Blaze orange is back in style

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The pheasant hunting opener is only days away for South Dakota residents, and this is shaping up to be a historic season.

October is a time for pheasant hunting in South Dakota.

“We will see the fields turn orange, the streets turn orange, the orange Army is on the way to South Dakota,” South Dakota GF&P Communications Manager Nick Harrington said.

Nick Harrington is the communications manager for Game, Fish, & Parks and says pheasant numbers are solid despite a dry end to summer.

“The bird numbers are still going to be good, the hunting’s still going to be good, if anything that’s making harvest occur faster which is good,” Harrington said.

“The last few years, it’s been so darn wet that they haven’t been able to get into the field, so you’ve got all this corn standing. When you’ve got 300 acres of corn it’s pretty tough to hunt it because the roosters are just running everywhere,” avid hunter Jim Severson said.

Jim Severson is a retired law enforcement officer and avid hunter.

“I drove down to south-central South Dakota last week and I saw a lot of birds between here and there,” Severson said.

Severson will be 70 years old in November and spent last weekend at a hunting preserve near Dallas, South Dakota. He’s looking forward to next week’s traditional opener, not for the pheasants, but to hunt alongside his youngest grandson.

“He’s 12 years old, he just passed his gun safety course this summer and it’s been fun just watching him enjoy it,” Severson said.

Harrington says hunters of all ages need to be aware of the extremely dry conditions and potential fire hazards.

“Make sure you’re not parking on dry vegetation, make sure you’re extinguishing cigarettes, make sure you don’t have any chains or anything dragging along the roadways that could start a fire,” Harrington said.

With safety in mind, get out and enjoy yourself.

“This is what we live for here in South Dakota. This is why a lot of us live in this state and what we love to do this time of year,” Harrington said.

The resident-only pheasant season in South Dakota begins this Saturday, and runs through Monday, followed by the traditional opener on Saturday, October 19th.

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