Just returned from South Dakota where, contrary to inflated bird counts, is a waste of time. Unless you are lucky to have access to private land or the money to pay for it, or want to bust cattails on wildfowl areas don't waste your time. South Dakota plot system is the biggest scam on the internet. It is furthered by the advertising and Pheasants Forever articles. 80% of the plots are mowed over, planted crops, and not huntable land. They are put into the plot system merely to boost acreage in a dwindling public land system. Farmers get the money and mow down plots and laugh all the way to the bank. You would do better to go to a good preserve.
Wasting time in South Dakota
- Thread starter guyndog
- Start date
What area of the state did you hunt? Are you an experienced pheasant hunter? How many people and dogs did you have hunting?
30 years of experience in pheasant, grouse, woodcock Mobridge area but went to west river also. 2 guys 2 top notch dogs.
Main bitch is lack of quality public land is getting worse every year We will not pay to hunt and that is the direction SD heading. We did get birds and don't expect it to be easy.
Just telling others whats happening out there
Main bitch is lack of quality public land is getting worse every year We will not pay to hunt and that is the direction SD heading. We did get birds and don't expect it to be easy.
Just telling others whats happening out there
That's why I don't hunt in South Dakota anymore. The 12:00, 10:00 start times through out the season drive me nuts too. Driving all the way up there from Colorado to spend half the day sitting around waiting to hunt. It's just not for me, some people love it though. There's several states that may not have the same numbers of pheasants but higher quality public land.
Just curious, what is the main objection to paying to hunt?
I quit hunting in South Dakota a few years ago for similar reasons.I found the walk in and public land was either pasture land,mowed over or grazing land for cattle.The little bit of huntable land I found was over run with hunters.As far as pay for hunting I did pay $125.00 for an out of state license and with that should have had some decent land to hunt.I can't afford a lodge or to pay a farmer so much per gun.I drove a long way with great dogs and expected a better experience,it never got better so I just quit going.South Dakota best start backing up all their hype or more will do the same.
Well 6 of us are heading to that area later this week from Louisiana with 4 shorthairs. West of the river would have put you in the grasslands, correct? Did you hit agricultural areas?
you are much better off in Kansas, not as many birds, but public cover is much better and you can still door knock with some success, for free! :thumbsup:
KSBrittman
Active member
Ahh all the Birds in Kansas Migrated to Nebraska and South Dakota 
ranchodeluxe
New member
Spread the word!
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
Inflated bird numbers? The brood count report indicated a drop of about 20% on average (for what it's worth). My springer and I have hunted solely public land, walk in areas and CREP. In 10 trips I've shot 25 birds and have yet to spend over 2 hours hunting per trip. This has all been in the Salem, Spencer, Bridgewater and Howard areas....off to a VERY nice start. I think numbers are up somewhat in those areas. I saw more hunters than I had in many years on the regular season opener. But I've had NO problem hunting the area I'd set out to hunt (with only one exception).
Now, trying to satisfy a large group on these areas could be difficult - certainly not consistently easy. Also, as with so many things, timing is everything. I have yet to hit the weeds before 2:30 and probably won't until we've got significant snow cover. Also, I'm not suggesting anybody posting on this thread is doing this, but I see it time and time again. You can't just find a big sea of grass, even in the BEST pheasant country, start wandering around, and expect to shoot pheasants. Even MY springer can't make birds materialize out of thin air.
Anyway, I've never paid to hunt a pheasant, and as long as public land exists and SD continues to lease a little private land and open it up to me, I never will. I get that the situation isn't perfect and that some people get pretty frustrated. But there's some awesome public pheasant hunting to be had in this state.
Now, trying to satisfy a large group on these areas could be difficult - certainly not consistently easy. Also, as with so many things, timing is everything. I have yet to hit the weeds before 2:30 and probably won't until we've got significant snow cover. Also, I'm not suggesting anybody posting on this thread is doing this, but I see it time and time again. You can't just find a big sea of grass, even in the BEST pheasant country, start wandering around, and expect to shoot pheasants. Even MY springer can't make birds materialize out of thin air.
Anyway, I've never paid to hunt a pheasant, and as long as public land exists and SD continues to lease a little private land and open it up to me, I never will. I get that the situation isn't perfect and that some people get pretty frustrated. But there's some awesome public pheasant hunting to be had in this state.
As a fellow South Dakotan and also as one who almost exclusively hunts public I agree with that statement 100%.
BeirlSetters
Member
How many years have you hunted SD? From what I know the Mobridge area numbers have been down for a few years. There is still a lot of great public available all over the state. Maybe you should re-think your area. There are days that hunting will be tough and you will put on a lot of miles. I have been hunting pheasants in South Dakota for 20+ years. Every year is different based on the conditions. This year with later crop harvest and high temps I am sure the birds are well spread out.
If the expection is SD will produce clouds of birds it just isn't true. You should still see more birds than you can where else in the country. If you want clouds of pheasants raining down on you then a preserve is probably the better avenue.
I myself am heading out next week for my first 9 day trip. If we don't do well I will accept it as a off year. My trips are more about the dog work and the quality time spend with family and friends vs. killing limits of birds everyday we are there. I wait 365 days for my chance to head for SD and hunt. Low birds numbers will not limit my experience. It took me many years to lift up my head and stop and look around and take in the experience of SD. God I wish I would of done it years ago but we are all young once.
