Rooster Trip in South Dakota

[Herve]

I'm planning a Pheasant Trip in South Dakota for end of October.
We are a 3 or 4 hunters team, with 5 dogs. We begin with a long trip from Quebec... We hunt in public lands (WIA, CREP) without guide, probably in the east region of Aberdeen.

My problem is to find accomodation. On the web, I find only full service hunting lodges. Do you have advice about kind of accomodation (hotel, motel, lodge...)? Is it easy with dogs?

I plan to end the trip near Pierre and the Grasslands to hunt sharp-tail grouse and other birds I have nerver seen. I have not found info about it on forums. Any idea?

[Scott Linden]

The people of South Dakota are welcoming and friendly. On the Grasslands, call and talk to a wildlife biologist. The same is true for other areas. Most towns will have hotels or motels that welcome hunters and dogs - just search Google for the area you want to visit. Aberdeen's chamber of commerce is also very helpful and populated by dog owners/hunters. You will be very late for sharpies - they will have been hunted since mid-September, so will be very hard to get close to.

Are you bringing pointers or flushers? Pheasants will run if you find them in crops; heck on a pointing dog. A flusher will excel in that situation. Remember, your 10-day non-resident license is broken into two five-day pieces; just run the dates together for a long trip; and watch the time of day you are allowed to start hunting. Good luck.

[cjhills]

If you can make motel reservations now most are full in October and November. Public land birds were down around Aberdeen last year due to drought. Good Luck Cj

[david0311]

I'm planning a Pheasant Trip in South Dakota for end of October.
We are a 3 or 4 hunters team, with 5 dogs. We begin with a long trip from Quebec... We hunt in public lands (WIA, CREP) without guide, probably in the east region of Aberdeen.

My problem is to find accomodation. On the web, I find only full service hunting lodges. Do you have advice about kind of accomodation (hotel, motel, lodge...)? Is it easy with dogs?

I plan to end the trip near Pierre and the Grasslands to hunt sharp-tail grouse and other birds I have nerver seen. I have not found info about it on forums. Any idea?

RamKota motel Aberdeen--good motel-dog friendly--

Pierre---can"t help you there--but will be guiding at full service lodge near there this year-

As previous poster said get reservations early--now not to early--some in popular areas book from year to year

[roaniecowpony]

For finding public land, the easiest way is to download the map data from the Dept of Fish and Game into a Garmin GPS. The map data has color coded the public land so you won't ever mistake private land for public land. http://gfp.sd.gov/wildlife/gps/default.asp

Check with the biologists as recommended earlier and also check the drought monitor maps to make sure you're going to an area that has not be hit by the drought. http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Aberdeen looks like it's ok.


For accomodations, I think you should be able to find a motel after the first weekend of the season.

[bigdaddy]

FYI: South Dakota requires a bill of health from a vet for your dog(s).

[Herve]

Many thanks for all your answers!
We bring English Setters. Only one knows pheasant (and she knows that it's not easy to stop these running birds!). The challenge is to discover new game species and to see how the dogs adapt to them!

I hurry to book a motel!

What is the best way to contact biologists? By the Dept of Game & Fish?

[Scott Linden]

Ramkota in Pierre also good - my dog has spent time in the bar!

[Scott Linden]

Pierre---can"t help you there--but will be guiding at full service lodge near there this year-

Where are you guiding? I spend some time in the area every year making shows.

[deke]

Scott : Are you the guy on t.v. with the wirehair named "buddy?"

[Herve]

As previous poster said get reservations early--now not to early--some in popular areas book from year to year

20 emails, a half has been answered, only 1 available. So I've booked!
And hunting is in 5 months!!!
But if everythink is already booked today, it's maybe because South-Dakota is a hunter paradise!

[roaniecowpony]

I usually hunt around Huron/Alpina on a friend's place, and have for 20 yrs off and on. But I may not go this year. It's been mediocre for a few years on his land. I'm usually the only one with dogs and there are about 15 hunters, 2/3rds of which are kids or young adults. Some of those kids have some bad gun habits with those black plastic autos they carry. I'm about burnt out on running my dogs for that many people, especially with bad gun habits. I guess I'd never make it as a dog handler for money.

[david0311]

Pierre---can"t help you there--but will be guiding at full service lodge near there this year-

Where are you guiding? I spend some time in the area every year making shows.

If that question was for david0311---will be guiding at Scatter Gun--checked out several and settled on there after looking over several operations--dc

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

I usually hunt around Huron/Alpina on a friend's place, and have for 20 yrs off and on. But I may not go this year. It's been mediocre for a few years on his land. I'm usually the only one with dogs and there are about 15 hunters, 2/3rds of which are kids or young adults. Some of those kids have some bad gun habits with those black plastic autos they carry. I'm about burnt out on running my dogs for that many people, especially with bad gun habits. I guess I'd never make it as a dog handler for money.

Small world Chuck,

One of my best friends lives and works in Alpena, SD.

We may meet up one day yet.

Nate

[cjhills]

take it easy on the dogs. hard to keep them running for that long of a hunt. Cj

[TraditionsGSPs2010]

Not sure if you have booked something for Pierre yet but Mike and Jodi at the Fort Pierre Motel are hard to beat.

[roaniecowpony]

FYI: South Dakota requires a bill of health from a vet for your dog(s).

Most states have similar laws. It's just that nobody enforces them. Even my vet said that when I asked her to give me a vet check certificate the first year I took the lab to SD. I've never had a agricultural checkpoint in any state ask for dog vet check papers. Although I've had them ask for horse vet check papers.

[Fieldwalker]

When we originally started traveling to areas that (luckily) wasn't easily researched via the internet... we actually would call local restaurants and gun/hunting shops. Most small towns still have "off the map" lodging available.

-Scott