South Dakota Celebrates a Milestone and Welcomes Hunters for This Year’s Hunting Season

October marked the beginning of hunting season in South Dakota and all hunters are welcome!

2019’s pheasant hunting season, which kicked off in mid-October of this year, will mark the second century of the pheasant hunting tradition in South Dakota. Pheasant hunting is what South Dakota is known for during hunting season. People come from all over the world to experience the pheasant hunts in the prairies of South Dakota every fall. Faulkton, South Dakota is one of the rural towns that have welcomed hunters from all over for decades and the town is excited to welcome hunters this hunting season.

The pheasant was successfully introduced into South Dakota’s diverse landscape in 1908. A decade later in 1919, the tradition of pheasant hunting began, bringing people from all over to experience the hunt. Hunting through grasslands, croplands, wetlands, and shelterbelts, pheasant hunters get to experience the beauty that South Dakota’s natural landscape offers while hunting for this iconic game bird.

South Dakota is known world-wide for their pheasant hunting, but that is not all we offer for hunters. In fact, we have a wide variety of hunting packages to choose from. We offer big game hunting packages including antelope, deer, elk, mountain goats and lions, Turkeys, Bighorn Sheep, and trophy and non-trophy buffalo. We offer small game hunting packages including crows, snipes, rabbits, mourning doves, pheasants, grouse, quail, and tree squirrels. Waterfowl hunting packages include ducks, goose, nonresident waterfowl, sandhill cranes, swans, and other waterfowl. Lastly, our varmint/predator hunting package includes beavers, bobcat, coyote, mink and weasel, muskrats, prairie dogs, and raccoons.

During hunting season rural communities open their doors to hunters from around the world, making hunting season a prime time for rural South Dakota businesses and communities. We urge hunters to take some time during their visit to enjoy the other things our beautiful state has to offer. Rural South Dakota is filled with friendly small towns like Faulkton, which is home to just under 800 people who enjoy having hunters come from all around to enjoy the small-town experience. Small towns in South Dakota are filled with friendly people who enjoy accommodating hunters from all over to help them enjoy the country atmosphere while they are here. Small-town hospitality and lodging is part of the great experience of hunting season for many hunters who travel here during hunting season.

South Dakota also opens up to hunters every hunting season, giving hunters and their families a place to stay. The R & R Pheasant Hunting LLC is a local success story. Founded by Faulkton high school graduate, Sal Roseland, turned part of his family’s ranch into a pheasant hunting operation. The Roseland family have been stewards of the land for five generations and now thanks to Sal people can come from all over to enjoy 6,000 acres of cropland and for wild pheasant hunts. While the operation started out small, it is now booming. They have even been one of the select few to be featured as a certified Cabela’s hunting destination in the world! R & R Pheasant Hunting has two newly constructed lodges for guests to stay in with meals and lodging included in the package price. To learn more about this lodge or to book a trip click here and view the hunting/lodging packages they offer.

The Faulkton Pheasant Camp, located just five miles from the town of Faulkton, is one of the most thoroughly equipped and popular places hunters choose to stay while here. The camp is located in the heart of central South Dakota and offers every type of cover in the surrounding habitat that a hunter could ask for. They offer two different hunting packages and can accommodate larger groups of hunters. When you stay at Faulkton Pheasant Camp you have access to 3200+ acres of hunting land, free use of 2 Kubota RTV’s and an F350 diesel crew cab, and rooms in the Pheasant Hunters Lodge. To learn more about Faulkton Pheasant Camp and their hunting packages click here. Faulkton is also home to three other pheasant hunting lodges, each with their own unique advantages. Bruns Outfitters, Old Dominion Outfitters & Kennels, LLC, and Pheasant Hunt Get-Away. Click here to learn more about what these lodges have to offer hunters. 

The state of South Dakota offers several educational resources for hunters who are planning on hunting in South Dakota this hunting season. This includes hunter education resources, reports and surveys, in-depth information on regulations, a hunt planner, and information on our mentorship program for the youth. Hunters are also reminded that there are possession limits, designated shooting hours, regulations, and license requirements to follow. Visit South Dakota’s game, fish, and parks website to learn more about these resources and regulations.