2014 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Report

2014 was a GREAT Year at Ringnecks!

This last year we added 3 new team members to the Ringnecks’ staff.  There was Adam, who is a full-time, dog trainer.  Adam brought a lot of passion with him, and he did an awesome job with the dogs and guiding and helping out around the lodge.  As an added bonus, he loves setting up photo shots and capturing the memories with his camera!  Tolly, was a great help around the lodge and helped out in the field as well, and she did it all with a smile J!  Also, we had a new caterer.  Beth cooked our food this year, and she provided just what we wanted—quality home cookin’ and lots of it!  I did appreciate hearing all the compliments from y’all on her cooking.  Also, Flint and Cracker were here with us for their third straight year, and they did another fantastic job (very personable and birdy)! 

As for the pheasant hunting, it was very much improved over the past two years, and the weather was also much better, other than the week-long cold snap that we had during the middle of November, and our December weather was exceptional.  It turned out that we harvested most our birds in tree strips and cattails this past year.  As for the pheasant population, it was amazing to see how it can rebound in one year.  Also, last year was not an ideal nesting year for the birds.  Winter wheat acres, which are the best pheasant nesting habitat, were significantly down (my guess is that we had approximately 20% the acreage of normal years).  The reason for that being is that when we suffered the drought two years ago, the wheat did not have adequate moisture for a healthy stand, and in the spring time, the vast majority of the farms sprayed out the crop and replanted a fall crop. It will take a few years for the crop rotations to catch up for the winter wheat to get back to its normal acreage amounts.  Furthermore, due to falling crop prices this past year, especially corn, we will be seeing the farms focusing more and more on wheat around our area, which is a great thing for the pheasants!  I believe, if we have a normal year in 2015, the pheasant population will be outstanding this next hunting season!

A highlight of this past season was having the film crew, Trigger Effect, with us for four days.  Dean and Kent were the co-hosts, and they really did a great job with hunting along with the groups and capturing some really awesome late-season hunting.  They brought lots of cameras with them, including a dog cam for Mia, the Wonder Dog, a couple of gun cams, a head-mount cam and two shoulder-mount cameras.  They captured more footage here than they have ever before captured on a hunt.  They said they got so much great footage that they will put together and air two episodes, as they can’t see leaving so many great moments on the cutting room floor.  While they were here filming, we had multiple groups representing 8 different states and 2 countries.  It was wonderful to see everyone coordinate so well together, and a big THANKS goes out to all those hunters who joined us on that filming to make it great!  I’m not yet sure where and when the episodes will be aired, but please check out Trigger Effects’ website and Facebook page for updates, and I will send out an email to all of you when I know more about the episodes.  Dean put together a promo video for us that’s definitely worth seeing.  Please check that out at https://www.youtube.com/user/RingnecksHunting

It was a busy year with many of our past groups returning, along with many new groups that we welcomed for a first time.  It was a great pleasure seeing old friends and getting to know so many new ones, and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to share in your hunting vacations.  Most of the groups from last year have already made their reservations for this next fall, and it’s nice to see the calendar filling up so quickly.  If you haven’t yet confirmed your reservations with us, do it now while we still have openings!

Thanks to you all for making 2014 the best year ever at Ringnecks and best wishes to y’all in 2015!

See ya next year~Stephan

http://.www.ringneckshuntinglodge.com

rooster@ringneckshuntinglodge.com

(605) ROO-STER

2014 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Report

2014 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Forecast

South Dakota’s 2014 brood count survey has just been released, and it’s very positive for South Dakota pheasant hunting, especially for Lyman County, which is located in central South Dakota. The individual route counts are categorized under the larger cities closest to the survey routes. The cities of Pierre, Chamberlain & Winner are, routinely, the top 3 pheasant population areas in the State, and Lyman County makes up the center of that triangle of cities.

Here are a couple of excerpts from some recent news articles. The full text of the full articles can be found below.

“The pheasant population is up everywhere, not just pheasant factories such as Lyman County, according to Tony Leif, the GF&P's wildlife director” (Argus Leader)

“The 10 routes in the Chamberlain area, which includes Lyman County, averaged 6.55 birds per mile this year, a 147 percent increase.” (Argus Leader)

“Survey results show pheasant numbers rebounded the strongest in central South Dakota; especially in the Pierre, Chamberlain, Mobridge and Winner areas. Results also indicate that pheasant numbers are substantially higher than 2013 throughout much of eastern South Dakota.” (Star Tribune)

If you haven’t yet made your reservations, call us now 605–ROOSTER or fill out a “Contact Request” form, and we will get right back with you.

Stephan Stanley, Owner
http://www.ringneckshuntinglodge.com
rooster@ringneckshuntinglodge.com

2013 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting

2013 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Report

South Dakota pheasant hunting in 2013 was another abnormal year.  After so many outstanding years of unbelievable pheasant populations, we’d become spoiled with skies so full of birds that if you missed your target, you might get one anyway.

