Pheasant Hunting Season in South Dakota
Millions of dollars are invested in South Dakota for the pheasant hunting season, with last year's season seeing the most birds harvested in a decade.
According to Nick Harrington, spokesman for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, the success of the pheasant season depends largely on the brooding season, which occurs in spring and early summer.
“We had that mild winter, so we know there were a lot of birds left on the landscape. When you have those tough winters, that's when we aren't set up just as perfectly,”
Harrington said. The numbers have been steadily increasing since 2017, with other popular small game like prairie grouse also seeing their highest numbers in 25 years.
This year's pheasant season, which runs from October 31, has the potential to be just as successful, with more birds harvested in South Dakota over two weeks of October 2024 than in any other state's entire season.
Author's summary: South Dakota's pheasant hunting season expects high numbers.