Upland Forecast

I don’t care what anyone says. The worse year in South Dakota is still better than Kansas. South Dakoata has the birds because it’s big business there.

Thankful Kansas hasn’t gone that route just and hopefully never will.
 
duckn66 said:
I don’t care what anyone says. The worse year in South Dakota is still better than Kansas. South Dakoata has the birds because it’s big business there.

Thankful Kansas hasn’t gone that route just and hopefully never will.
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I agree with you in regards to bird numbers, but I believe the reason, rather than big business, is the amount of resting and nesting cover in SD. Additionally...I doubt it makes much of a difference, but when in SD I like to scout early, and those birds sure seem happy flying around and filling their crops without having to worry about me messin with them...until 10A.
 
Mill Creek said:
I agree with you in regards to bird numbers, but I believe the reason, rather than big business, is the amount of resting and nesting cover in SD. Additionally...I doubt it makes much of a difference, but when in SD I like to scout early, and those birds sure seem happy flying around and filling their crops without having to worry about me messin with them...until 10A.
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No doubt about it, being able to hunt at sunrise in SD would make it a LOT easier to get a limit. I don't mind the 10am start, I always use the time between 8 and 9:30 to drive around and scout.
But I do think it would be pretty cool if it was possible to start at sunrise late in the season.....maybe from Dec 15 until the end of the season. That might encourage out of state hunters to take an extra late-season trip...….help to lower the rooster population going into the worst part of the winter.
 
duckn66 said:
I don’t care what anyone says. The worse year in South Dakota is still better than Kansas. South Dakoata has the birds because it’s big business there.

Thankful Kansas hasn’t gone that route just and hopefully never will.
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Doesn't South Dakota release birds into the wild or at least require their "big businesses" to do so to supplement their wild bird population? I too am glad Kansas hasn't necesarily followed that practice, if true..
 
Straightup82 said:
Doesn't South Dakota release birds into the wild or at least require their "big businesses" to do so to supplement their wild bird population? I too am glad Kansas hasn't necesarily followed that practice, if true..
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Kansas has around 130 licensed shooting preserves, and SD has around 200. Both states have the info on their websites.
 
roadscholar said:
Kansas has around 130 licensed shooting preserves, and SD has around 200. Both states have the info on their websites.
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Not sure, you guys might be talking at cross purposes. Kansas doesn’t include preserve birds in their “harvest” numbers, I have always been under the impression that SD does. And I think beyond the bird preserves, the for pay hunting lodges in SD have to put out as many birds as get shot. Is that accurate? Certainly some South Dakotans know.

Regardless, there’s more pheasants in South Dakota than Kansas. Probably for a host of reasons. But a bad season in Kansas is generally better than a good season anywhere else save South Dakota and some years North Dakota.
My experience in Kansas is that it is for some reason spottier than other pheasant states. You can be in a good area and be seeing hundreds of birds, then 30 miles away not find a feather, then 15 miles away be hunting a field that would be the best hunt anyone had ever had in Minnesota or Nebraska.

It’s just weird.
 
s.davis said:
Not sure, you guys might be talking at cross purposes. Kansas doesn’t include preserve birds in their “harvest” numbers, I have always been under the impression that SD does. And I think beyond the bird preserves, the for pay hunting lodges in SD have to put out as many birds as get shot. Is that accurate? Certainly some South Dakotans know.

Regardless, there’s more pheasants in South Dakota than Kansas. Probably for a host of reasons. But a bad season in Kansas is generally better than a good season anywhere else save South Dakota and some years North Dakota.
My experience in Kansas is that it is for some reason spottier than other pheasant states. You can be in a good area and be seeing hundreds of birds, then 30 miles away not find a feather, then 15 miles away be hunting a field that would be the best hunt anyone had ever had in Minnesota or Nebraska.

It’s just weird.
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Yeah I was just pointing out that there's a bunch of places in both states releasing birds. For the public land hunter, I don't think it's relevant in either state.

I agree about it being spottier in Kansas, based on my limited experience there. Looking forward to trying it again though!
 