Here’s my take on what has led to the lower bird numbers.  It started in the summer of 2012 when the rain spigot shut off.  So going into 2013, the main concern for the pheasant population centered on water, but that concern was rained out, as the ground became saturated and the water holes filled up and began overflowing.  2013 was an amazing year for rain, and we were so blessed to have our soil profile go from bone dry to saturated in such a short amount of time.  So dehydration was not a problem.  However, the drought of 2012 did still play a significant role in the pheasant population of 2013.  That’s because the winter wheat which was planted in the fall of 2012 did not have enough moisture to create a good crop, so in the spring of 2013, most all of the winter wheat acres were sprayed out and replanted to a fall crop.  In our part of the country, winter wheat is king, and the majority of the acreage is planted into winter wheat each year. Winter wheat also happens to be the number 1 nesting ground for pheasants, as predators have a terrible hard time finding and catching pheasants in a sea of thick wheat.  So the nesting was confined to the remaining CRP acres and grass corridors.  This turned out to be a predator’s delight, and they had a hay day on the hatch, and they wiped out brood upon brood.  A few lucky chicks managed to escape. And, although roosters are prolific breeders, there were not enough to rebreed all the hens whose clutches were completely destroyed, so we saw so many hens last year with 0, 1 or 2 chicks with them.  During normal years, such sites are a rarity.  

We did see it coming, so we acquired some premium pen-raised birds and released them on a few of our fields, so if hunters did have a difficult time with the wild birds, they could go to a supplemented field.  This was the first time that we’ve ever released any birds, and I heard from numerous clients that they appreciated the opportunity of hunting both wild and released birds.  

Although we had far fewer pheasants than we’ve become used to, our area of the country has remained the highest pheasant population in South Dakota and probably in the Country as well.  

I take my dogs out for runs through our fields each day, so I have a pretty good handle on our pheasant population.  My take on the population is that we have a very good number of hens, and if we have a normal year, the hunting season of 2014 in Lyman County will be very good again!

On another note, Nick and his black lab joined Stephan, Flint and Greg with the guiding this past year.  They were a great team and teammates, and I received a lot of compliments on all of the guides and their dogs--Kracker, Gunner, Kona, Rio & Mia.  Thanks guys!  

Thank you to all of you who contributed to another year filled with great memories at Ringnecks, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon.  Call now for next year’s reservations!

2012 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Report

2012 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Report

Going into the season, I knew it wasn’t going to be typical, as the summer was HOT, and the rains didn’t come, but the winds DID! Throughout a typical season, we harvest roughly 75% young birds, and we find them mostly in the food strips. This year, as a result of the now-infamous 2012 drought and its effect on the new hatch, we harvested 75% old birds, and the birds just weren’t in the food strips.

Everything looked good in June, as we had a nice amount of spring rains which made for a nice stand of cool season grasses which leads towards successful nesting and plenty of insects for the young chicks to eat for a good start on life, but as the days of drought and the degrees climbed, the watering holes got lower and fewer. By late September, most watering holes dried up, and the drought started to take its toll on the hatch. Many of the early-hatched birds survived but the later-hatched chicks got cooked.

The lack of rain also led to food plots being less leafy, thick and full of seed, but what really destroyed the hunting value of the food plots and crop strips was the wind. In mid-October, we had experienced a brutal windstorm that lasted for 48 hours with nonstop winds of 40+mph. The wind blew the plants down or shredded its leaves, leaving sparse cover that wasn’t sufficient for the birds to hide in. Typically, we harvest the majority of roosters from the crop strips. This year, however, we learned to spend our time in habitat other than food plots.

When hunting season arrived, we learned another abnormal characteristic in the year’s pheasant population. Instead of opening week bringing lots of “stupid” birds and easy shots, the birds were older, educated and WILD! It was quite a surprise to walk into virgin fields and see the birds flying away as the hunters were getting out of the vehicles.

Hmmm…all of these factors affected the hunting strategies significantly, and the hunting was certainly going to require more strategizing. Luckily, for everyone, that’s what we all enjoy doing.

Instead of the pheasants being contained in food plots, the birds were scattered about the land. We found early in the season that most pheasants were congregated in thick habitat around the limited water sources. As the frost and snow arrived, they dispersed from those water spots into dense grass and tree strips. We realized the significant advantage that larger groups would have because of their added capacity to contain! Also, noise reduction, dog control and being quick into the field were key components to successful hunts and having diverse habitat was crucial.

This past year brought a unique pheasant hunting season that was filled with strategy sessions, great learning opportunities, some challenging hunts, and lots of great new friends and memories!

Thank you all who shared their hunting vacations with us this past year of 2012!

Sincerely,
Stephan Stanley

Ringnecks, LLC
P.O. Box 268
Presho, SD 57568
(605) ROOSTER
(766-7837)
www.ringneckshuntinglodge.com

South Dakota Pheasant Hunting

Pheasant Hunting Tips

Time your hunt: The South Dakota pheasant hunting season begins on the third Saturday in October.  The first week of hunting begins at noon, followed by a 10 a.m. opener for the remainder of the season.  When making your decision on what time to plan your hunting vacation, take into account that during the early season, there will be more roosters, but the weather can be very warm and crops may still be in the fields, which makes the hunting grounds less populated with pheasants, as they will prefer to hide in the uncut fields.  Normal years, however, provide nice hunting temperatures during the early season and abundant shooting opportunities.  During midseason, the crops are likely to be mostly harvested which forces the birds into more huntable habitat.  The weather during this time is likely to be cooler.  And lastly, during the late season, pheasants are more likely to be grouped up and much more wild.  During this time of the season, strategy and hunting with knowledgeable guides is much more important.  This is also a time when large flocks are seen, and the shooting can get hot & heavy!

