Top 10 North American Hunts: #10 – South Dakota Pheasants

Pheasant hunting drahthaar

If a South Dakota pheasant hunt isn’t on your bucket list, it should be. After all, it didn’t earn a reputation as the “Pheasant Capitol of the World” for nothing. Whether you’re hunting endless cornfields or brushy CRP, ring-necked pheasants are extremely prevalent in The Mount Rushmore State.

Admittedly, you can find shooting preserves in just about any state and shoot liberated birds all day long. South Dakota has those, too – quite a few, actually! But what South Dakota offers compared to other states is an unprecedented amount of wild roosters.

If you’re willing to brave the cold late-season temperatures, you can have opportunities to flush hundreds of wild birds a day, as the cold weather pushes them to group together to stay warm.

Pointer with pheasant

If you’re a do-it-yourself hunter, you can take advantage of more than 5 million acres of public and private land that has been leased for public hunting in South Dakota. Download the state land maps to load into your Garmin handheld GPS, Astro or Alpha to make sure you don’t venture onto private property.

Whether you’re an avid upland bird hunter or a beginner, a trip to South Dakota for the pheasant hunt of a lifetime is something you won’t regret.

Tune in next Tuesday when we continue our series on our Top 10 North American Hunts.

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