Gun Dog Forum

If the weather is okay, what are your thoughts on hunting either of these states in December on public WIHA's?

South Dakota is ridiculous in December. Hunt sloughs when it's cold and yoy will see so many birds, you will never hunt any other time of the year.

Many do, and I have, but the weather can change so quickly I am not comfortable traveling long distances to do so. Weather prediction is a little more accurate today, so if I were younger I might try it.

I used to hunt the Sand Lake Refuge after the last rifle deer season in mid December. Thousands of acres of cattails. Birds are down now but coming back. Getting to old to go alone and it is hard to find anybody who will go more than once. But some years there are tons of bird. Generally weather is pretty good. Sometimes really good but you need to keep up on the forecasts and do not take chances. A blizzard on the prairies can be deadly.
If you buy your 2015 license after the about 20th of Dec. you can use the second 5 days in 2016.............CJ

Kansas is good in December too. I have only been in South Dakota in October. If you like quail there is a great chance you will find some of those this year in KS too.

Depending on when in December you plan to come weather can be a real bummer in SD. We can get a lot of snow even in November. I've seen Decembers where my hunting was done by mid month because there was so much snow you either couldn't walk in the fields or even get to the fields. Plus, temps can dip below zero with 30 mph winds. It's just no fun hunting in those conditions. On the other side, we can have temps in the 40's and 50's in December with not much snow. If you plan on SD watch the weather forecasts closely. Last winter we didn't have a lot of snow and from what I've heard this coming winter is suppose to be quite mild. Weather conditions can change rapidly out here, BE PREPARED.

First trip out last year (SD) - mid November and we watched the weather literally blow in as the sun was fading on our first evening, it was nothing less than glorious.

Rest of the trip was 30 mph winds give or take with snow and below zero temps. We had a blast and there are some real benefits to hunting in those conditions along with dangers as others mentioned. I've read many enjoy late season, I get it.

Caution around water turned ice is a must.

Make sure your gas tank is full along with a fully charged cell phone every morning and don't forget a shovel & a tow strap. Local police stations or fire stations are a good resource to find help (they can tell you who to call).

There are signs warning against traveling on unmanaged roads - pay attention to this and if you do not have 4-wheel drive ~ don't even think about it!

Pay mind to how far you are from the truck..for the human the trick is to simply wear clothing that keeps the wind off of your skin along with good boots. On the way back to the truck, let the dog parallel you along the road(s) in hunting mode to keep him or her out of the cold wind - not the time to heel the dog up on the road fully exposed doddeling along. Fully cleared fields can be just as dangerous for pup after a long day.

Remote start for your vehicle is nice.

Good luck and pay mind to the dangers b/c they are very real & can become very sobering in a hurry.

Living in Missouri, I have fairly easy access to both SD and KS. SD has by far more birds than does KS, although with a good dog and a little luck, limits can be taken in both states. I personally would focus my time on SD, just because the numbers are higher. Do your homework and be prepared for anything for yourself, your dogs, and your vehicle. Same for KS, December in KS can turn deadly quickly and I-70 can be shutdown, so regardless of where you go, be prepared.

One little secret is North Dakota, in that state you can hunt anywhere not fenced, or clearly marked without permission! And most of the state is wide open! The population of pheasant and other game birds is very good....but the weather can get nasty, as above be careful and prepared.

Good Hunting

Weather. I've hunted mid-November in 80 degree weather one day and 40 the next. Last year we were out waterfowl in ND and on the way back, about mid-Nov. I got caught in that storm that hit Mn. From St. Cloud to Hudson it was 25mph in 4wd on the four lane. Wind. That wind can kill you on the prairie. Always wear a large Bandana so you can cover your mouth and protect your lungs. Roads. Always have a full tank of gas and a long tow strap. If they look bad, don't go there. You could have a looooooong and very deadly walk to find help. Ain't much traffic in ND or SD in Dec.

Good thing is, the birds only have a few places to be and those are heavy fence rows, dense CRP or cattails. It's a ball if you hit the weather right.

Might check deer season dates........some folks balk at hunting during that period.

I have pheasant hunted both Iowa and Kansas during their deer gun season with no worries or incidents at all...and hopefully will again.
But, we are all very different.

Mountaineer wrote:Might check deer season dates........some folks balk at hunting during that period.

I have pheasant hunted both Iowa and Kansas during their deer gun season with no worries or incidents at all...and hopefully will again.
But, we are all very different.

Thanks, others off line have noted the same. It looks like to me that deer season (firearms) is largely over by December 1 in SD for the most part. I still have to check Kansas.

Hotchkiss wrote:

Mountaineer wrote:Might check deer season dates........some folks balk at hunting during that period.

I have pheasant hunted both Iowa and Kansas during their deer gun season with no worries or incidents at all...and hopefully will again.
But, we are all very different.

Thanks, others off line have noted the same. It looks like to me that deer season (firearms) is largely over by December 1 in SD for the most part. I still have to check Kansas.

Don't worry about the deer hunters. The majority hunt weekends. Others will be out at sunrise and out of the fields before 10:00 AM when you can hunt pheasants. FYI, you won't find many deer hunters walking the fields in SD. If they can't get there with their pickup they tend not to go. But you will see where they have driven their pickup along tree lines and around the edges of weed patches and sloughs.

Not sure why you hopscotched over Nebraska, but the same advice applies. Lots of good areas to consider.

Neil wrote:Not sure why you hopscotched over Nebraska, but the same advice applies. Lots of good areas to consider.

LOL - very good question! Probably because I was really wanting to go before late November or December and still not thinking clearly. What can you tell me about Nebraska?

