2021-01-20 10:20:33
Stop on any country road and you’re in a Our state bird, the Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant, thrives in the habitat provided by Southeast South Dakota’s landscape. Thousands of hunters descend upon the southeast region of the state in the fall for their chance at the wily pheasant. Southeast South Dakota towns are just waiting to host your hunting trip. Hotels and restaurants gear up for the season with special menus and friendly people to make your stay enjoyable. Hunting guides and outfitters are equipped to make your hunt successful and enjoyable. Hunting is a year-round sport in southeast South Dakota. Small game, waterfowl and big game dominate the fall hunting seasons. Predator hunting fills the winter months, and spring signals the start of turkey hunting. The avid hunter will find South Dakota a virtual hunter’s paradise. PHEASANT Traditional season: Mid-October through early January. Season opens October 16, 2021. Preserve season: September through March. Range and Habitat: Pheasants prefer agricultural fields, wooded draws, tree strips, wetlands and set-aside acres. Much of South Dakota pheasant hunting takes place on privately owned land and permission is required to hunt there. Public lands such as Game Production Areas and Walk-In Areas also offer choice habitat for pheasants. These areas are managed for wildlife, however the amount and quality of winter cover varies among them. The best bet is to look for tracts that have wide shelterbelts or terrain that provides protection from the wind. Early in the season, pheasants are scattered in small flocks, but winter’s fury pushes birds into heavy cover and concentrates them. Tree strips, cattail sloughs and dense weed patches hold pheasants this time of year. Search for small, out-of-the-way pockets that may have escaped the hunting pressure of large groups. Small sloughs, plum thickets or even fence line vegetation hold pheasants. Prepare for the weather. Fall weather conditions range from 70 degrees to below zero wind chill. DUCKS Traditional Season: Late September to December. Range and Habitat: More than 15 million ducks migrate annually through South Dakota. They include mallards, gadwall, pintails and teal. The migration peaks in mid-November along the Missouri River. Plan early since nonresident waterfowl licenses are limited and issued by lottery drawing. Decoy placement can spell success or failure for your hunt. Group species accordingly and leave landing pockets for optimum shooting opportunities. Incorporate both ducks and geese into your decoy spread as confidence builders and in case either species pass by. GOOSE Canada Goose Season: September to December (November to mid February in some areas). Light Goose: Spring - Mid February to early May. Fall - Late September to mid January. Range and Habitat: The Missouri River corridor is the main route for more than 400,000 migrating Canada geese, and eastern South Dakota attracts 350,000 snow and blue migrants. EAST RIVER DEER Traditional Season: Firearm, mid-late November to early December. Archery, September to early-January. Range and Habitat: East of the Missouri River, deer hunters will find crops such as corn, oats, wheat, sunflowers and soybeans attracting the whitetail deer population. Mule deer hunting is limited to counties bordering the Missouri River. Rolling pastures, tree strips, river bottoms and cattail sloughs provide escape cover. PRAIRIE TURKEY Traditional Season: Spring firearm and archery, April to mid- May. Fall prairie turkey, November through January. Range and Habitat: In the eastern portion of the state, turkeys prefer the woods and brushy hillsides of rivers, as well as tree belts. FOR DISABLED HUNTERS A Reduced Fee Hunting and Fishing License is available for persons with total disability and for disabled vets. A Disabled Hunter Permit authorizes a qualifying disabled hunter to lawfully shoot game animals from a stationary motor vehicle. You can find applications for these on www.gfp.sd.gov. For hunting regulations, license fees, maps and applications visit www.gfp.sd.gov
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