Where is your top destination for pheasants in the 2017 hunting season?

Most of you are probably planning your pheasant hunt for this Fall, or you have already made your plans. Without giving up your honey hole, what is your top destination this Fall? To give you an example, I am planning on hitting an area just north of Pierre, SD. And then heading down to the National Grasslands for some Sharps. Help us out and give at least a little detail of where you are planning on hunting this Fall or what is your favorite destination.
 
A strip of grass about a half-mile long. We only get to hunt it about twice a year, but have a good relationship with the landowner so that's all that matters.
 
We hunted around Pierre for a few days last year on public land and then checked out the grasslands. It was overwhelming! How do you hunt that area?
We had dogs but it just seemed too big to figure out. Any ideas?
 
Oh, by the way, it was awesome around Kennebec and Presho, but we hunted
on private land for a fee of $150 per gun. Compared to our limited experiences on public land, it was well worth it considering we traveled from
northern Illinois. Love to hear what others have to say. PS we did have some luck on public land and road hunting, but 100x as good on private land!

Steve
 
Haven't figured out where I'm heading yet this fall. I usually wait to see where the rain falls and where the hail falls and where the drought hits. From there I go scout the areas that have been productive in the past for me and run the dog through the ones I'm allowed to. Helps me weed out some of the ones I can cross off or circle. Plus it gets the dog some preseason work. Also try to go look at a few new places that I think will produce. Perks of living in the pheasant capitol. I guess I'll have to let you guys know when the season gets here.
 
2017

I hunt alone for the most part. I'm gonna stay on the move this year. I'm fixing up a cargo trailer to stay in. I'll start around Miller for a few days and then head north. I want to fish spring lake up near Bowdle. It's supposed to be good walleye lake, so I'll throw my kayak in and give it a try. My dog likes to fish. I"ll hunt some public up around there, too. I'm either gonna head west across the river towards timber lake, or north to the border and fish near Ashley, ND and hunt just over the border in SD. I'm not sure yet. Then I'll head home through Webster and hit a few spots north of there and fish opitz and north waubay. I managed a few birds in that area last year, and a few walleye. When I go back before thankgiving id like to explore a new area. Maybe north of murdo. It always depends on the weather.
 
Montana!! Then back up to Michigan. Then I'll settle back down closer to home with Kansas and Missouri. Could add Minnesota and go with the four M's but I doubt that happens.
 
David 0311

Most of you are probably planning your pheasant hunt for this Fall, or you have already made your plans. Without giving up your honey hole, what is your top destination this Fall? To give you an example, I am planning on hitting an area just north of Pierre, SD. And then heading down to the National Grasslands for some Sharps. Help us out and give at least a little detail of where you are planning on hunting this Fall or what is your favorite destination.

When not guiding in Winner area plan on --Hunting my own in the--

1- Hoven -- Tolstoy area--then wander over to the Timber Lake area and then where ever seems like a good idea until Thanksgiving or later cheers:
 
When I'm in Bozeman skiing, am I too far west to pheasant hunt?

No idea. First time going up there. We are hunting from Valentine area down to a little south of Billings. He said central is a sleeper but I dont know much about the areas. Cant wait to find out though!
 
Montana!! Then back up to Michigan. Then I'll settle back down closer to home with Kansas and Missouri. Could add Minnesota and go with the four M's but I doubt that happens.

Dude skip Michigan MN is king of grouse & we have a butt load of pheasants & tons of public lands compared to MI & WI

starting in minnesota on grouse species then pheasants in OCT... Nebraska #1 on the list next year then maybe SD? come January Nebraska again & maybe KS ....
 
2017

When not guiding in Winner area plan on --Hunting my own in the--

1- Hoven -- Tolstoy area--then wander over to the Timber Lake area and then where ever seems like a good idea until Thanksgiving or later cheers:

They really have Hoven looking good with the new sidewalks and improvements that they were working on last year. I like that area a lot. The history of those towns is so interesting. Many were established before SD became a state. It's interesting to read how the railroad determined the life and death of many of those towns. I can't imagine what the homesteaders faced. Disease, war, and weather just looking to take them out. There's a toughness and independence about folks out there that I admire a lot.
 
2017 Hunting Season

I think I will be staying around home this season. Central and North Central Iowa should have some decent bird numbers this fall barring spring and early summer flooding. There are plenty of public hunting areas and Iowa's IHAP program areas in NC Iowa is growing. I have 4 or 5 good private areas I have permission to hunt and I try to mix them up with my favorite public areas and I do pretty well.

I have been on two early season trips to SD in the Miller area. One trip was awesome and the other started slow and ended pretty good. While I like the idea of seeing new places and hunting different areas for me there is still no place like home. I like sleeping in my own bed and not feeling like I have to hunt if the weather gets nasty.
 
Iowa

I think I will be staying around home this season. Central and North Central Iowa should have some decent bird numbers this fall barring spring and early summer flooding. There are plenty of public hunting areas and Iowa's IHAP program areas in NC Iowa is growing. I have 4 or 5 good private areas I have permission to hunt and I try to mix them up with my favorite public areas and I do pretty well.

I have been on two early season trips to SD in the Miller area. One trip was awesome and the other started slow and ended pretty good. While I like the idea of seeing new places and hunting different areas for me there is still no place like home. I like sleeping in my own bed and not feeling like I have to hunt if the weather gets nasty.

I should head your way some year. My dad grew up in Meservey and graduated from high school in Thorton. I have a cousin that farms a couple thousand acres close to Belmond. My grandparents were dairy farmers there. They retired on an 80 pretty close to Forest City.
 
David0311

They really have Hoven looking good with the new sidewalks and improvements that they were working on last year. I like that area a lot. The history of those towns is so interesting. Many were established before SD became a state. It's interesting to read how the railroad determined the life and death of many of those towns. I can't imagine what the homesteaders faced. Disease, war, and weather just looking to take them out. There's a toughness and independence about folks out there that I admire a lot.

Heck --you have to be tough to live there now-:)

My farmer friends that I have hunted with --just south of Tolstoy--

Have shown me the location of the dug out that the great grand father first lived in--

Now that's tough:eek::cheers:
 
Will be hunting opening weekend near home, here in NE Montana, hosting current and former combat veterans for the second year in a row, with a organization similar to wounded warriors. Thanks to the generosity of local farmers and ranchers and folks in the area, last years hunt started small, but was a great time, and organization wishes to bring a few more people this fall for hunt, it is an honor hosting such fine men and women.
 
Tough

Heck --you have to be tough to live there now-:)

My farmer friends that I have hunted with --just south of Tolstoy--

Have shown me the location of the dug out that the great grand father first lived in--

Now that's tough:eek::cheers:

I spent a couple weeks last year hunting around and staying in Lebanon. The town owns the bar there and they have the first in ground city pool in the state. I will camp there for$18 a nite this fall. The folks there are the best you'll ever meet. The history of the town is over the top interesting. I'll work north from there, after stopping in at the Orient bar for a couple. It 's a special area, not so much for hunting, but for people.
 
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