# Upland hunting in S.D.



## Reel em In 2

Going on an upland pheasant hunt in South Dakota. It's my first time and looking for some info on what shot to use. I will be taking both 12 and 20 guage shotguns. Thanks


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## Misdirection

When I hunt ND, I use 3" 4 shot out of my 12 gauge.

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## ckfowler

Pointing dogs, flushing dogs, no dogs? Makes a difference the distances for shots which affects size and choke needed.


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## joekacz

X2 on the Misdirection post.


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## Reel em In 2

We will have pointing dogs with us. 1 german shorthair and several pointing labs. I have 5 and 6 shot to reload with but sounds like I need to find 4 shot or does having dogs with us change that ?


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## Misdirection

I hunt with German Shorthair pointers up there. I use a Browning O/U with modified over full. Those wild birds are tough. Not like the ditch chickens they stock down here. But the locals will tell you to let them rise a Iittle before shooting. Because its soo flat up there, your shot will travel a long ways at level.

And if your taking your own dogs with you, watch out for skunks. The only thing worse that finding out your dog found a skunk is what happens shortly thereafter. 

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## privateer

shooting over a pointing dog will be closer shooting than if you are driving fields and pass shooting. shooting over a dog is like shooting skeet - i will use 6-7s and 2 3/4 shells. pass shooting is another issue and I may go to 4s and 3" mags. choke accordingly...

also, i believe that on public land SD requires steel shot. and that includes the road side ditches.


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## Southernsaug

If your booking with a guide then they'll suggest shells. If it's a do it yourself hunt then I'd go for 4 or 5 shot. What area are you going to? Most All the outfitters raise birds to release.


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## joekacz

The birds in N Dakota are not only tough but are the fastest things you'll see they bust out like quail.It definitely won't hurt to do the 3" in 4/5/6's.The wind's up there can be really howling.Just my opinion


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## privateer

joekacz said:


> The birds in N Dakota are not only tough but are the fastest things you'll see they bust out like quail.It definitely won't hurt to do the 3" in 4/5/6's.The wind's up there can be really howling.Just my opinion


Well the OP said South Dakota and we all know those birds are soft compared to those in North Dakota.  Regardless the wild birds are tough as hell and the stocked ones learn to be tough or get eaten by the coyotes, owls, hawks, dogs, cows (they are tough up there too).

There are days i would prefer some buckshot up there as joekacz says, the wind drift. but seriously the reason i like a larger shot is that they will either kill or miss at distance where as the smaller shot may bring the bird down but its off to the races then and your dogs will likely be useless trailing as those fields are so birdy that they won't find a single track as it is all a track. we used sight hunting birds to pickup cripples - hand signals or whistle like when retrieving ducks - they also need to hold the zigzag pattern within shot range or birds will just run or fly out of range. if using a pointer that really holds point, better have a gps collar and beeper on it or you may well have your dog on point until it dies - hard to find anything specific in a square mile field.

If pass shooting walking the fields, learn to shoot early and shoot often or you will not get any birds. Birds will either bolt out of range or your hunting partners will get all the kills. I can load my semiauto with the gun still at my shoulder... (so say I...) I do enjoy the rise of a bird but not much of one in SD if you want to eat it.


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## Reel em In 2

We are hunting private land with no guides. Going with someone that has hunted the area for several years. We are hunting the south eastern part of S.D.. I think around Hutchinson County. Heading to S.D. the 2nd week of the season. Hoping to be able to get some good points before the birds get smart . I would like to locate some 4 steel shot. Any idea where?


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## privateer

Reel em In 2 said:


> We are hunting private land with no guides. Going with someone that has hunted the area for several years. We are hunting the south eastern part of S.D.. I think around Hutchinson County. Heading to S.D. the 2nd week of the season. Hoping to be able to get some good points before the birds get smart . I would like to locate some 4 steel shot. Any idea where?


you may be able to just order it into Cabela's in Mitchell SD. they sell licenses and typically have all the proper amo needed. do licenses there too. however, in today's times, I would preorder and have it meet me there.