Good luck to anyone still out hunting. Let's all be safe!
waterdog09
Active member
What state are you hunting? SD does not have a PLOT system. Are you talking about WIA? If that is the case then yes I agree some of the WIA land is marginal at best. But there is plenty of beautiful public land out there. Our first trip this year we ended our trip the last day on a public spot with tons of blue stem, shelter belts and food plots and needless to say the birds were there! should have had our limit for 6 guys in that field before we went home but the shooting was less than good. All I can say is if your not happy with bird numbers or the public ground your hunting try a different area. Our group usually ends up driving over a hour each way to our spots just to find good numbers. As other people have stated the #'s this year are down not up so not sure where your getting that #'s are up? Either way if you think it's a waist of time in SD to hunt public maybe you should try a preserve because it sounds like your more about the kill and #'s of birds verses the dog work and being with friends. For our group it's more about getting out and being with friends and good dogs rather than the #'s we kill. A limit is always nice and brings some satisfaction with it but it's not everything! I have learned that over my last 22 years going to SD with family and friends.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
My 2 sidekicks with 3 not-all-that-difficult public land roosters from yesterday. We had a great time & saw plenty of birds in 1 hr & 40 min. I made one way harder for Buzz than I meant to, but he found him & drug him out of the cattails/muck anyway. (Also quite a few ducks in the area - fun to see.)
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Just for the record when I answered this thread it was never about numbers of birds or not enjoying the friends and dogs you hunt with,it was about South Dakotas poor quality public hunting land.The land also makes for the experience and you shouldn't have to drive hours and lots of miles everyday to find huntable land.Over 70% of the WIA'S I used to drive to were poor quality hunting land.
ranchodeluxe
New member
A lot of WIA are managed for big game as much as anything. I have found that you have no idea what is in them, even the ones you can see, from the road, have "nothing" in them. In dry years, they may get grazed, hayed, etc., but many still hold good cover. One of my friends takes 150-160 class whitetails from WIAs, every year. He loves the ones that look bleak because most people will drive right by, leaving it to him. He pulls a rabbit out of the hat, every year.
Yesterday, I walked in to check my cameras, in a spot like the poster above mentioned, Walk-in area, dry drainages, cut and baled hay. I left the dogs in the truck so I could get in and out quietly. I started down a bleak looking little draw, got to some buffalo berry thickets, several nice roosters came out. I don't see anyone pheasant hunting there, yet it would have been worth it. I walked the drainage to a little dam on the North Dakota side where I have a cam, just for curiosity, just to see what kind of tracks were around. Lots of pheasant tracks, lots of deer tracks, tons of coon tracks. The place is crawling with wildlife, even saw some Huns on the way out. It was a fun break from my suddenly cold pheasant shooting. There are no crop fields for a section in any direction.
ranchodeluxe
New member
Why? Do you think you are owed a limit, because you bought a license? That ain't the way it works. A license is a permit to try to get some birds, not a guarantee of success. They will guarantee you birds at the put-and-take, private club. If you want to know, when you leave the house, that you are going to have top-notch cover, and a batch of birds, go there.
I drove over 300 miles yesterday and came home empty-handed, you won't hear me bitching about it (there is plenty to bitch about, just not that). I watched some guys who beat me to a nice walk-in spot, have a hell of a hunt, and I missed a limit's worth of birds in the marginal cover they left me to walk.
So, this week I drag out the pigeon launcher and get back on track, next weekend will be different.
I always get a kick out of these random numbers, (birds down 60%, birds up 60%, 70% walk in sucks, etc). Remember, if you are relying on bird counts, you are relying on a Federal contractor, the mailman, who's job, first and foremost is to make sure the right mail gets in the right box. Well, our box is stuffed with election BS, addressed to my neighbor, who's box is nowhere near ours, clearly marked with a different address than mine. If they can't even get that right, how the hell can you rely on them to count pheasants?
BeirlSetters
Member
Well actually the post was about the land and SDGFP inflated numbers. I will agree there is a percentage on public that due to contract obligations had to be mowed this year from what I was told. I think the obligation is every second year. If I am wrong someone else can chime in and correct me. In my preseason scouting trip in Sept I seen more mowed than normal, that means covering more ground this year.
But to say the public ground is a scam? I mean really, come on. There is some really good public land to be had if you put the time in. Not every piece is going to produce birds all the time. I have a few pieces I have tried for multiple years and still haven't shot a bird off of it. I have a couple fellow hunters I was gracious enough to meet from being a member of this site that I now consider friends. I showed them some public ground and how good it actually was and they were is disbelief. Here's the kicker to this story they are both SD residents and one manages his property for pheasants 365 days year. So to say that public ground is a scam has no merit. Down bird numbers and mowing rotation we all have to live with it. Scouting prior to season will help your hunt. If you don't have the time and the ability to cover a larger range of ground than maybe a preserve or pay to play is the route to go. Part of the experience/reward is having to do the work to find the birds. Last time I crossed the SD border I didn't see twelve roosters standing rank and file at the state line waiting for me.
I myself cover about a 60 miles radius of my home base to stay in birds from year to year. Some years I am fortunate and can shoot birds 2 miles from my house and some years I have to travel 30+ miles everyday to see birds.
I go every year whether numbers at down or I have to cover ground to find cover. It's all about the experience, chase, and hard work for myself....
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