Don't let the lack of a bird dog keep you from doing it yourself. The majority of my S.D. roosters ( probably 90% at least ) I've shot without dogs. That's over 30 years of hunting S.D. at least once a season and if I don't have my 15 rooster possession limit after 5 days of hunting I'm probably only going to be down 2 or 3. You have to pick right cover to hunt and the right tactics.... small patches, ditches, fencelines etc.... 2 or 3 hunters walking around in a 500 acre block of cover following good dogs have their work cut out for them. Been there and done that.
Myself, I would be perfectly content hunting S.D. without dogs for the rest of my days. I realize that some people enjoy watching the dogs work... I get it... I've known coon hunters and coyote hunters that were that way. Not saying they're wrong at all but it's not my way.
I do think that it may be a tough season this year. I was in western S.D. prairie dogging in early July and saw very few birds while going and coming, not even very many feather spots on the interstate. Also on the way out, in pheasant country, we took a couple of 10-15 mile loops off of the highway on gravel roads to try and see how the hatch was and did not see a single pheasant... ordinarily we'll see a few even a hen now and then with her chicks. On the other hand, in the west where we almost never see one, we saw a few birds where normally we see none. Go figure?
Good luck and be safe however you do it... dog or no dog, guide or diy.
