would be a good roosting area. In the next 1/2 hour we killed 12 birds. We still talk about it. Fast forward 7 years at the same place and it is like something you see on TV. My point is be patient scout scout and than scout somemore. Talk to people and most important have a good time.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
only hunted pheasant in SD since 2013 turkey off & on since 2011-2012 from on SD MN border by Gary to the SD black hills I hunt areas with good habitat that don't change yearly I add 2-4 new areas & or towns to the list each trip i hunted once u do this u have a bunch of areas u know will produce birds its not like this technique is new lazy guys won't have success guys who rather sit at a cafe vs a public land parking spot listening for birds mite not have success ...
I hunted with guys from here in SD well 1 guy mostly 1-2 man hunt even if I had 6 guys like iI will this November I will Hunt in 2-3 man groups keeps shooting over pointing dog odds high that we will all get shots vs 6 guys all army marching same area we will split up & double odds to find birds...
I was actually texting brown dogs can hunt on the SD hunt wear I had the 150+ bird flush on public last year... Sent him some pics also... I watched birds on a later hunt fly into that huge chunk of public land the birds had safe Haven on a refuge & private land all day they flew out b4 shooting hours & after shooting hours smart birds...
Ive looked at public chunks of land I wanted to pheasant hunt during my spring turkey hunts so for what its worth drake1 I've seen lots of public land in SD what is your point is my only question for you??? I've never been skunked but 1 trip wear I cabin reservations got messed up we only shot 1 bird in 2 days near Watertown... Only hunted 6,hours we missed our limit shot bad in crazy cold Dec winds...
If u don't have the $$$ or don't wanna pay $$% like me u gotta do what the other lazy hunters won't do... was my point to the thread starter...
I was only telling big R per gun per day walk $$$ rates in SD Bob & drake he was asking for help on his next hunt he did not pay last time & I was giving him tips I use not brag n u should shoot fast limits if u bust out a wallet i forget to say divide the $$$ u pay guide & gas & motel by birds per hunter I'm sure u will feel better going the DIY route & scouting big R...
I think I'm only at like 32-34 days pheasant hunting SD public lands... Not much boots on ground vs other guys...
Last edited:
carptom1
Well-known member
I have my own dog but I could use some young legs.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
Does your lab point tom? These pointers help out if u need younger legs just sit back & watch the show...
carptom1
Well-known member
C'mon now everybody knows Lab's aren't supposed to point
small munsterlander owner
Banned
Lol your correct tom...
Now that you say it that's one thing I have not seen hundreds of on public land in SD ...
Downtown Bang!
Member
I hunted a few days before you did last year (a little farther to the north) and dealt with three of my four days with Temps in the 60's. You are correct the hunting was very difficult. Too hot for the dog, poor scenting conditions, birds could use pretty much any cover available, extra spooky with the wind, were coming to roost almost right at sunset etc. etc.. It happens and while I shot some roosters it was only the third time in 15+ years of hunting SD public land that I didn't end up averaging at least two birds a day.
I'd recommend giving it another shot and sticking to the fundamentals.
Scout parcels before shooting hours.
Avoid putting the dog down in marginal cover just because it is available. Wears them out and best to have them as fresh as possible for the better spots & the golden hour.
Hunt the best roosting cover you can find next to a cut cornfield the last hour before sunset.
Try hunting smaller cattail sloughs near food sources during the day. The birds like to loaf there before filling their belly's late in the afternoon before heading to roost. Bigger sloughs for a smaller group with just one dog could be real difficult but you would be surprised how many smaller ones will hold birds during the day.
Ditch hunting can work but I only like to do it late in the trip when the dog is wearing down. Always end up choosing un-mowed ditches that separate good thermal cover and a cut corn field later in the afternoon. Good odds to intercept them either going to get food or coming back to roost.
Another point to consider is that hunting public land (even in SD) is a long-term process & long-term commitment. You build up an inventory of hunting spots and localized hunting knowledge over time. Even 10-years a ago when numbers were at the peak not every parcel held birds. It was easier no doubt but still took a good combination of planning and trial & error.
Good luck
Downtown Bang hit it on the head- very good post :thumbsup:
You really never know what the hunt is going to end up as, but that is part of the fun. I have walked away from fields disgusted, reasons varying from 1. No birds when I thought it looked promising, 2. Dog got too fired up and flushed them out of range, 3. I apparently couldn't hit the broad side of the barn.... on and on.
But, there have been other hunts when I walked away saying, "wow I never thought there would have been 6 birds by that one lone bush" or "man I cant believe I dropped that bird 50 yards out"
Weather can be the ultimate factor, but only you can control your attitude. I personally can't wait to get out this year cuz my 9 year old is finally getting long enough legs to make his way across a tough walk. These next years are gonna be the best, bird population be damned.
You really never know what the hunt is going to end up as, but that is part of the fun. I have walked away from fields disgusted, reasons varying from 1. No birds when I thought it looked promising, 2. Dog got too fired up and flushed them out of range, 3. I apparently couldn't hit the broad side of the barn.... on and on.
But, there have been other hunts when I walked away saying, "wow I never thought there would have been 6 birds by that one lone bush" or "man I cant believe I dropped that bird 50 yards out"
Weather can be the ultimate factor, but only you can control your attitude. I personally can't wait to get out this year cuz my 9 year old is finally getting long enough legs to make his way across a tough walk. These next years are gonna be the best, bird population be damned.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
Checked my license I was out basicly same days as the thread started Nov 13 - 17. . was not ez hunting but in birds daily I moved around lots probably to much... Was 5 days hunting 11 birds...
BeirlSetters
Member
If you plan hunt public don't expect huge numbers of birds. Well maybe late December you could see some larger groups but typically you can't get close to them. It's like some one is there shooting them out of a cannon, 300 yards out in front of you.
As someone stated here on the forum. Research and boots on the ground to develop a core of promising public land or ditch cover. I have been coming out for 20+ plus years and have develop a good core of public ground that spans 40 miles along with access to private ground as well. If you don't have the time or ability for this then you may have to "pay to play" as they say in the political world.....
Every year is different based the spring hatch and weather conditions. If you do the work you will eventually find birds. The days of clouds of birds I think are long gone at this point unless we see changes with overall habitat. I can say I still see more birds in 22-25 days year in SD than I can see grouse/woodcock back home in a season.
Also it never hurts to have good dogs that have the experience chasing and pinning the road runners on public ground. For me that's what it's all about the dog work and just the overall experience of SD.
Good luck everyone!
As someone stated here on the forum. Research and boots on the ground to develop a core of promising public land or ditch cover. I have been coming out for 20+ plus years and have develop a good core of public ground that spans 40 miles along with access to private ground as well. If you don't have the time or ability for this then you may have to "pay to play" as they say in the political world.....
Every year is different based the spring hatch and weather conditions. If you do the work you will eventually find birds. The days of clouds of birds I think are long gone at this point unless we see changes with overall habitat. I can say I still see more birds in 22-25 days year in SD than I can see grouse/woodcock back home in a season.
Also it never hurts to have good dogs that have the experience chasing and pinning the road runners on public ground. For me that's what it's all about the dog work and just the overall experience of SD.
Good luck everyone!