Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Suggestions on a Pheasant Hunt

Brother called me last night and said he wanted to go on a pheasant hunt this fall out west somewhere. We will be flying to whatever destination, does anyone have any good places they may want to share?

Guided or DIY?

I started a similar thread in the small game forum. I am planning to try Kansaa. I will be driving though.

I don’t know what you can or are willing to spend but if some leeway there, I’d fly into Sioux Falls, SD, rent a car and head west on I-90. As you get toward the middle of the state (only a couple to several hours more depending on where), about anywhere, on the east side of the Big Mo, there are outfitter’s. Check out the Chamberlain, Pierre, Platte, Mobridge areas, etc. Of course there are other good regions too.

Of course you need to book outfitter’s early. Short of that, there are walk-in areas (these are mapped) where you are on your own and you stay in motels. You would need your own dogs of course for those.

There is fair to heavy pressure early but plenty of birds left over later on when pressure drops but when the weather can be a major factor. Especially for anybody from the south.

The ringneck is one of the great ones and I never tire of them, even after over fifty years, and SD can be fantastic though you might have to pay some to get on good ground now.

It will be a guided hunt , both of us flying in. DO not want to spend more then 3k on the lodge and hunt.

Do you want to hunt in your own group, or is being put into a larger group something that works for you?

\My brother and I will be going so I would prefer our own group but no problem going with a larger group either.

Call Scott @ Bluestem Hunting Preserve. In or close to Kingman Kansas. You will hunt by yourselfs with great dogs stay in his lodge by yourself you can cook in the lodge or go into town. Best time ever I hunt there before and after our seasons are open. You will be way below budget. Tell him john or jagers owner sent you. jaeger is my dog he helped train you don't have a good time and get you share you can,t shoot or drank too much beer. If you are not happy I will bring my dog and pay for one hunt myself and take you around. Fly into Wichita Ks try to get the lodge booked early. if you go with someone else I wouldn’t get hooked up with an unknown group this can get dangerous fast. I am 76 and I have seen to many accidents.

Thanks for the info

Good hunts at the Cooke Canyon Hunt Club, Ellensburg, Washington.

You've got lots of choices. I can easily understand, the point is to spend time together, not with other people. If you just want to hunt by yourselves, then hunting here isn't going to be a lot different from hunting closer to home. Not a lot of operations around here where two guys can have a lodge and guide and property to themselves. Most operations here cater to larger groups and put larger groups in the field. Pheasant hunting is a social event here and lends itself to larger groups. If you want some lodge and group hunt suggestions, I can help you out. If you're looking for a guide to take the two of you around, I'm short on ideas there.

I’ll throw out my view and few experiences regarding “large-group, guided” pheasant hunting in SD. This is the scenario in which you don’t know many of the guys put together for the “walk-n-block” hunts. I have had a “blocker” hold his gun muzzle waist level pointed at the oncoming walkers — mostly me. He was initially offended at my pointing it (no pun intended) out to him.

I have had a “walker” fire across a field at me while I was blocking on an end corner; a shot chipped the frame of my shooting glasses. Another guy, who had been blocking, discharged his gun into the ground between his feet as Just as we finished a drive. We probably had 10-12 guys standing around the end of field within 20 yards of him. This guy barely knew what end was the pointed one.

The point is that despite most being avid hunters and experienced gun-handlers there are a lot of the other kind that make their way to SD for the famous pheasant hunts too. Most guides will have a safety talk but that didn’t prevent the above incidents from happening.

The camaraderie and social aspect of these kinds of hunts are undeniable but when you don’t know the individuals you can’t assume anything. I will no longer take part in these events or with anyone someone in my party doesn’t know.

I'm going to go against the grain and advise a DIY hunt in SoDak or NoDak... there is scads of public land and lots of places to stay. I will NOT hunt with a bunch of people I do not know and cannot keep my eye on more than one "unknown" at a time.

+ 1---well said

Good advice here, though if you do hunt ND, I advise you stick to the southern half of the state... Also, we are having a tough winter here this year, LOTS of snow. Deep snow makes it tough for birds to scratch up food sources, as well as filling in their preferred winter cover. I've been see a lot of birds hanging around farmyards, as the trees are about the only thing left to shield them from the weather. Most CRP in our area is under the snow, even cattail sloughs are pretty bare.

Kaiser Norton

Thanks for all the suggestions

I am going to go against the grain going against the grain. If you've never hunted pheasants in South Dakota you're going to need some luck to get birds. And once you figure what land to hunt and the best way to hunt it you'll find birds on public land are hunted hard. Guided hunt with released birds can be a lot of fun, and somebody else gets to worry about the details. Start now an Google your ass off. I don't know anybody to recommend. Listen to George, he's done it a lot.

(Hi George.)

^^^^^ What he said.

Only way I would hunt it on my own would be with the help of a bird dog(s) , that is a few years out when I retire

Good thinking.