Prairie folk like South Dakotan Heartlanders are a pragmatic lot, only a handful of generations past the settlers and homesteaders. They adapted techniques to the prey and cover at hand for an efficient harvest — no wasted effort. In the early days, the sporting aspect of pheasant hunting was probably only a secondary or even a tertiary aspect.
I’m not sure about the history of the shelter belts right off hand, when and how they became a part of eastern SD’s landscape, but they are a literal Godsend for all kinds of wildlife, offering needed winter shelter cover, not to mention wind breaks for ranches, cattle, and snow drift control.
In bitter December they are usually full of birds getting in out of the wind. Even in a driven hunt so described above, I bet only 10% - 20% of the roosters flushed are harvested. Hunt it yourself and with one other with a dog or two and you wouldn’t even see the hundred roosters spilling out everywhere a quarter mile ahead of you. You will still get some birds, sure, but the pheasant in the cedars acts differently than it would if in the grass, being more apt to run and flush out of range in my experience than hold for a dog. Thus folks often use the described way to drive the shelter belts. But the beauty is, you can hunt it the way you wish.
It is important, to emphasize that for mature wing shooters — it certainly is for my group — it not about the number of birds taken, but for the total experience, including companions, dogs, shotguns, and everything related..
As to the weather..that’s why the Dakota prairies are almost empty in December. You plan for some dates looking at the extended forecast, make your best judgement and go. And then take what comes, sunny, bright and in the 30’s or a prairie blizzard. Most likely very cold.
Most folks don’t know that Charles Dickens hunted pheasants in SD in December: “it was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”
Last edited by George_De_Vries_3rd; 01/01/22.