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## Upland

3" # 5 shot


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## buckeyebowman

Back when you could find wild birds in Ohio, which I guess some guys still can, but I haven't seen any in years, I switched from #6 to #5 shot. You might not think moving up one shot size would make much difference, but it did. It seemed to smack those birds quite a bit harder, and those wild birds can take some killing! 

I hope you will be hunting over pointers. My first bird dog was a Springer Spaniel, a flushing breed. When that dog hit a hot scent, I had better have my track shoes on! Nowadays we hunt over my buddy's GSP, and it is such a delight to watch good dog work!


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## Reel em In 2

We will be hunting over gsp and pointing labs.


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## supersport 170

If you stick with good quality #5or 6 shot you will be very happy with the results .


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## Searay

Public and waterfowl production areas Non-tox, Walk in areas any shot!!! Prepare yourself if everything goes well you will be addicted!!!!! I hunt with 5's or 6's 2 3/4" or 3" 20ga. over GSP some days they will hold for point other days there leaving 60yds. ahead of the dog, also when you down a bird do not get frustrated if you loose him these birds will make the best look like rookies!


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## Reel em In 2

Thanks for all the information. Waiting for a little cooler weather to start fine tuning my gsp. She is young yet, 11 months old but already well advanced for her age. 
Looking for a pay to shoot area up around Port Clinton. I spend alot of time up there during the camping season. Does anyone know where there is one near there?


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## Misdirection

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## wishingfishing

I did North Dakota last year , with pointing dogs , we shot Sharptail Grouse , Hungarian Partridge , and Pheasants with 7-1/2 shot 2-3/4 all day long with improved and modified chokes . cant remember the shot load if it was 7/8 ounce or 1 ounce off the top of my head . Practice at the range ,know your distance and youll be fine with whatever size shot you do pick. We shot wild birds which are tough . Ill be bringing the same thing to Kansas this year for quail and pheasants using a 12 and 20 gauge and most likely using my buddies 28 guage a time or two.
Im not into the ballistic end of things like my buddy so I just do what he says , lol . But he had pointed out those big loads of 3inch with 1-1/4 ounce load or more has a slower speed ( feet per second ) and can really make a differenc in the lead you put on a bird . And I have seen it personally and believ the 7/8 or 1 ounce load makes me a better shot with less lead , just saying .

Good luck and hope you have a great trip !


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## privateer

wishingfishing said:


> I did North Dakota last year , with pointing dogs , we shot Sharptail Grouse , Hungarian Partridge , and Pheasants with 7-1/2 shot 2-3/4 all day long with improved and modified chokes . cant remember the shot load if it was 7/8 ounce or 1 ounce off the top of my head . Practice at the range ,know your distance and youll be fine with whatever size shot you do pick. We shot wild birds which are tough . Ill be bringing the same thing to Kansas this year for quail and pheasants using a 12 and 20 gauge and most likely using my buddies 28 guage a time or two.
> Im not into the ballistic end of things like my buddy so I just do what he says , lol . But he had pointed out those big loads of 3inch with 1-1/4 ounce load or more has a slower speed ( feet per second ) and can really make a differenc in the lead you put on a bird . And I have seen it personally and believ the 7/8 or 1 ounce load makes me a better shot with less lead , just saying .
> 
> Good luck and hope you have a great trip !


the heavier load gives you a larger shot trail. the pattern of a shotgun is 2-dimensional on paper but at any given time T in the air, it is actually a 3-dimensional pattern. for simplicity think of it as a cylinder or a trash can flying through the air.


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## wishingfishing

Correct . But slower.


