Most pheasant hunting farms in South Dakota cultivate big tracts of habitat to support large ringneck populations.

“Some of our clients at first insist on wild birds only but in nearly every case they can’t tell the raised roosters from the wild ones. And pretty soon they don’t care because all the birds fly the same and give them the hunting fun they are after,” this outfitter points out.

“I’m 68 years old and I’ve worked hard enough and lived long enough so that I want to have good hunting when I go on a trip to South Dakota for pheasants. And I’m willing to pay some extra dollars for a quality experience that includes lots of good flying birds, a good place to sleep, good food to eat, and a good chance to walk the fields with fun people.” Those are the reasons Ron Willet, a retired hardware store owner from Miami, Florida, keeps returning to South Dakota.

When Willet first came to South Dakota 30 years ago, he hunted pheasants mostly for free on public land and private property. “The roosters were usually plentiful but tough to get, sometimes taking a whole day of hard hunting to shoot a limit for three or four guys,” he remembers. “But we were young, strong, and eager then, with hard-charging Labradors, German shorthairs, and springer spaniels that could go pretty well for three or four days.”

Conclusion
Consistency is one of the main attractions at most commercial pheasant hunting businesses in South Dakota. A consistent number of pheasants is one factor that makes these places popular and successful. “We cultivate our farm for pheasants and grow the birds as a crop just like corn, soybeans, wheat, or sorghum,” one pheasant hunting farm owner says. “And we provide nesting cover, roosting and resting areas, and fields with wild prairie grasses and wind breaking tree belts for protection during winter blizzards. So, even in the worst weather conditions, we will consistently have pheasants for hunting.”