Recent content by PheasantSlough

My brother came out to South Dakota on his annual pheasant hunt. We were working across a grassy field, when my golden retriever, Gus, dove in the grass and came up with a rooster. Gus retrieved the very live rooster, and my brother said he made a nice find on the cripple. My reply, "this is no...

Kent shotshells jam in my Browning BPS. No problems with Federal or Winchester.

Roosters and hens often segregate by gender during the late season, so you have to keep after it. The "next spot", or the end of the field, or... will have a couple roosters. Go out to these same spots in the spring breeding season in the early AM, and you'll hear roosters crowing all over the...

Pheasants are wary, but their downfall is short memories. If you hunt your spots once a week, they'll have forgotten their last bad experience. Of course, there are other variables in play (weather, time of day, status of nearby crops, etc...). If you have a ton of pheasants none of this will...

USDA drought emergency freed up CRP for haying and grazing statewide. Lots of Walk-in-Areas don't have a blade of grass. Even cattails were mowed and baled for cattle forage. Conditions make for tough pheasant hunting, and the WIAs with decent cover will get pounded by hunters.

Winter Survival I live near Aberdeen, but its similar statewide in pheasant range. After the blizzard of 3/14, its total devastation of pheasant populations. Nearly all cover blown in with hard packed snow from 60mph winds, everything ice covered, no exposed fields to feed in. Worst winter...

We South Dakota residents are broken up that you're considering not joining us at all. Had a great resident-only opener, by the way.

Hunting near Aberdeen for several days. Shocked at the lack of birds, drought must have hit hard.