[Jorg]

Well, another lackluster year of Utah pheasant hunting has finally taken its toll. Dad and I have decided to go to South Dakota and do some real pheasant hunting either next year or the year after.

We want to do it right and are willing to spend a bit of money for a good experience, but would like a recommendation from someone in the area or who has been there/done that. We'd like to get an inclusive type deal with lodging and all, if only to avoid the hassle of figuring out where everything is, but if someone has a strong recommendation for something else, I'd love to hear it.

The main thing we are looking for a good hunt with wild birds.

Any suggestions?

[USMC - Retired]

A trip to Western Kansas to hunt CRP lands. If you drive and take your own dogs you can make the trip cheap and avoid guide fees. Just get a CRP map and go from there....

[frankcostanza]

my wife's family owns a nice hunt preserve up there. actually they have one in iowa and one in south dakota. the club in iowa is great, and i havent been to the south dakota one yet but im headed there next weekend. check out the website huntiowapheasants.com/sdguided.htm

[Grumulkin]

I hunted with the Horseshoe K Ranch last week. There were lots of wild pheasants and we had a good time. Our group of 16 had no problem filling our limit of 3 pheasants per day.

http://www.horseshoekranch.com/index.html

[dakotasin]

i have a friend that runs a place like what you're looking for (i shoot coyotes on his place for him to protect his bird population). he's in the plankinton area. where in s.d. do you want to be? if its near there, i could see what he might be able to do for you.

also, my preference is for late season birds - like mid-december to 31 december. don't really have much desire to bird hunt during deer season (november). but, i do love a pheasant hunt in the snow!

as an aside... it is my personal philosophy to not pay to hunt anything, especially a species that is abundant like pheasants. meaning it is possible to hunt private land for pheasants for free. 'course, i'm a little jaded, and access to our own farm makes it easier to say stuff like that.

[gunmn74]

This is map to all the free hunting land in Kansas.

http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/kdwp_info/locations/hunting_fishing_maps_by_county/2007_fall_hunting_atlas

I dont know hom much fun it will be for ya because you should get your limit
in about an hour. (Units 20 and 26 are awsome.)

[sixgun MAK]

I recently hunted near Webster, SD. There is a ton of walk-in areas, waterfowl production areas, and state land. That's the good news. The bad news is, they might as well change the name of South Dakota to Western Minnesota. I have never seen so many hunters in my life. Everyplace I went, it was already getting POUNDED!!!!. South Dakota may have a reputation for lots of birds, but believe me, that's on private land. The last day I was there, I didn't flush a single bird, not even a hen. Also, a lot of the walk-in stuff, is nothing more than a plowed field with no cover. Pointless to hunt, yet the landowner is still getting paid by the state.

Just remember, South Dakota doesn't have all of the pheasants. East MT, ND, NE, KS, and IA. I have been told by everybody that I have talked to who has been to IA, that those folks are the nicest you'll ever meet. Supposedly, it's not that difficult to get access to private land. I recently moved to MN from ND and I live 80 miles from IA. I'm kicking myself that I choose SD instead. The guys I know hunting IA this year are getting birds.

[dakotasin]

thus part of the reason late season is better.

also, the birds are bunched up so more birds per flush, the dog doesn't get heated, so more hunting per break, and so many folks are scared to be outside in 10° weather that you will have miles of land to yourself.

opening few weeks of pheasant hunting is for folks who have nothing to do. i'd much rather be stalking antelope, or scouting deer or whatever then, anyway.

but, to be fair... ia and ks both have better opening day harvest numbers than sd.

[Jorg]

Thanks for the information, guys. I appreciate it.

[mcole]

you might want to do a google search for "lagoda wings" in south dakota. mcole