16ga.com ~ View topic - 100 years of pheasant hunting in South Dakota

South Dakota is celebrating 100 years of pheasant hunting this year and have some hunts and other goodies they are giving away. I thought you guys might be interested.

http://www.travelsd.com/thingstodo/hunting/

Member Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 48 Location: NJ

I have been hunting pheasants in SD for only 3 years and I will be there opening week this year. I wish I would have discovered the joys of SD 25 years ago. Great country, great people, great hunting......I am counting the days.

Member Joined: 06 Nov 2005 Posts: 328

Lots of birds. But, I feel I am a dinosaur. I can remember when a knock on a door would get you permission to hunt. Doesn't happen much now days.

I have lived in SD all my life - save for the years I gave to uncle Sam. I grew up on a farm here and some of my fondest childhood memories are of hunting with my dad and uncles and the people who showed up on the farm looking for a place to hunt.

Hunting has become a business around here for a lot of people. It has changed the value of the land, for sure. People now buy land with the sole intention of leasing out the hunting rights or figure in charging X dollars a gun during the pheasant season. I know it has happened to the farm where I grew up. I can't hunt there anymore either. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but I have a hard time finding fault with anyone who tries to maximize the revenue they can generate from their property or business - especially when hunting increases the cost of the property to begin with. It's just the way it is, it doesn't speak to the other qualities of the landowners.

I feel your pain 3crosses, somewhere something good and important was lost, but we do live in a different world these days. I think we need to join side by side and enjoy what we still have.

I'm counting the days as well....