Help in Planning Fall 2011 Hunt

[bossman]

Need advice from the group. Wife and I are planning to take off about 10 days in the Fall. Going to start in NW Nebraska/SW South Dakota for 3-4 days. Would like to find a second location as we work our way back to Texas. Looking for a guide service for "wild" birds that provides guided, self-guided or both. Would actually prefer to be on our own for lodging and meals, but willing to look a "package" deals as long as good possibility of getting into birds (pheasant, grouse, quail or any combination). Just looking for good people and a chance to work the dogs and relax my old legs at the end of the day. Realize can't be guaranteed birds. Would appreciate any information that might point us in the right direction. Thanks.

[Dakota Swede]

You may want to check our website out. We are in SE South Dakota about 15 miles north of I-90. We have wild pheasants and a farmhouse you and your wife could have to yourselves. My family has been doing this since 1957.

Check us out at www.SkoglundFarm.com

Good luck in your search.

[windswept]

Do a little research on brood counts with South Dakota Game Fish and Parks and you will come up with a better plan on where in SD you want to hunt. SW would not be the place. The pheasants are in central SD as well as a few other nice pockets such as the Aberdeen area in the NE.
Good luck and PM me if you are hitting dead ends and I'll try and point you in the right direction.

[RoostersMom]

Take a look into Western Kansas on your way back home. Great bird numbers (both quail and pheasant) this past year. Call the PF biologist out of western Kansas and see if he has an area to recommend. His name is Jim Schweitzer. www.pheasantsforever.org.

[Nhuskr]

I grew up in NW Nebraska. The pheasant hunting is better there than here in Missouri, but won't be as good as Aberdeen, SD. NW Nebraska is beautiful country, being situated along the Pine Ridge. Towns are somewhat few and far between; I would recommend staying in Valentine (more north central, but a nice place to base out of), Chadron, or Crawford at Fort Robinson. All these towns are along Highway 20. Alliance is 60 miles south of Chadron on Highways 385 and 2 Scottsbluff/Gering is the largest "city" in NW Nebraska and is 100 miles southwest of Chadron.

In SW SD you're best bet is to stay in either Rapid City, 100 miles north of Chadron, or Hot Springs, 45 miles north of Chadron. Obviously, this is if you're going to go it on your own and not stay at a lodge. I'm not familiar with any of the guide services, as I think it is a fairly new thing in that neck of the woods (last 20 years or so), so can't recommend any of these, but did find some links you can check out.

http://sandhillshighcountry.com/

http://www.nebrsites.com/doublecreek/

http://www.nebraskahighcountry.com/ This one has multiple links to private hunting opportunities; should be enough to get you started.

My son just said it sounds like I'm writing a tourism brochure. :roll: I just miss it so much; at least I get to go back and visit my parents once in a while.

Editing to say that the Pine Ridge is much more of a turkey hunting haven than it is for pheasant.

Cheryl

[bossman]

Cheryl..Thanks for the detailed information. For the first leg of the trip, we would be staying in Gordon. East of Chardon with a guy that comes recommended by someone we know. We would actually drive across the South Dakoka boarder to hunt. The guy says he has good numbers of pheasants and usually gets into some sharptails. He owns the land. But after two really disappointing seasons in North Texas, willing to do what it takes to get the dogs into some birds. So really do appreciate any additional idea's for a second or third stop..Thanks to all that have given suggestions so far!!! I guess once you get north of 60 (years), seeing the dogs work birds, while always a priority, moves WAY up on the ol "bucket list"