Based only on what I read and see in videos, many outfitters in South Dakota are less that forthright in disclosing to clients that they are shooting planted birds. Still, this cannot affect harvest reports significantly.
 
I've never understood why so many accuse the state of South Dakota of planting birds. Any state expenditure of that magnitude requires politicians to vote and authorize the program. That information is always available to the public (see the Freedom of Information Act). I suggest that the next time anyone decides to issue claims of unknowing hunters shooting state stocked birds, that they provide the documentation that's available to anyone (even non-residents)....as long as it exists.

I don't have a dog in this fight. I'm an Iowa resident who seldom hunts South Dakota. However I do resent individuals mocking SD hunters by implying they're shooting stocked birds when the public land hunters are in fact shooting truly wild birds.
 
Randy S said:
I've never understood why so many accuse the state of South Dakota of planting birds. Any state expenditure of that magnitude requires politicians to vote and authorize the program. That information is always available to the public (see the Freedom of Information Act). I suggest that the next time anyone decides to issue claims of unknowing hunters shooting state stocked birds, that they provide the documentation that's available to anyone (even non-residents)....as long as it exists.

I don't have a dog in this fight. I'm an Iowa resident who seldom hunts South Dakota. However I do resent individuals mocking SD hunters by implying they're shooting stocked birds when the public land hunters are in fact shooting truly wild birds.
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I wouldn't over react here. It was posed as uncertain. For what its worth, I spoke with several (more than 7) outfitters from SD and they all indicated the large operators supplement. Whether state required or support, IDK.
 
My dogs don’t know the difference and they taste the same I hope they plant a bunch that migrate to public hunting land lol
 
marsingbob said:
Based only on what I read and see in videos, many outfitters in South Dakota are less that forthright in disclosing to clients that they are shooting planted birds. Still, this cannot affect harvest reports significantly.
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By SD State law any PRIVATE shooting preserve HAS to release birds. The numbers are not hard to find for interested clients.

https://gfp.sd.gov/shooting-preserves/

2017-18 * 214 Private Preserves * Pheasant Released 468,668 * Total Harvested 283,254 * Released Birds Harvested 264,291 *. Wild Birds Harvested 18,963

Private Preserve released birds also are required by State law to be marked before release. It's not hard to tell wild from released.

41:09:01:03. Birds that may be released -- Minimum release age -- Marking of birds. Any bird released on a shooting preserve must be at least 15 weeks of age at the time of release. Except for partridge, any game bird or turkey propagated, possessed, or released on the premises described in the preserve permit must have one front toe or one hind toe on either foot removed back to the first joint including the nail before becoming six weeks of age. An anti-pecking device affixed to the bird before it is six weeks old and worn by the bird until it is at least 15 weeks old is acceptable in lieu of toe clipping if the anti-pecking device leaves a permanent, easily identifiable mark through the nares.
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I think better better than last year for pheasants .Huns are way down.Chuckers are doing well. Sharptails, will be found, but not east.
 
OK, Kansas.

In Kansas they call them Controlled Shooting Areas. Same deal; pay to shoot primarily released birds. I cannot find any totals for the number of birds released though. The rules are similar and they do keep records.


From: 115-11-2. Controlled shooting areas; operational requirements.

(e) Only those game birds released on the controlled shooting area from August 15 through April 30 of the license period shall be credited toward the allowable take for the area.
(f) The licensee shall not take or permit the taking of more than 100 percent of the number of each species of game bird released on the controlled shooting area. These game bird species shall not be hunted on the area until a release of the game bird species has been made.
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From: 115-11-1. Controlled shooting areas; license application, issuance priority, and reporting.

(i) Each licensee shall maintain records of game bird releases, a register of hunters, the number of animals or birds taken for each species of game animal hunted on the controlled shooting area, and any other relevant information required by the secretary on forms provided by the department. These records shall be available for inspection by departmental staff.
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CSA hunts are not counted in the Kansas harvest numbers. And there are very few outfitters in Kansas to “supplement”, openly or not, their operations with released birds.
 
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