South Dakota Pheasants

[Jeff S]

Our shooting director, Daryl had an exceptionally good day shooting one of his favorite guns. It’s a 16 ga. Sterlingworth Deluxe. Nice shooting Daryl.

[44whiskey]

i have never hunted anything with a group of old codgers that shooting started later than half hour before sunrise.this usually meant someone was clanging around in the galley before 4 am. coffee ,breakfast , stories and a smoke were shared before the crack of dawn, this was as enjoyable as the hunt its self. just curious ,what time do you fellas get stirring when shooting starts so late? ps what is the reason shooting doesn't start till 10? thanks fred

[Jeff S]

Well…. I would say that most of us get up about 7:00 a.m. That’s not what you would consider early, but well before shooting hours. The first time I came out here, shooting hours began at noon. Why does the State of South Dakota have these late hours? I have no idea. One theory is that visitors can have a nice breakfast at the local diner. Or, perhaps it has something to do with the pheasants themselves. Maybe someone more knowledgeable will chime in.

I just checked with a South Dakota native. I was told, “because we’ve always done it that way.”

[Foxnut]

It is my understanding that SD has the 10:00 a.m. start purely for economic reasons. All other upland hunting (Sharptails, Huns, etc.) starts at normal/early times. As Jeff mentioned the local businesses get a lot of revenue from the groups of hunters going out for breakfast, gassing up, and spending money at the local stores both before and after the hunt. SD has worked hard to maintain their place as the Pheasant capital and they have made it an economic boom for many!!

Fred, it is a little unusual as far as what you do of a morning, especially with dogs. Our gang usually still gets up about 6-6:30, feeds and take care of the dogs and then has some coffee before heading to one of the local restaurants for a good breakfast and chatter with the locals. We’ve been going to the same area for several years and have gotten to know several of the town residents and local ranchers/farmers.

[Jeff S]

Stan Hoover made a nice long shot with his 32” 20 ga. Ithaca.

[DarylC]

Well, I guess it's true. "A fox gets the game". One of my favorite birds guns out here is my 16ga. SW Deluxe, only second to my trusty 20ga SW with 30" tubes.