dawgs14
Member
My buddies and I have been going to SE South Dakota for the last 26 years. Have not missed a pheasant opener since 1997. There are six to eight private farms we have access to and have become very close friends with the owners and the community in general. We have hunted weather ranging from eight inches of blowing snow to 90 degree temps. We have hunted when all the corn was still in and when all the corn was out. We have had an eight hunter limit by 3:00 and other years, 2 birds among eight hunters at 6:00. In the late 90's and early 2000's the pheasant numbers were unreal. The numbers seem to dwindle around 2008 or so and declined over a ten year stretch significantly in our area. 2019 or so it seemed to pick back up and the last two years have been great - not 1999 great but great relatively speaking. There are many, many factors in pheasant numbers and I am no expert but I will share a thought or two from my experience. Weather - A wet spring producing lots of grass-hoppers and grassy cover is very good!!! That is food and moisture for chicks and adult pheasants. The rain can vary greatly over a short distance so farms one mile apart can have greatly contrasting pheasant numbers. Harsh winters cannot be good either. Habitat - Three of the farms we hunt leave food plots all winter and that provides food and shelter during the harshest winters. Birds come from miles around to winter on these farms. The bald eagles love these farms too for obvious reasons. It's nothing to see seven or eight eagles in trees overlooking these spots. We hunt farms that have plenty of nesting and hunting season cover. Our farmers are very good about allowing sloughs to remain sloughs and grassy/weedy vegetation to remain during the season for that reason. The one farm that does not have that cover has significantly less pheasants. Timing is everything - if the corn aint out, it's tough to hem pheasants up or make them fly. With corn in the field you best form your drivers in a designed wedge. If the corn is out or stripped, it's fun! Many other factors as well but I am tired of typing. I live in Georgia and one of our farmers came down for the 4th and he says he's never been more amazed at the durability of the pheasant than he is right now. Bunches and bunches of birds after the harsh winter is hard to believe - his words not mine. A few more timely rains and the corn will do well and hopefully almost a complete harvest by the 3rd weekend in October. Good luck!
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