Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game South Dakota 2022

First, we had planned to be in central SD until Thursday, or maybe even Friday morning, but I’m home already home, on Wednesday as I write this. We arrived in SD this last Sunday with the weather forecast looking grim but heck, many of were so passionate we had hunted in blizzards as teens..without dogs. The trip for us was about evenly divided between seeing and being with good friends, and shooting big, wild ringnecks. And for me, using and enjoying different shotguns. But, going mid-December to SD is not always going to be kind to you. There are a lot of advantages to this time period, but downsides too, to be sure.

Secondly, I apologize for the lack of pictures which Battue, Dukxdog, and others usually grace these pages with, but fog, rain, sleet, wind and snow didn’t make it easy, or to be so inclined. The dogs were less inclined than usual to pose. In fact, as we huddled yesterday afternoon, the Springers, soaked and cold, shivered at our feet. In fact, I had laid a canvas “possibles” bag on the ground and the youngest springer, climbed on top of it, huddling and shivering. Anything to get out of that cold snow.

We did get in two days of hunting before good sense overtook wishful thinking. I-90 closing from Rapid City to Chamberlain, predicted snow, and especially high winds, dictated more realistic plans.

Temps were rock steady in the lower 30’s which normally would be on the warm side for my bird hunting. But throw in humidity of ~ 98 % and a 20 mph wind and the cold penetrated layered clothing like #2 shot. And, you can only layer so much. Now add in the rain and sleet. The only good thing one can say about this kind of weather is, it feels so good when you get out of it.

I only took two guns along, leaving behind the one I really wanted to use, a Rizzini 20 O/U just because of the forecast. I took a Benelli 12 UL and a Browning 16 Superlight Feather O/U but loaded the ammo box 2:1 in favor of the 16. It was next in line to the Rizzini get a good workout.

Somehow, a box or two of Federal 12’s, 1 3/8 oz at 1450 fps got thrown in. I’m not aware I had even bought any of these, or how I otherwise would have obtained them. But the UL was beating the crap out of me until I started looking through my shells and identified them. Actually, I see no purpose in these for pheasants at all, and don’t recommend them. They are hard on the gun, the shooter, and are unnecessary. I switched to my 16. It’s a 6 lb gun — a wand, even compare to the UL 12 which is 6 1/4 lb.

The dogs were two very good labs, and three Springers, one a young pup that hadn’t figured out what the goal was yet, but that was what he was there for — to follow the two old veteran females. The birds were already working from the crops and grass on top, down into deep brushy ravines by a Monday afternoon. Somehow, they also knew about tje coming weather. Still, on Monday, with 12 guns, we reached our limit

Tuesday, we found very few in unsheltered country; we could see and hear them in the lower, rough and steep ravines. Even the one shelter belt we hunted surprised us with fewer birds than expected. Rain about 10:00 turned to sleet and the first thing was my 16’s ejectors were turned to extractors by all the moisture. Plucking an empty out with gloves while trying to keep from dumping the one live shell was cumbersome. Being glasses-dependent was an extra curse in this weather, with fogging, then being constantly wet. I had to press my gloved right index finger into windshield wiper service. Nothing was
ideal, but there it was.

We quit about 1 pm when fog dropped to about forty feet and the wind-driven sleet actually stung and bit like blowing sand. The point of the sorrows outweighing the joys had finally come for us. We called the game and headed in. We still took thirteen birds with six of us.

All of us left bailed early this morning as the storm slowed but the forecast called for a blizzard for later today into tomorrow. Yesterday morning, we were about the only ones in our motel. When I-90 closed to Chamberlain, it filled up fast with travelers having no other options.

It was worth it. Hunting is about the process, and the experience; about the sharing it with good friends who with a laugh, can tell you, “I’ve seen you shoot better.”

One photo of our last go — a mile long shelter belt. Two dogs inside with one gunless pusher. Fog had already pushed down to the tree tops and believe it or not, you could loose a high-riser in the clouds. Birds would bust out high with the wind and those outside would get European driven birds type shooting. It was a nice variation, but very difficult shooting. Notice the two walkers just about and above the middle of the fence, and the ice cycles hanging from the wire.