Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Planning First Trip to SD

Got back from a dismal pheasant hunting trip in eastern Colorado. Reality is there just aren't many birds.

Conditions were perfect for finding birds. Snowing lightly first day...easy to see tracks. Nothing in CRP grasses. Nothing in shelter belts. Nothing in corn.
Second day, not snowing and sunny, but still fresh snow for bird signs and tracks. Lots and lots of bunny, mice, and tiny bird tracks. Saw two birds flushing a couple of hundred yards away.
Last day, snow starting to melt. Found a few tracks in wheat stubble adjacent to shelter belts and picked corn. Kicked up a hen.
No dog on public land is tough...I understand. Willing to put in the work for an opportunity for a bird, but if they just aren't there, I'm wasting my time.

So...looking for recommendations or first hand knowledge of a local sportsman, outfitter, or company to book a trip with myself and my brother. Not at all interested in hunting with large orange clad army groups marching up and down fields. Fence rows and small patches are just fine.
No stocked birds. If I need a pheasant that badly, I'll go to the butcher.
Dogs ok, I miss my GSP, and enjoy watching a good dog work.
Guides are handy but not vital. As long as I'm not trespassing or interfering with someone's farming, I'm low maintenance. Someone to give me a ride back to my truck is nice...and appreciated.
Don't need a five star hotel. Clean and friendly just fine. Not a big drinker.

Thoughts? Anything I should know or whom to avoid?

Full disclosure - I've never hunter pheasants in SD, but it has always piqued my interest.

Have you looked at the SD Fish & Game web site? Last time I looked - quiet a while ago - they either offered free or sold a booklet that mapped out public/walk-in lands. One thing I noted about SD pheasant hunting was that it appears that need to be really conscious of where you are at and the possible requirement for non-toxic ammo.

Lots of statements about what you don't want. I don't really understand what you DO want. If you can put that into words, I can give some guidance.

A few thoughts in return:

No one worth spending your time and effort with is taking you hunting, without dogs. Why would you go without? I can't imagine. I think I'd pass over that thought.
No need to worry about waterfowl. The licensing requirements are too tough to navigate unless it's your primary goal. Let that one go, too.
Reasonable but fair, is set by the landowner, so you'll have to pay what they ask. You'll spend a lot of time trying to find a bargain, and then it won't be one.
What's your definition of small town? No shortage of them. To me that's fewer than 1000 people.
I can't think of a farm which isn't a multi-million dollar operation. How important is your $100/day? IDK.

Ok. I appreciate the help and interest. I honestly do. Just trying to not waste someone's time by babysitting just a couple of guys when they could be more efficient with larger groups. Also, larger groups don't want to waste their time on small plots packed shoulder to shoulder.

Dogs are great. If that's the norm, so be it. Probably akin to a fishing guide without a boat isn't the fishing guide you'd want. It's just not a deal breaker for me.

My idea of small town is comparable to yours. At the very most, a stoplight or two. Cafe, diner, restaurant, or bar and grill somewhere within 15 miles shouldn't be a problem.

I certainly don't want to insult a landowner by being cheap. Value to both is my goal, but it is a moving figure. If higher rates but stellar integrity is a better value, then I'm willing to pay.

If, in your opinion a reputable outfitter would be best, whom do recommend, and what types of services are essential for you?

Found a few links from the South Dakota Game and Fish office. https://gfp.sd.gov/plan-your-adventure/ Is this a good starting place in your opinion? If the outfitters are indeed reputable, it's just a matter of comparison between them. If some of them aren't, I'd rather not find out the hard way.

Some sites in the Chamberlain area such as "Wingmaster Lodge" for example simply has a facebook page with little or no detail or pricing. "Rooster Ridge Hunting Lodge" has rates of $2195 per hunter that includes pool table, hot tub, and maid service. "Allen's Hunting and Fishing Guide Service" is $1150 per hunter but doesn't provide meals. Just based on these three alone, I'm inclined towards Allen's. This is why I'm open to other alternatives, and opinions by people who actually deal with these operations long after the hunting season is over.

I too am a land owner with a small piece of land with some prime turkey and deer habitat. 35 acres is enough for myself, but not much more. A local outfitter who has their own property thinks nothing of trespassing with his clients. He would rather ask for forgiveness than permission. A couple of years ago, he and his party were using dogs to start their mountain lion hunt on private property. It continued through my private property and near homes. A pissed off lion chased by dogs is a recipe for disaster to an unsuspecting homeowner. He has also directed his big game clients onto private property because he thought the owners weren't home and wouldn't find out. His idea of a successful hunt is filling a tag by any means ethical or not. That's the type of outfit I want to avoid.

Again, I appreciate your time and insight.

First, I haven` hunted SD now for four years, but had hunted there, out of Redfield, stayed at the Wilson, for more than 30 yrs. so have some idea..
Can you and your brother walk? Maybe 5-7 miles a day? If so, walk the ditches along the back roads, next to good cover. It`s free, you can call your place to hunt, and you really don`t need a dog, tho they do come in handy. By walking the ditches, the birds are confined to the ditch..tho not always..so you can cover it very well. IME, birds tend to sit close, and can flush right under your feet. Should you drop a bird on private land, you do an unarmed retreive. My brother and I have hunted this way for years..no pressure from other hunters either.
I`ve walked for 5 minutes and filled, and I`ve walked for 8 miles, sections, and not. Depends. Hop-scotch with the truck, drop your brother at the end of a section, park at the other end, walk that section while your brother drives past and parks at the next. Tell one another which way your going.
In the morning, if the sun is out, walk West or North..you can see colors better that way, after noon, walk East and North.

