South Dakota Preview – Day 4 of the Rooster Road Trip

Thursday, November 17th – South Dakota

Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 rolls into “The Pheasant Capital” that is South Dakota for the fourth day of the five-day public land pheasant hunt. It’s the 34^th day of South Dakota’s regular pheasant hunting season, and we’ll be hunting in the central to northeast part of the state.

Shooting Hours: 10AM to Sunset

Daily Limits: 3 rooster pheasants per day / 15 in possession

Pheasants Forever's Farm Bill conservation program work has led to 50,000 acres of conserved habitat in eastern South Dakota, acres that are also open for pheasant hunting.

Public Hunting Land

With state Walk-In Areas and Game Production Areas, and federal Waterfowl Production Areas, South Dakota has more than 1 million acres available to public land pheasant hunters. Despite this gaudy number, South Dakota Pheasants Forever chapters are working harder than ever to create publicly accessible, protected habitat as even South Dakota has experienced significant losses in habitat acres and a subsequent plunge in bird numbers. In addition to contributing to land acquisitions, PF chapters have helped fund Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist positions, which have led to 50,000 acres enrolled in the state-sponsored Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in the James River Valley. These acres are protecting pheasant nesting habitat and opening additional lands to upland hunters.

Nonresident Licensing

A nonresident small game hunting license is required. For $110, you are allowed to hunt two 5-day periods. In case you’ve never been to South Dakota, here’s a bit of clarification on these periods: For the first 5-day period, you will obviously select the dates of your hunt. If you aren’t sure of your second 5-day period dates, or if you’ll be back, the standard recommendation is to select the last 5-day period the calendar system will allow, the reason being you can always move your 5-day hunting periods up (earlier in season), but never back (later in season). If inclement weather or a spur-of-the-moment road trip cause plans to change, you’ll be ready. Also, if late season pheasant hunting is your thing, consider purchasing your license on or after December 15^th, as this allows you to use your first 5-day period for that particular hunting season, and your second period in the following hunting season.

Pheasants Forever’s Impact in South Dakota

Pheasants Forever Chapters: 34

Pheasants Forever Members: That is today’s Pheasants Forever trivia question on Facebook

Habitat projects completed by Pheasants Forever in SD: 17,920 projects

Total habitat acres improved by Pheasants Forever in SD: 220,688 acres

My South Dakota Memories

I’ve been visiting South Dakota for annual pheasant hunting trips since I was a teenager, almost all of them December, late-season hunts – some of the coldest days of my life, and at the same time, some of the warmest. Any self-respecting pheasant hunter owes it to themselves to visit South Dakota at least once in their lifetime . . . or perhaps once a year.

Follow Pheasants Forever’s Rooster Road Trip 2011 at www.RoosterRoadTrip.org, on Facebook , YouTube, and Twitter (#rrt11). 

Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauck.

Tags: pheasant hunting, Pheasants, pheasants forever, Rooster Road Trip, South Dakota pheasant hunting

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 17th, 2011 and is filed under Conservation, Habitat, Hunting, Pheasant Fest, Pheasants, Pheasants Forever, Rooster RoadTrip. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.