Category Archives: South Dakota

South Dakota Pheasant Hunting

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If you’re looking for a great South Dakota pheasant hunting lodge and a truly memorable bird hunting experience, you’ve come to the right place. GSS represents the finest outfitters in the state.

The Quarry

The common or ring-necked pheasant is one of the world’s most widespread and popular gamebirds, and can be found almost anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere as well as in Australia, New Zealand, and a few other southern locations. While it isn’t native to the United States, it has flourished here. It’s such a successful species in South Dakota that it’s become the state bird, and rightfully so—a bad year for pheasant hunting is one in which less than one million birds are bagged!

The ring-necked pheasant is extremely sexually dimorphic, making it easy to identify the colorful, trophy-worthy roosters. The have vivid iridescent feathers that are green-black on the head, red to copper on the front and sides, and light blue on the rump. Their tails are extremely long, sometimes more than two feet. Other distinguishing marks include red wattles encircling each eye and a pure white ring around the neck. The female is a dull, mottled brown and has a much shorter tail.

Roosters usually weigh about two and a half pounds, half a pound heavier than females. With the long tail included they can grow up to three feet long.

The season for hunting pheasants in South Dakota generally lasts from September or October to December or early January.

The Hunt

The outfitters GSS represents provide excellent three- or four-day hunts on thousands of acres of prime hunting land groomed specifically for pheasants. Hunting dogs and professional guides will help you flush the pheasants and give you good odds of bringing home a small mountain of roosters.

One of the main considerations with pheasant hunting is the time of year. The easiest hunts are generally right at the beginning of the season—the young roosters have never been hunted before and are not particularly skittish. As the season goes on, they learn to fear hunters and become more of a challenge. They are at their most wary around the time of the first snow. At that point they’ve gotten used to hunters but are struggling to adapt to winter conditions. Go for early season hunts for the highest success rate possible or late season for a sporting challenge. Either way, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to bag this magnificent bird.

Call Global Sporting Safaris at 888-850-4868, Extension 700 today and let us know what type of South Dakota pheasant hunting experience you are looking for. We’ll send you information on opportunities that match your goals. Our experienced outfitters are second to none and we’re happy to share personal experiences with you.

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Merriam Turkey Hunting in South Dakota

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Going on a Merriam turkey hunt is essential for anyone who wishes to complete the NWTF Grand Slam or Royal Slam, and bagging a gobbler on any South Dakota turkey hunting trip will put you one step closer to completing the U.S. Super Slams. Why not kill four birds with one stone by taking advantage of this great hunt?

The Quarry

Merriam turkeys were originally native to the Rocky Mountains, but have since spread, and can be found in at least 15 U.S. states. They have a large population and range, and hunters can rest assured that there’s little danger of losing the opportunity to hunt this magnificent bird.

The Merriam has white feathers on its lower back and on the margins of the tail feathers, similar to but less pronounced than the Goulds. Some of its body feathers are iridescent and shine bronze, purple, or blue in the light. Males are distinguished by caruncles at the base of the throat (which females lack), breast feathers with black tips (as opposed to buff-colored tips on females), and, of course, beards and spurs. However, hens sometimes grow small beards and spurs of their own. Hens also have a more distinctly-colored head than females of other turkey subspecies.

A prize male will weigh in at up to 22 pounds, with spurs as long as 1¾ inch and beards occasionally exceeding ten inches, but even the smaller 16-pounders make for a very impressive trophy. Our outfitters offer a two-bird hunt to give you better odds of getting the best gobbler possible.

The South Dakota turkey hunting season generally lasts from mid-April through mid-May. There is a lottery for shotgun hunting tags, but our outfitters can assist you with the application process, and the odds of the draw going in your favor are extremely high. The hunt lasts three days.

The Hunt

South Dakota turkey hunting trips aren’t too rough: the hunts are done mainly in fields, and the temperatures rarely fall below 40 degrees during the day. This makes it a fantastic hunt for people with nearly any level of physical fitness.

Our outfitters will provide you with experienced guides and high-quality blinds for your Merriam turkey hunt. They have a 100% success rate, so your odds of bagging a bird are extraordinarily high. From beginners to the most hardcore experts, anyone will have a great time on this trip.

Call Global Sporting Safaris at 888-850-HUNT, Ext.702 today or click one of the links and let us know what type of Merriam turkey hunt you are looking for. We’ll send you information on opportunities that match your goals. Our experienced outfitters are second to none and we’re happy to share personal experiences with you.

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Elk Hunting Forecast for 2010 by RMEF

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By NRA Staff

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has released its annual forecast of the elk population in North America. This state-by-state compilation is a must read for anyone who has an elk tag for this season or is looking for an elk hotspot for the future. Elk used to live across this continent, but, as you can see from the map below, these days you are most likely to find them in the western states and provinces.

A mild winter, spring and summer precipitation and successful habitat conservation are all breeding optimism for the upcoming hunting season for the RMEF. However, wolves are a concern in more than a few sections of elk country. According to the RMEF, elk calf survival rates are now insufficient to sustain herds for the future. The urgent need to control wolf populations is a localized wildlife management crisis now compounded by a recent court decision to return wolves to full federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.

“Generally speaking, elk populations are in great shape and hunters have much to look forward to across the West, as well as in several Midwestern and Eastern states,” said David Allen, president and CEO of the Elk Foundation.

To see these forecasts in their entirety, with links to respective elk regulations or other resources, visit http://www.rmef.org/. But, for now, we’ve compiled the condensed version into an interactive map.  Click here to view the map.


About Global Sporting Safaris, Inc. 
Global Sporting Safaris, Inc. is a Full-Service Hunting Booking Agency located in Casper, Wyoming and established in 1991. We have a staff of 7 Hunting Consultants and Fishing Travel Agents with a combined 175 years of experience.   We specialize in Africa Hunting Safaris, New Zealand Hunting and Argentina Hunting.   Global Sporting Safaris invests time, effort and financial resources in developing our hunting trips with a constant eye on the quality and professional services they offer.