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## privateer

wishingfishing said:


> Correct . But slower.


i do quite a bit of all kinds of shotgun shooting - skeet, trap, sporting clays, birds over dogs and pass shooting. i will say that i am fairly competent at this sport and yet i have to admit that i have never really felt an advantage or disadvantage over a shot's speed but have found an advantage in the density of a pattern (more pellets) or for longer distances, heavier pellets to carry the energy further. of course, i can say that i have "felt" the difference in recoil and the larger shot payload will kick even more for any given powder load - its a physics thing... to each their own i guess - faster to target - more shot in the pattern... of course you can get both - called the 12ga 3" mag (not an advocate of the 3.5" mag for other than goose and only if you can't get your hands on an old 10ga)


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## wishingfishing

And hopefully we gave the original poster some things to consider , tight lines and tight patterns ,Lol.


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## buckeyebowman

Back in the day, shotshell manufacturers used to put the "Dram Equivalents" of the powder on the box. Nowadays they put the feet per second on the box. My favorite load is Remington high brass #5's at 1330 fps.


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## Matt D

Been out west 14 of the last 15 years. First IA and and now for the last 6 years SD. All wild birds. 2 guys with now 4 Springers. Shooting 12, 16 and 20 gauge. About any shell will work with correctly placed shot. If I had to pick 1 shot size it would be #5 and 1 choke it would be Light Modified. Again this is over flushers not pointers although if close flushing you can always let them get a little distance but if open choked and flush wild they may be on the fringe range and offer lower chances. One thing I would heavily recommend though is copper or nickel plated shot. Wild birds are tougher and soft lead will deform and not penetrate as well as plated shot. We shoot O/U's exclusively and fairly common for us to shoot #6's with IC in lower barrel and the #5 with LM choke on the second barrel. Last year we spent some time in sharptail/prairie chicken area so we loaded first barrel with 7.5's and second with 6's. Killed pheasants with the 7.5's so that's why I say about any load will work. 

SD has been extremely dry this spring and summer. Lots of concern on how the hatch will be but general consensus is it is not going to be really good in many areas. Don't take that to mean you shouldn't go as a bad year in SD will be better than just about any place else in the country and guarantee it will be better than anything in OH. I expect we will be shooting a lot of mature birds and even early in the year there won't be a ton of the young of the year "dumb" birds. The one area of the state that has had decent moisture is the SE part of the state. 

I will warn you SD is addicting. Used to think IA was good and it was back in the day but it is not SD. We now go for close to 2 weeks and bought a quarter section of land in February we enjoy it so much out there. Take lots of pics and get out early in the mornings to drive around and scout and watch the wildlife. See some amazing things before shooting hours while drinking our morning coffee. Good luck!


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## Southernsaug

My favorite pheasant gun is an O/U with IC barrel and full choke upper. I always shot 5 or 6 shot

It has been dry and hot this summer in SD and that doesn't bode well for young birds. Your also right the SE (Sioux Falls area) has been wetter. I remember talking to a rancher in 2019 about birds and he said something that stuck in my mind. He said, "I wouldn't even bother buying a license as a non-resident, the hatch was really bad this summer, Heck we never even killed 200 roosters this year on the ranch". I'm like, dude, you are certainly out of touch with the rest of the country. We were out there in Mid May this year and I saw and heard a lot of adults as they were starting to nest. My wife is going out in two weeks, but I am not going. Oh yeah, if you haven't read the earlier post, our daughter lives in Pierre and we make at least one trip a year. She says she has seen a good number of birds around Pierre.


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## captainshotgun

I have hunted Iowa & MO and from the Dakotas down into OK. Been going for 50 yrs. with Anywhere from 4 to 13 pointing dogs. If u can pick your days u can shoot a 20 with 7.5s. The higher the wind & the later the season, the heavier the shot & loads need to be. I shoot high velocity nickel plated 5s, backed up by 4s. My buds that live out there all shoot 4s except one guy in ND that shoots 5s. All of them shoot 12’s for phez. I used to go to sd twice a yr. I have hunted SD in 99 degrees & I have hunted SD in 18* below 0 with a 60 mph wind. If the wind is 20 mph or over u better shoot 4s or even bigger. In steel I would not shoot anything smaller than 2s. I wont shoot steel at all, I bought cases of heavishot when it was only about 5 dollars for a box of 10. U might get some pointed birds that flush at your feet, but u can always let them fly farther before u shoot. If you load up too light, those birds that flush at farther distances cannot be killed. I most hunt ks & southern nb now. If u think sd phez are hard to kill try to kill those ks birds in january that are born a month earlier than dakota birds. Have fun!!!