Good Luck.

Understand that with most of your SD hunting "Lodges" you will be hunting stocked Birds....They can't be bringing in 20 or so hunters a week and shooting wild Birds...They try to keep it under the table, but most "salt" the fields.

You need to google "Bird Dog Bunkhouse" .... The owner occasionally posts on here.

I'd find a three legged Greyhound to bring along before I went without a Dog..

BDB is my place. Battue is as good of a reference as I can get. Most of my guys have now returned for several seasons. That speaks volumes for how good a place is. All birds are wild and it's real hunting. My prices are reasonable. My service is excellent. PM me if interested. I will give you my number so we can talk answering any questions.

Thanks Battue!

While Battue's comment about "salting" the fields is accurate, its also true that stocked birds will wild up in all circumstances. Some take longer than others but it does happen. The more wild birds around, the sooner and easier the parolees will take on their behaviors and attributes. For what its worth.

There are pockets of birds all over the state. A friend told me today that he went out Friday with a group near Milbank. Milbank is way out of the pheasant belt, like 100 miles out. Yet they found a pocket of birds and shot 'em up two weekends in a row. You might find that a good option for you is not in the traditional Mitchell-Chamberlain-Winner-Pierre areas but further north or west or northwest of there.

Dogs are critical to your success, don't discount that. Would you hire an elk guide with no optics? No. No one who knows much about pheasant hunting or does it often would do it without dogs. You have to put up 2-3 times as many birds in front of someone to fill his bag limit. That isn't good for anyone, certainly not the hunters.

IMHO, a guy from out of state with no connections will have to put in more work than its maybe worth to find a place with "all wild birds." YMMV. I think people make it a bigger deal than it is. Every once in a while I'll find one in our bags even where none should theoretically be found. But you should know what you're paying for. I think you're on the right track. Call around and see if you can find a guide who doesn't have his own place but who has arrangements with landowners. Such a guy would be less likely to put out released birds, but it still might happen. No one hunting wild birds will hunt the same plot more than once a week. Or should, anyway. That should be a tip for you.

Good posts from everyone. This accurately describes our hunting style. Not many deep ditches here because of local farming practice. We also stay out unless it is clearly marked with a walk-in sign. We often leap frog where one of us will walk, and the other will drive and block. Walking isn't an issue. I have to admit though...walking picked corn with deep furrows is a chore I wouldn't want to do all day.

I understand stocking birds and hunting pressure. I'd rather go home without a bird than have someone plant one. A planted bird who survives a bit on their own probably wises up quickly and isn't tame by any means.

We've also had a bit of success in larger fields. The shouldn't be any cover in the adjacent fields. First, walk up the center effectively bisecting it. As we are walking through the center, we rarely see birds. The goal is to get the birds to move to the edges but not flush. When we reach the end of the field,we then follow the edges around and have success flushing those birds who are now reluctant to go back to the safety of the center of the field. Not perfect by any means, but it works.

Lot of excellent information from everyone and thanks again. I'll get some dates in mind and will try to PM some people if possible.

There are plenty of B&Bs near Mitchell or Artesian and I am sure they are elsewhere in the state too.
Lots of state managed ground to hunt with wild birds (though non-toxic shot is required), or a guy could hunt the borrow pits of county roads. You're allowed to trespass (without your shotgun) to retrieve a bird you legally shot from the road ROW. I have shot plenty of wild birds in SD without a dog and without a guide. It is doable for sure if you put the effort in.

I am thinking that Hank and I need to give this a go this year. Might even talk BOY into putting for deer in SD to make it a buck and cock trip!

I would go and stay at Bobby,s place think you will like it. Been there a lot Kurt

https://www.facebook.com/BirdDogBunkhouse57442/

I have no idea why people would come here dogless, and walk the road ditches for pheasants.

Kinda simple..it works. Have had people come up in trucks, stop, and ask who I was hunting with. Seemed put out we were walking the ditches. Did have a couple guys stop and ask where my vehicle was..told them "3 miles south". Looked like both were gonna have heart failure. I was full, they hadn`t fired a shot yet. That was down by Miller.
Course if you`re in the "business" of guiding hunters? walking the ditches isn`t placing money in your pocket.
YMMV

If a guy is currently dogless, then he doesn't have a dog to hunt with. After the corn and sorghum fields are cut, birds are much more concentrated where cover remains, which is often along the roads. That, and I like to do it that way.
That's why.

Dess, your talking 3 people pull your head out find a forth ,a guy with a dog that just can't swing the costs by himself , help pay his way you'll get your money back . 2 vehicles ,2 to a vehicle saves time and walking back thru birdless cover. GFP does brood surveys in the summer use their website to see where the birds are. Pick one of those concentrated areas with small town motels and main street restaurants. Right now write the Gfp and ask them for a Walk in Area atlas. These places are free to hunt and don't require non toxic, the atlas will show all other places you can hunt but need non toxic shot. There is more public than you all can cover in the duration of your license. Late in the afternoon the pheasants are often seen in road ditches and the shoulders getting grit for their crops to grind their eats then they go back to roost cover. Mb

$100 a day trespass would be hard to find.

Have put up anywhere from 50 to 200 Wild Birds a day out of the road ditches and 2 tracks doing what T_Inman suggests.

I’m a Dog guy.....but you can do without...wouldn’t be all that up on going without a Dog on some of the walk-ins