Keep it down: Pheasants have pretty good hearing and it is important that you make an effort to remain as quite as possible. Close doors quietly and try to use hand signals for communicating as often as possible. Too much noise will cause the birds to head for thicker cover.

Learn regulations: Make sure that you know the pheasant hunting regulations of the state in which you are in. This is important so that you know the tag and recording requirements so fines can be avoided.

If you are interested in great pheasant hunting please visit http://www.ringneckshuntinglodge.com/

3 Qualities that Make a Company Retreat Fun

Company retreats can be an amazing bonding experience, or a real drag. Here are 3 things to look for when booking your next office weekend getaway.

Time as a Group

The whole point of a retreat is to spend time together away from the office and see how you all work together when you don’t have to focus on a million different things.

Time Alone

You spend 40+ hours together a week. While your trip should provide opportunities to work together in fun and interesting ways, you should also give people a chance for downtime.

Time for Fun

Make sure all of your activities aren’t just goal oriented exercises. Your employees need time to bond without structure.

Ringnecks Hunting and Lodging can provide all this and more. Visit http://ringneckshuntinglodge.com/ for information. 

2011 Pheasant Hunting Report

Greetings!  I hope you had a very Merry Christmas, and enjoyed celebrating the New Year of 2012! 

2011 was a very good year for Ringnecks Hunting & Lodging.  Once again, we improved upon the lodge and its surroundings with repairs and paint, including 3 new murals.  Also, we acquired more hunting acres.  We hunted 752 guns this past year and bagged 2,215 ringnecks.  The weather was beautiful all the way through the last day of the season—January 1^st.  During 2012, we plan to do more remodeling and adding on, which will include more bedrooms. 

I’d like to share a few of my favorite memories (although there are too many to list) of the 2011 hunting season:

There was the time John was shooting at a bird passing by and as he followed the bird with his gun barrel, he didn’t turn his feet, so he ended up cork screwing himself down into the ground.

Also, there was the group that was expecting nasty weather on Saturday (below freezing with snowfall and 30+ mph winds), so we took extra minutes strategizing how we could best surround a honey hole and get our birds early.  That Saturday morning, however, was rather pleasant with a fresh couple of inches on the ground and calm before the winds started howling.  We loaded into our vehicles, and when we got to the field, the vehicles all flew around to their positions and then hunters, dogs and guns began bailing out.  After 5 minutes of non-stop blasting we began picking up the birds, and with the aid of the fresh snow, we found every bird they had shot, and we had our bag full before the wind started howling. 

Another hunt I remember well was a hunt that started very slowly.  It was the second field of the day, and enroute, one of the vehicles had gotten a flat tire, so while we waited not far from a patch of cattails, we ate our lunches and watched a couple of hunters and dogs hunt across the road (didn’t look good).  We sat and waited for more than 30 minutes, and while we waited, we didn’t see so much as one, single bird.  During the strategy talk that morning, I had told the group that there was probably going to be a lot of birds in this spot, called “the church”, and that it was important that we get into our positions quickly and quietly.  So, we had a line of hunters on both sides of the cattails marching towards each other.  Not a bird to be seen, even when there were a slew of hunters only feet from the edge of the cover.  I think it was Eric (same guy with the flat tire) shaking his head as if saying, “we’re wasting our time; there’s nothing here.)  Then a dog hit the brush and the cattails lit up with birds.  There must’ve been 300+ birds fly up out of that little patch.  It was pheasant mayhem! 

Also, I remember young boy’s first hunt, and on day two he bagged his limit, but on his final day, his luck had turned, and he couldn’t bring a bird down.  Every bird he missed caused his head and attitude to sink a bit lower.  The group shot their last bird, but the young guy had no luck, and as he walked back towards the vehicle with his dad, he cried with disappointment.  I didn’t want to see the boy go away like that, so when we all got back to our vehicles, I told them I’d like them to go on one more walk to give  the boy another shot.  They walked around a small hill, and at the very end, two roosters flew up, but only one got away, as his aim was right on.  His smile was back. 

Please check out our website at www.ringneckshuntinglodge.com.  Through the website you can join us on Facebook, Twitter, My Blog, YouTube, Flicker and LinkedIn.

We hope to hear from you soon, and also hope 2012 will be filled with many more good memories for you and yours.  I really had a great time hunting with you all this past year, and I hope to see you again in the fall of 2012.  If you haven’t already confirmed your reservations for the 2012 hunting season, call me or email me quickly before it’s too late.  We’ve been growing considerably every year, and we’re expecting the 2012 season to fill up early.

Sincerely,

Stephan Stanley

Ringnecks, LLC

P.O. Box 268
Presho, SD  57568
(605) ROOSTER
         (766-7837)
www.ringneckshuntinglodge.com