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## privateer

captainshotgun said:


> I have hunted Iowa & MO and from the Dakotas down into OK. Been going for 50 yrs. with Anywhere from 4 to 13 pointing dogs. If u can pick your days u can shoot a 20 with 7.5s. The higher the wind & the later the season, the heavier the shot & loads need to be. I shoot high velocity nickel plated 5s, backed up by 4s. My buds that live out there all shoot 4s except one guy in ND that shoots 5s. All of them shoot 12’s for phez. I used to go to sd twice a yr. I have hunted SD in 99 degrees & I have hunted SD in 18* below 0 with a 60 mph wind. If the wind is 20 mph or over u better shoot 4s or even bigger. In steel I would not shoot anything smaller than 2s. I wont shoot steel at all, I bought cases of heavishot when it was only about 5 dollars for a box of 10. U might get some pointed birds that flush at your feet, but u can always let them fly farther before u shoot. If you load up too light, those birds that flush at farther distances cannot be killed. I most hunt ks & southern nb now. If u think sd phez are hard to kill try to kill those ks birds in january that are born a month earlier than dakota birds. Have fun!!!


dang, take me, take me...


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## Reel em In 2

Opening day of the pheasant season is the 16th of October and we are hunting the 23rd thru the 28th of October. Hoping by going early in the season the birds won't be so spooky . My german shorthair will be a little over a year of age so the more points the better. Also hoping 5 shot will be good because it is early season.


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## Matt D

Reel em In 2 said:


> Opening day of the pheasant season is the 16th of October and we are hunting the 23rd thru the 28th of October. Hoping by going early in the season the birds won't be so spooky . My german shorthair will be a little over a year of age so the more points the better. Also hoping 5 shot will be good because it is early season.


Agree that the bird exposure will be great for your young dog. 5's will be fine, better if they are copper or nickel plated. Would expect birds will be somewhat jumpy but all depends on how hard they have been hunted that first week. No matter what it will be a blast I bet. We leave 9 weeks from tomorrow, not that I'm counting.


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## Chillaxin1

17 days until we leave for Chamberlin. Hunting with rooster ridge lodge. Our first trip out there and we opted for the all inclusive deal. 7 guys fully guided, all meals provided and a cabin on the Missouri River. I’m taking a 28 with #5’s a 20 with 1-1/4 #5’s and 1oz#6’s a 12 with 1-1/4#5’s. All fiochi golden pheasants. I plan to start small and work up if needed. Can’t wait. Will add my .02$ on what was sufficient when I get back. Good luck.


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## PapawSmith

Chillaxin1 said:


> 17 days until we leave for Chamberlin. Hunting with rooster ridge lodge. Our first trip out there and we opted for the all inclusive deal. 7 guys fully guided, all meals provided and a cabin on the Missouri River. I’m taking a 28 with #5’s a 20 with 1-1/4 #5’s and 1oz#6’s a 12 with 1-1/4#5’s. All fiochi golden pheasants. I plan to start small and work up if needed. Can’t wait. Will add my .02$ on what was sufficient when I get back. Good luck.
> 
> I have a few really nice .410’s if you need to borrow a light, quick, quiet killer. I do the the same, 28’s and 20’s, I don’t even own a 12 bird gun and I’ve been killing birds efficiently for 50 years. I do keep a couple sweet little 16’s around just in case pterodactyl’s ever make a comeback.
> 
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## Chillaxin1

Ya the 12 is just in case their dogs are flushing at distance consistently. I got a lever action 410 I just wasn’t able to find loads for it. The lighter the better for me to.


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## Southernsaug

Chamberlin is a nice area. You may want to throw in a fishing pole, there's Some decent Walleye fishing if you catch them right. I know they had a drought this year, but my daughter says she has seen more young pheasants this year.


