Easy-peasy, S.D. is where you want to go. I've been hunting S.D. for over 30 years and have never paid to hunt. Read up on the rules for hunting the right-of-ways (yes you can road hunt S.D.). I've road hunted with a couple of game wardens before. Go on the Game,Fish and Parks website and print the Sportsman's Atlas... that will give you good maps of all the public roads in the state... stay away from any of the Rezs.
The license is $125 and good for 10 days pheasant hunting. You can divide it into two 5 day portions (which is what we do but it's only about a 9 hour drive for us). The limit is 3 roosters a day with possession limit of 15... coming as far as you are I would figure on hunting until everyone had their 15 birds. The Sportsman's Atlas will show the waterfowl management, game management and other public hunting areas but 2 or 3 hunters walking around in 1000 acres of cover can have it pretty tough with educated roosters unless you have good pheasant dogs also the public hunting areas require non-toxic shot.
What was said earlier about the weather later in the season was true but that being said, the worst blizzard I've ever been in happened on the 3rd day of the season... 17" of snow with 70mph winds... snapped many power poles and when we went back a month later there were still minimum maintenance roads drifted shut with 4-6 foot drifts in places. We always take a tow-strap or chain and a snow shovel.
The weather could be like the aforementioned blizzard or it could be 80 degrees... It could be rainy or still extremely dry. If it rains be advised that the minimum maintenance roads that are black mud can be like grease... even with 4x4 and rough tread tires they can be very difficult to travel when wet.
Obey the 660' rule, stay away from cattle, houses , the Rez and you should be fine road hunting. You can't start pheasant hunting until noon the first week and then 10am after that.
A five day hunt with meals, lodging and travel costs me about $600 and we drive up the day before and spend the night of the 5th day and have a leisurely drive home the next day.
Oh, you might want to pack one varmint rifle for the group and if you come across a prairie dog town, find who the owner is and see if you can get permission to shoot a few as it might be your only opportunity ever to do so.
Good luck, be safe and obey the road hunting rules.
