Lloyd, a more appropriate question is when to hunt SD.
Bird numbers are down state wide but what birds there are, are in standing corn, where corn is grown.
As of yesterday our county agent told me that there is only about 8% of the corn out of the fields and that there still is about 30%, 40% in some areas, of beans still in the fields.
We had 5 inches of rain east of a north/south line down through Aberdeen to Neb from Sunday past to the day before yesterday. That's most of the golden triangle for pheasants.
That much rain will keep the combines out of the field until well into next week, IF we do not get more rain and more is forecasted starting Sunday.
There is no reason for the birds to leave the corn while it is up.
If you have to come out before the middle of November, you probably out to stay close to the river. There is not as much row crops out there.
Let me put all that into another context. The season here in SD opens this Saturday at noon. Sunday morning I am heading for my property in Eastern MT to hunt the third week of the pheasant season there, rather than hunt the opener around my property here.
