Wife and I

S

Swamp Collie

Member
I am looking for some advice from those of you that hunt SD. My wife and I are taking our first trip to SD the week before Thanksgiving to hunt the public grounds for pheasants and introduce a young boykin spaniel to upland hunting. After quite a bit of research we are going to concentrate on the areas around Miller, Redfield, and Gettysburg. I am looking for lodging in this area and wanted to see if those experienced hunting these areas had any suggestions. We are not looking for luxury but just clean decent affordable lodging where my wife will feel comfortable. I am hoping by going in mid-November we can avoid the big crowds. Looking to find just a few birds for a young dog and make some memories. Thank you in advance for any lodging recommendations.

Jon
 
Miller: Super 8 and the Dew Drop Inn.

Redfield has a couple of motels - not certain about Gettysburg. Most of the public hunting in Hand County (Miller ) is south.

Faulkton might be a good town to home-base. I stayed there several years ago and hunted both public and private. Recall this was early December...

Would assume you have sent for the SD Public Hunting Atlas...good hunting!

Jon
 
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Redfeld has small Super 8 and Wilson Motor Court, a mom & pop. Both clean and reasonable. Lots of public hunting in all directions. Faulkton has good hunting too and a private hotel I think. The week of Thanksgiving can be very crowded with lots of family home for holidays and to hunt, so you may want to make reservations now. Also deer season is open then and everybody in SD is out hunting. Would try to go a week earlier if you can. Good luck and originally from SC, so I love me some Boykins!
 
Lodging

PM me and I'll let you know a great house to rent in the area you are hunting in. Your wife will be very happy in a cozy house, rather than a motel.
 
Like others have mentioned, go a week earlier due to deer season. You will have too much competition with the deer hunters. Things settle down quite a bit by mid November and you should have good hunting on public ground by then.
 
Hunting pheasants during deer season is not that big of deal. Maybe on the opening weekend but during the week there are very few deer hunters out and about. And if they are, they are out hunting in the early morning or late afternoon. I run across very few deer hunters while pheasant hunting. Just make sure you are wearing a lot of Orange.
 
david0311

Dakotazeb said:
Hunting pheasants during deer season is not that big of deal. Maybe on the opening weekend but during the week there are very few deer hunters out and about. And if they are, they are out hunting in the early morning or late afternoon. I run across very few deer hunters while pheasant hunting. Just make sure you are wearing a lot of Orange.
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Agree for the most part however--

-- Ihave finished pushing --corn field-treelines--ect.
--and found deer hunters I hand no association with posting on the ends--(Not good):(

-- even being the shy--indirect-non confrontational person I'm:rolleyes:I felt a need to point this out to them--not often but it has happened-

--have also worried about dog and would even more with large brown dark dogs ect

--as George said Lots of orange (dogs included)
 
My group and I used to hunt out there during the deer season. Only problem we had was getting permission for private land (back when it was easier to gain access). They didn't want the deer pushed off their property--we found this was the case just before the opener too. One time, the land owner told us we could hunt pheasants if it was okay for his wife to block (for deer). "no problem". lol

As you mentioned you'll be hunting public land. I think you'll be okay. I can't recall ever seeing all too many deer hunters on public land. Private land is a different story.

Nick
 
I am not worried about hunting pressure as much as I am the stray bullet. My cousin had a cow shot last year. I am guessing that the guy who did it probably did not know it. A few years back a neighbor lady had one come through her living room wall. I am reluctant to book any hunters during deer season, if I do I make sure they know it is deer season.
 
I hunt birds almost every weekend. But we do avoid deer season. Too many guys driving sloughs and road hunting.
 
Well we decided to be safe rather than sorry especially on our first trip. Will be staying in Miller November 9-13. Its just the wife, one young dog and I so we want to try and avoid any possible conflicts so we decided to try it a week earlier and totally avoid the deer season. Thanks for the input and suggestions.
 
Advice?

I am new to the forum. I'm recently retired and looking forward to this year's hunting seasons. I've hunted my entire life in Minnesota (reside in Minneapolis area) and now would like to make a trip to SD for pheasants. Similar to the above post, it will just be me, my wife - who is new to hunting, and my hunting dog. I can't afford a guided hunt and don't like to hunt in big groups of people that I don't know. So it will be public land. I've studied recent posts and am thinking going the first week of November for 4 days and staying in Faulkton and just wandering from there. Any advice on location, things to be aware of, accommodations, strategy, etc would be greatly appreciated and will make the trip more enjoyable. Also, I could swing a day or so of trespass fee hunting so any thoughts on this would be helpful also. Thanks for the help!
 
lab man said:
You should know that the 212 restaurant has closed down, so there is no where to go for breakfast.. lab man
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Please let the other posters know where the 212 restaurant is.
 
You and the wife

Try to get down to the Orient Bar and Grill if you can. Prime rib is really good, and great burgers. I eat there when I hunt up that way. It's just a bit south of you. I spend two or three days each season hunting on a ranch just west of you on the Hand/Hyde county line. He's got 1600 acres and a farm house to stay in. I like it cuz my dog is right in the house with me and you just hunt right out the door. Owners are great folks. You can just hunt the land or hunt and stay. Really good deal. I also hunt school lands just north of there and have shot quite a few birds. PM me and I will give you the contact information. I split my ten days between up there and the Miller area. Hunting has gotten better each of the last four years I would say. Good luck on your trip.
 
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