By Dan Bechtold
Editor
The population of Tripp County will increase this weekend as the opening
of the state pheasant season is Saturday, Oct. 21.
Hunters from across the country flock to Tripp County which is one of the
best pheasant hunting areas in the state.
Hotels and motels will see added guests and lodges will be full with
hunters.
The hunting season runs from Oct. 21 to Jan. 31. Shooting hours are 10
a.m. to sunset.
The daily limit is three rooster pheasants with a possession limit of
15 rooster pheasants.
The resident only season was Oct. 14-16 on public lands only.
Places in Winner where persons can obtain a pheasant hunting license are:
Winner True Value, Runnings, Jeff’s Gun Vault, Gus Stop and Buche Hardware.
Winner Area Chamber of Commerce is ready to welcome hunters. Banners have
been placed on Main Street. The Chamber has information on the community at
local motels.
The Chamber is asking business employees to wear orange or Hunt SD
t-shirts on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27. “This is a way to show uniformity in the
community. It lets hunters know they are welcome and we appreciate them for
coming here to hunt,” said Mike Scott, executive director of the Chamber.
Scott added the Chamber will have the doors open if hunters have questions
on lodging, restaurants, gun service, vet service or helping them find hunting
land.
“I think it will be a strong year for bird numbers,” said Scott.
Conservation officer Dillon Bates says bird numbers should be good.
However, he was so sure as he looked out of his office window in February.
Winner had a punishing winter with lots of snow.
“Winter was rough and that knocked our numbers down,” said Bates who has
been in Winner for three years.
“We really had a good spring and summer so the broods we did have were
big. There was a lot of moisture and bugs which was good for the pheasant
chicks,” he said. Bates noted hunters are going to see a lot of young birds
this year.
He said numbers wise it is going to be close to last year. “We are sitting
ok. It is a lot better than I thought we were going to be in February,” Bates
said.
The conservation officer says it is hard to tell how many hunters are
coming until the day they get here. “I have not had as many calls as I usually
have.”
In looking at concentration of birds in Tripp County, Bates says there are
more birds in the northern part of the county. He explained the Ideal area is
the epicenter of the pheasant population.
“It looks like the weather is going to be good for the opening weekend
with weather maybe 60-65 degrees. I am excited,” he said.
Bates says Winner is a great town to work in. “People are super nice to me
and glad to see me around. They are very welcoming. It has made it easy for me.
It is good to see people come back to the area year after year.”
When asked what he enjoys about the pheasant season, he said: “What I like
most is how it brings the community together. Everyone is excited about it and
everyone is having a great day. I like being part of it all. I get to be
outside and while I am not hunting pheasants I am watching everyone else having
fun. It is always enjoyable to me.”
When asked what he wants hunters to remember, Bates said to read the rules
and regulations before going hunting. If road hunting, remember to pull over to
the side of the road, shut the door and get out of vehicle. “We don’t want guns
going off in a vehicle,” Bates said.
The economics of pheasant hunting is big for South Dakota. Tripp County is
one of the areas where total dollars spent is high.
In 2022, $11.8 million was the total dollars spent in Tripp County. This
includes $2.5 million by resident hunters and $9.4 million by non-resident.
The total number of non-resident hunters last year in Tripp County was
4,151 according to GFP.
Total birds harvested in Tripp County was 48,088 including 34,709 by
non-resident and 13,379 by resident.
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