The Grasslands are heavily hunted for prairie grouse from the opener in the third week of September up to the opening of pheasant season on the third weekend in October. By the beginning of pheasant season, however, the pressure is reduced because hunters are more concerned about chasing roosters in other places.

A Llewellin setter from Texas hunted prairie chickens for the first time in South Dakota in late October on the Smith Ranch…while a visiting golden retriever from Alaska flushed and retrieved ringneck roosters.

Walk-In Areas are another opportunity for a mixed bag. Most Walk-Ins are multi-hundred, even multi-thousand acres of private land leased to the state for hunting. Access is free for any license holder. A free copy of Guide To South Dakota Walk-In Areas is available from any licensing agent.

Any Gun Dog Breed Will Do
"We certainly welcome any gun dog owners to bring whatever breed they have to hunt pheasants and grouse and to retrieve," Dick Smith said. He also recommends getting your dog prepared for long walks and fluctuating weather. Early in the season, October temperatures can range from below 30 degrees in the morning to highs over the 70s in the afternoon.

"We don't have many rattlesnakes on our ranch, probably because we don't have many prairie dogs," Smith said, "but we do have a few, so that is one hazard to always keep in mind when running a gun dog out here."

Experienced hunters in these parts of South Dakota, however, do recommend having an e-collar on any dog as a way to guard against dangerous curiosity about a coiled rattler. In addition, all dog owners should carry needle-nose pliers for pulling cactus spines or porcupine quills if encountered.

E-collars with remotely activated beepers are also recommended for keeping track of gun dogs when they disappear in heavy cover.

Degree Of Difficulty
"How hard is it to hunt on your place?" is a question some people ask Dick Smith before coming to his ranch.

"Depends on what you want to do and how you want to do it," Smith said. For hunters with their own dogs, the possibilities include riding with Smith in his pickup or following him in their own vehicles to areas on the ranch where pheasants and prairie grouse can be found close to the draws and ravines or in the sorghum patches on the place.

"We can drive right up to most spots where hunters and their dogs can get out and walk only a mile or so to find birds and get some action. Early in the season, the birds are scattered all over and as a result this kind of hunt can take up a whole afternoon," Smith said.

Another choice, for those who like to walk and have dogs in good shape, is to just go out the back door of the ranch house and head off toward any cover that looks like it would hold game.

Duck hunts also can be done either way, with dogs and hunters sneaking up on dugouts and cattail sloughs to jump shoot mallards, gadwalls, green-winged teal or wigeon that sit in or close to the cover that lines these bodies of water.