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## Reel em In 2

We are heading to Freeman SD on the 20th of October. Looking forward to hear what worked best for you. I'm taking a 20 and 12 to hunt with.
I was able to find enough ammo in 12 guage in 4, 5 and 6. Having difficulty finding 4 and 5 in 20 guage. Any info to locate would be helpful. 
I'm located near Cincinnati.
Have a great hunt.


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## wormwigglr

I have never hunted South Dakota until this year, I am hunting there from the Oct. 23-30. It was suppose to be my dad and I but COVID took its tolls on him and he was hospitalized for awhile. So now I’m going solo with my two Brittanys and we will be in Aberdeen and redfield.


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## Chillaxin1

Be safe and good luck. 


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## Reel em In 2

Hope your dad gets better soon Good luck on your trip. Lets us know how you did. The farmer reached out and said the corn is almost all off in the area we are hunting(Freeman S.D.). He also said he saw alot if birds as well.


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## ruffhunter

Reel em In 2 said:


> We are heading to Freeman SD on the 20th of October. Looking forward to hear what worked best for you. I'm taking a 20 and 12 to hunt with.
> I was able to find enough ammo in 12 guage in 4, 5 and 6. Having difficulty finding 4 and 5 in 20 guage. Any info to locate would be helpful.
> I'm located near Cincinnati.
> Have a great hunt.


Hunting shotshells have been hard to find in 20 or smaller. I feel lucky to have found a box of 20 gauge fiocchi golden pheasant #5 at a closing gander. They did away with all hunting. Plus got a box in winchester #5 at my walmart. I just keep checking walmart and some other places and buy a box here and there, to stock for next year. Take a day here and there and plan driving loops in surrounding counties and hit mom and pop gun shops, vances and select box stores. I had a hard time finding 7/7.5s for a trip and managed a couple herters 7.5 and kent 7 steel. The steel surprising patterned the best.


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## Reel em In 2

Thanks for the info. I was able to find some shells in 12 and 20 guage. Yes you are right that mom and pop stores have some ammo. I found mine heading to Lake Erie at Cherry Outdoors and Happy Hooker Outdoors. I found 4,5,and 6 shot. I would definitely call before making a trip.


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## Chillaxin1

Day 1 is in the books. 38 degrees 30 mph wind and rain in Chamberlin, SD. Little chilly but what a day. Hit the field a little after 10 am and it started 2 minutes in to the hunt. We missed some but we got our 28 birds in 2.5 hours. I actually seen more birds today than I have in my entire life . 2 more days of hunting ahead of us. Ray and his labs are very hard workers. These birds are amazingly tough out here. 


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## Chillaxin1

Well what a trip. We ended with 90 birds in 3 days. I am sold on the 20 guage 1-1/4 #5’s 3” shells. They were just as lethal as the guys big heavy 12 guage loads. The 28 guage actually impressed me to. I was using a modified in the 28 and it was sufficient. We did have amazing dogs that would catch a bird on the first bounce. Next trip I won’t even take a 12 guage. We had a great time at Thunderstick Lodge. Great service and experience. Thanks 


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## Misdirection

Did you take your own dogs, or use the lodge / guides dogs?

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## Chillaxin1

Lodge dogs. They were all flushing labs but the one would point and then flush his birds. Was neat to watch. I just picked up my Brittany Monday .


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## wormwigglr

I hunted solo with my two Brittanys on public ground around Aberdeen. We had the chance to limit everyday but only got pics of some the birds. It was hard hunting with the drought and the farmers mowed off most walk-in areas and the ditches but we put in the miles and found them


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## Reel em In 2

We hunted hard and put in many miles and did alright. The private land also had everything mowed down. Cover was thin. We found most of our birds in the cover around the cut corn We put up more hens than roosters. I very pleased with how my shorthair preformed. The other dogs we brought did very well also (pointing labs and golden retrievers).
Great trip and looking forward to future hunts.


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