Preseason for pheasant hunters in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — August marks the start of preseason for not only football but pheasant hunting too, with each generating plenty of excitement among South Dakotans.

Every October, an army of blaze orange-clad hunters descends on South Dakota in search of one thing.

“The ringneck pheasant is the most perfect upland game bird in the world,” pheasant hunter Dan Griffith said.

Griffith is an avid pheasant hunter.

“I try to hunt at least five days a week if I can,” Griffith said.

He’s a hunting guide.

“I’ve guided senators, vice president, governors,” Griffith said.

He’s also a dog trainer. Today, Griffith is making the rounds with Annie, and is clearly no stranger to the outdoors.

“I grew up walking the fields. I’ve lived in South Dakota 79 years, I’ve been walking the fields since I was probably eight,” he said.

If his resume wasn’t impressive enough, Griffith is a former biology teacher and knows pheasants.

“If there’s one rooster for about ten hens, you can still have good, fertile clutches of eggs,” Griffith said. “If a hen pheasant loses a nest because of a predator, she will re-nest and re-nest and re-nest up to three or four times until she has one clutch that hatches out,” Griffith added.

With fall fast approaching, pheasant chicks are now out in force exploring the countryside.

“I’ve heard that it’s a really great year, and we anticipated a good year,” Griffith said.

“Reports from the field, whether they’re from our staff, land owners, the public, they are seeing big broods, they are seeing lots of broods, so all things are pointing towards a very, very good and productive pheasant season for this fall,” South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Communications Manager Nick Harrington said.

Harrington is the communications manager with South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks, and says pheasant numbers are directly tied to the weather.

“Those early spring rains we had, everything greened up on the landscape, you had really good cover, you have good cover you’re going to have good nesting conditions, you have that continue throughout the summer months you’re going to have good brood bearing conditions,” Harrington said.

Game, Fish, and Parks doesn’t have official brood numbers, but it’s the nearly 1.25-million pheasants harvested last season that has Harrington most optimistic about this fall.

“There was still some drought conditions across the state last year, they might have seen some of that emergency haying/grazing. That’s not going on this year, the weather that we’ve had, the rains that we’ve had, the landscape looks absolutely spectacular, and that’s what leads to those really good numbers,” Harrington said.

Harrington says the number one priority for the wildlife division is habitat and access, especially when the birds are plentiful.

“What I am extremely proud to share this year is we have even more private land leased for public hunting. We are going to have 1,557,000 acres of private land available for public hunting across the state this fall,” Harrington said.

And you can’t overstate the importance of the sport in South Dakota.

“It’s who we are here. Hunting, the outdoors, it’s tradition here. The economic impact that it has in those small communities. I mean, you drive around and the orange Army comes in, right? It’s awesome to see whether you’re in Pierre or Huron, Redfield, Watertown, Sioux Falls, it’s so great to see all these people that come here,” Harrington said.

“Pheasant hunting is a great way to meet family and friends, the yearly tradition of just getting out in the field and having a good time,” Northview Bait & Tackle owner Matt Staab said.

Staab owns Northview Bait & Tackle in Sioux Falls.

“I have been hunting since I was 12-, 13-years old, it’s why I married my wife,” Staab said.

She’s from Brule County.

“We were out there a couple of weeks ago, a lot of birds running around, a lot of chicks up on the road, and it’s very encouraging to see,” Staab said.

And the hunters who stop by the store are telling a similar story.

“It’s not a ton everywhere but they’re seeing them where they haven’t seen them before,” Staab said.

Griffith says the reports bring back memories of 1963.

“My brother, my dad, and I drove one mile west, turned and drove a quarter-mile north and had our 12 roosters road hunting the opening day,” Griffith.

It’s days like that, that keep Griffith coming back season after season.

“I live for them (laugh), and I’m always optimistic and I think this will be a fine, fun year,” Griffith said.

The “Youth Only” pheasant season starts September 28th in South Dakota, followed by the “Resident Only” opener October 12th, and the “Traditional” season October 19th .

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