doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com South Dakota Birds???

Les,
As twotriggers alluded, the shot sizes used by experienced SD pheasant hunters tend to get larger later in the season, along with tighter chokes being favored. There's always the exception, but that's a trend that occurs. Like he said, shots tend to be longer, later in the season. In early October, with good weather, a IC/Mod gun with #6 shot can produce a good bag. In late November, tight chokes and #4 shot seems to be popular, although I have to admit to not having been to SD for late season hunts.

No matter whether early or late season, when the wind blows hard, you'll wish for heavy loads of big shot.

Les,

The last few years I've gone to SD in late Dec. I generally take 3 shotguns. An SKB 12 M/F, a Rem 11-48 16 ga mod. and one of my 16 ga doubles that have more open chokes.

I generally use #5 shot for about all my shooting, and it works great! I suppose that the distances encountered are a mix of fairly close 20 yds out to 40-45, which is about the limit I'll take a shot.

There are three of us that go, so we utilize a variety of techniques on the terrain we're hunting, but if I were solo, it would be more difficult to corner the birds at this time of year, due to their wildness.

Thanks JBP for the pics of those two, both are top shelf!!! And good shooting.
Where is the dividing line between this reference point you guys are always referring to as early season late season birds?? Late season birds are the smart ones, I'm trying to avoid those birds at all costs.

Chuck, we are going to have this conversation every year if I can help it and how come no pics of that custom Fox of yours…….what do you think I started this thread for???

And Leswad, do you mind reading the rules of this board maybe just once. It specifically says that there will be no references to Winchester Model 21's unless there is a series of pics to follow!!!

I would have to concur on the observations posted by those above. The first couple of weeks we generally see closer flushes and some birds holding tight- especially in thick cover ( creek bottoms/ cattails etc.) I like a IC/Mod for rough shooting. On the " pushes" thru cover, I think tighter chokes are a better choice for the blockers because of the longer shots at those birds flying out to the sides. I think the 21 will be fine and I have had great success with a 16 , but feel a little inadequate with a 20 as I feel I need to pass on those shots I would take with a 12.

BTW the gent with the camo benelli uses a gnats ass wad wizard choke and can plain fold birds all day long at ranges I don't even think about. There's a place for everything!

# 6 is ok for the closer shots, but I have more confidence in #5s and always shove one in the tighter barrel - FWIWs .. Alot of big country out there - so get in shape !!
Good luck to all!
best regards,
JBP

Thanks for the suggestions! I will be going in late October and taking a back up gun as well. Is non-toxic shot required?

I was unaware of the picture rule! My 21 is pretty plain Jane, but is a dream to shoot!


[img]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm190/leswad/DSC_0095.jpg?t=1254351219[/img]

[img]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm190/leswad/DSC_0094.jpg?t=1254351291[/img]

Excellent Les!! Thanks for the pics!!!
JBP I think I will have to stay in heavy covered areas and hoping the birds will sit tight.
Hunting in PA in heavy cover and learning to 'alter your cadence' generally makes the birds hole up or hunker down until you're at least close enough for a shot, but South Dakota with all that open country I'm a little lost as to how to hunt and where to go that better fits my game and experience.

One caution -- real heavy loads such as Fiocchi Golden Pheasant may initiate cracks in light weight SxS's.

While we sometimes get hung up on how "the good old days" were better, unless you go WAY back, "the good old days" have been the last 4 years in South Dakota. According to SD GF&P statistics, the total harvest has been within 150,000 of 2 million every one of those years.

20 years ago (1989), the place to be, if you were a pheasant hunter, was not SD but Iowa. (I know--I was there.) Just shy of 1 1/2 million birds killed in Iowa that year, compared to fewer than 700,000 in SD. You have to go back to 1983 to get close to 1 1/2 million in SD, and clear back to 1963 to top 2 million. The total in 63 was over 3 million. Now that, I'll agree, would have been the good old days!

The problem in SD is often too many birds in confined areas. They get nervous, and you get a lot of long range flushes. That often happens with large parties . . . hard to keep things quiet. A small party, couple guys and a couple dogs . . . you can't surround cover like the big parties can, but you can do very well if the birds are more scattered in bigger fields. Or you can do a two man drive and block on very small pieces of cover, like ditches and waterways.

And by the way, guys, the best advice I can give on Dakota pheasants: GO NOW. Both N and S Dakota are losing good cover (CRP) at an alarming rate, and the current crew in DC appears to be heading in the wrong direction. We may lose CRP at an even faster rate over the next couple years. With less cover, you get a bad Dakota winter, and you're going to lose birds--and they won't recover. Even being down from last year, SD is still in a league of its own when it comes to pheasants. Now if you want to cry about "the good old days", come to Iowa. We were killing a million and a half 20 years ago; last year, we didn't make 400,000. And this year doesn't look much different.

I'd say the tactics Mr. Brown mentions are the ones that work for us in late Dec. We have plenty of opportunities and manage to limit without much problem.

I don't know about the good old days, but I can't imagine seeing many more birds than what we've seen the past three years we've been going back. I would venture to guess that even on a poor year, we'd see 10 times the number of birds we're used to seeing here in Idaho. For me, at least, the "good old days" are now!

Larry's insight is always dead on and there ain't nothing wrong with going out there and not limiting out, its still a day of hunting!!!
Plus just the shear excitment of knowing there may be a bird up at every step is enough for me to go.