SOUTHEAST REGION HUNTER’S PARADISE 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 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. Though pheasant and deer are the most popular, hunters may find additional hunts for partridge, quail, dove, coyote and fox. Pheasant Hunters 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. September through March. Range and Habitat: Pheasants prefer agricultural fields, wooded draws, tree strips, wetlands and set-aside acres. Most of South Dakota is privately owned. Permission is required to hunt, but public lands such as Game Production Areas and Walk-In Areas offer choice habitat for pheasants. 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. PHEASANT Traditional season: Mid-October through early January. Season opens October 21, 2017. Preserve season: 228
South Dakota Vacation Guide SD Vacation Guide 2017: Page 228
