SoDak next fall?
 

My buddy and I are thinking about planning a trip to S. Dakota mid October. Anyone here hunt it before ? Looking at the NE corner on public walk ins wth my dog. Thanks for any info.

RE: SoDak next fall?
 

Hey there. Im from SD and live in the East Central part of the state. What info you looking for? Ive hunted up there for both ducks and deer. Lots of places to hunt. Let me know if I can help you out.

RE: SoDak next fall?
 

Well , Lake City might be the area Im looking for. I picked up a hunting atlas last spring while turkey hunting and it shows a ton of lakes and potholes along with GPAs and walk-in areas. Ive read that finding birds is not very hard there, but will probably hunt 3-4 days. A point in direction to any access areas you liked would give us a start. So many places to try. We're not sure if we want to tent out at a park in Oct.[:o] Know any motels around that allow dogs? Thanks again.

RE: SoDak next fall?
 

Ok, thats a great place to hunt ducks and geese. And yes there is a lot of ponds around there to hunt. Not sure how detailed your map is, but if its the Walk-In Atlas then that just shows the general areas. Some of the best areas Ive seen ducks are to the east of Lake City on Hwy 10. Actually SE. There is a Game Production area on the South side of the road that is big water, but some good hunting. Also some other places are near Webster. Lots of potholes around in that area. Not sure of any hotels that allow dogs. Im sure you dont want to camp out, unless you have a camper. Can get pretty cold up there at night. There are hotels in Webster and Waubay. Not sure about Lake City. Pretty small town. www.sdglaciallakes.com may be able to help you out some. That is the website of that area. If you like I can try and get some more info on the area. I do deer hunt in that area, so I know it some. Closer to next Oct, I can go up there and scout some area's out for you. That way you wont be totally blind.

RE: SoDak next fall?
 

Pale Rider, I've gone to DeSmet the last two years for waterfowl in conjunction with the pheasant opener. I'd suggest going a week or two later for several reasons. 1) lots of local ducks early, mostly gadwalls and teal, but mallard numbers and shootablility improve later. More geese later also. 2) lots of unpicked corn early. All the pheasants were in standing corn this year, nearly impossible to get 'em out. Later, with more picked, the birds are in shelter belts and around slews. Most of the walk in areas and waterfowl improvment projects have this kind of cover. I'd also strongly suggest going where the water is for ducks. Rainfall varies considerably across the state. This year, 50% of the potholes we hunted the year before were dry, the rest very low. Bad news. Your decoys are in the water, 30 yards away from the nearest cover. Your shooting suffers badly and you'll loose cripples. Also, when you have water, the bouyancy you get in chest waders allows you to wade most of the sloughs even though the bottom is mud. Without the bouyancy, it's a quagmire. I think in the future I'll go to North Dakota. You can hunt pheasants in the morning there which you can not in South Dakota. If waterfowling is a bust, as it was this year, you get two prime times a day to hunt pheasants. Just a thought. good luck!

RE: SoDak next fall?
 

I'll look into some of these places. ND could also be an option, I have'nt hunted ditch parrots in years. Guys, thanks again for your ideas.

RE: SoDak next fall?
 

I lived in South Dakota a couple years ago..in Brookings.. 20 miles east of Minnesota. Great duck hunting, even on public land.