Opening Day of Pheasant Season

Oct 17, 2011

Last Saturday was the opening day of South Dakota's ringneck pheasant season. Bernie Hunhoff went out to the fields to capture the action.

Lee Schoenbeck, Watertown attorney and our new outdoor columnist, focuses on family traditions in South Dakota's High Holiday.

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Some 200,000 hunters will stalk the ringneck pheasants of South Dakota this year. More than half will be out-of-staters who enjoy the state's wild outdoors and the small town hospitality.
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The pheasant population approached 10 million in recent years, but two tough winters and declining habitat has taken a toll on the birds.
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Saturday's opener was picture-perfect, with temperatures in the 60s across most of South Dakota. Blue skies and a cool breeze added to the aura.
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Hunters have been harvesting about one million birds in recent years.
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The hunters enjoy a day afield, but possibly their dogs enjoy it even more.
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Sorghum plots are planted in pheasant country for the express purpose of providing greater habitat. But the shorter stalks also make it easier for hunters than a corn field.
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Nearly five million acres of state and federal lands in South Dakota are open to public hunting, including this patch near Dixon on Highway 44 in Gregory County.
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Pheasant hunting is a $250 million business in South Dakota. Many of the game lodges, like Sully Flats near the tiny community of Lucas, are located in very rural areas.
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Most of the action was afield, but hunters in the Missouri River valley also appreciated scenes like this during the weekend.