All three states have excellent hunting, on private land, their form of Walk In (leased private land), and state/federal land. I have hunted all three and enjoy all three. They want you to come and each will send you an atlas of Walk In and public land for free, the private land requires some leg work.

I really can't help you make the decision on which one would be best for you.

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I really can't help you make the decision on which one would be best for you.[/quote]


No problem, I appreciate you reminding me about Nebraska. I will eventually try all three and let God, the dogs and the biirds sort it out!

I have hunted both, I have hunted the last week of pheasant season in south Dakota the last 10 years!! the weather has been great or been really bad ( by bad 16" of snow & -12 below zero actual air temp with very strong winds) but we have fun the best was a few years ago & it was in the 50 the whole time we were there.... KANSAS on the other hand (Stockton KS) we was there last year mid December the WIHA were well hunted lotsa spent shells & very few birds!! however we asked permission to hunt some private land after the first 3 days of the trip & got into pheasants & quail both!! IF it was me I would go to south Dakota tho all the other posters here are right bout the weather changes they happen FAST.. our group was snowed in for 3 days in a bunk house of the ranch we hunt a few years ago. so make sure you have a supply of food & water for yourself as well as for you dog..& a bottle of Woodford Reserve don't hurt either. good luck with either choice

I live in NoDak and yes the weather can change fast.

South Dakota does have more birds.....but land access in North Dakota is much better.

Deer rifle season in ND is done Nov 22nd. Muzzle Loader and Bow is still open later. Not 100% sure on SD Deer season.

For me personally once everything freezes up and we get some snow the season starts. Number of people hunting drops dramatically. Best time of the year!!

This picture was taken last season after a day of hunting in 5 degrees and 20 mph winds......

Sorry, Coach, I just don't hate pheasants enough to go through that.

Neil wrote:Sorry, Coach, I just don't hate pheasants enough to go through that.

I agree most of the time. Sometimes you just have to play with the cards you are dealt. I had a crew here from out of state.........so we made the best of it. Tried to stay out of the wind if possible, only did shorter walks and just toughed it out. We got birds and it was better than sitting in the house.

Coach,

Proud to know someone with that kind of dedication.

I'm going to Kansas in November to hopefully avoid too terrible of weather. I can give you a report on the walk in land we go to if you remind me

Not sure how accurate this is but it's on the internet so it's gotta be true....right?

https://www.pheasantsforever.org/BlogLa ... sants.aspx

Well if you could take off enough time you could put together the mother of all road trips starting about now and ending around New Years!!!!

808allday wrote:I'm going to Kansas in November to hopefully avoid too terrible of weather. I can give you a report on the walk in land we go to if you remind me

please do!! im planning to go out to Stockton KS the week before xmas if things work out good with my work schedule!!!

Hey man, as I promised I wanted to leave you with a scouting report. Keep in mind that I hunted only public land. I'm really glad we did a paid hunt first because it was a frustrating couple of days for our group. All of the land north of hays was a barren wasteland
I covered a lot of the state looking for good public land. Most field are stubble of milo, too small for cover, the rest was milo fields where they had actually baled up the stubble and left the groumd bare. After talking with locals we headed to greensburg, which is one of two places we found birds. Up in liebenthal and lacrosse area. In total we found 2 roosters and a covey of about 10 quail. Most of the public land has been absolutely hammered and there isn't much left of a small population. If I were you I would drive on through and hit the dakotas. My dog is top notch and we walked the better part of 3000+ acres, there just weren't many birds.

808allday wrote:Hey man, as I promised I wanted to leave you with a scouting report. Keep in mind that I hunted only public land. I'm really glad we did a paid hunt first because it was a frustrating couple of days for our group. All of the land north of hays was a barren wasteland
I covered a lot of the state looking for good public land. Most field are stubble of milo, too small for cover, the rest was milo fields where they had actually baled up the stubble and left the groumd bare. After talking with locals we headed to greensburg, which is one of two places we found birds. Up in liebenthal and lacrosse area. In total we found 2 roosters and a covey of about 10 quail. Most of the public land has been absolutely hammered and there isn't much left of a small population. If I were you I would drive on through and hit the dakotas. My dog is top notch and we walked the better part of 3000+ acres, there just weren't many birds.

thank you for the report!! that's what we ran into last fall also, thought it was just where we was at!! we have changed plans & are headed to south Dakota the first week in December now.. I have 2 very good shorthairs & 2 that are on their way to being better than most & we killed 4 roosters & 6 quail last year in kansas but it was few & FAR between the birds!!!! I always find our limit in SD

Let me know how you do and what land you decide to hunt on. I'm already planning a trip to ND or SD next season. I'll end up shooting more birds in a weekend in lubbock than in Kansas lol. So I want to do it right next year

We were in SD on Opening Day and our intentions were to hunt Public Land, WIA etc.

Three days of hunting, wild birds flushing 80-100 yards out with good experienced dogs that have been there before and two birds. BTW, we didn't miss one day I didn't even pull the trigger.

I called friends and landowners that we had hunted before for days four - seven on one day we limited in 57 minutes.

The numbers are still down, not as bad as '13 but still way down.

Birds are jumpy this year, like Mexican said. I ran my dogs a few days before season started in our short grass field and birds were jumping 200 yards away in our CRP.

Thought about leasing some land in Kansas. From Lubbock and brand new to pointing dogs have 2 young GSP that I am training. Thought we had a pointing club in Lubbock but the number and email were not current. Any information would be great.

I hunt SD every December or January for the last weekend when possible.I like when the cattails are froze and only the diehard hunters are left.