# Pheasant farms find popularity in SD



## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Pheasant farms find popularity
Associated Press
Published Sunday, September 17, 2006

http://www.in-forum.com/Outdoors/articles/140014

YANKTON, S.D. - People who raise pheasants in South Dakota say they're seeing a good demand for their product.

Game bird producer John Sargent of Gregory said that as hunters become accustomed to South Dakota's commercial hunting operations, more are coming to the state.

"We have the best pheasant hunting here in South Dakota," Sargent said. "Our border states would like to have it, but hunters just have a better experience in South Dakota."

Darrel Cwach of Yankton says he's finding a steady market for pheasants.

"I sell my birds to commercial shooting operations and hunting groups. I don't think the natural population of pheasants in the state is endangered or has decreased. I think it's just that the popularity of hunting game birds has been increasing in the last few years."

Cwach used to work with cattle but said a leg injury a few years ago has limited his physical work.

"I had the facilities here and this gives me a way to use them," he said. "There isn't a lot of heavy work that goes with raising the birds, and I like pheasants so this has worked out nicely."

Cwach, one of several hundred game bird breeders in the state, said many birds are still raised outside the state to provide enough hunting stock every season.

"There are a lot of private hunting operations in the state," Cwach said. "A lot of out-of-state hunters like to come in and hunt somewhere where there's an ample supply of birds. They want to be able to shoot and have a good time while they're here. Not many of them like the idea of walking from midday to dark and coming up without a bird."

The state Game, Fish and Parks Department says the natural habitat explains why pheasants thrive in South Dakota.

The habitat of weed patches and tall grasses isn't appealing to the eye but provides the nesting and breeding area the birds seek, Cwach said.

"It can be hard to find the birds in some of the cover; it gets pretty thick and high, but that's what they like."

Ringneck pheasants naturally spend most of their lives on the ground, making it possible to adapt to a life of confinement. They usually are raised under chicken wire and netting so they can't fly away.

When they're 8 weeks old, pheasant chicks are ready to be sold to a commercial hunting operation.

Weather can raise havoc with game bird breeders even if the birds are housed inside.

"The weather I hate is blizzards, ice and snow," Sargent said. "Those kinds of weather conditions put an end to the hunting season and the market for our birds disappears."

"Everybody works together," Cwach said. "Even though we're competitors, we share what we learn, what works well and what doesn't. It's a good resource in a lot of ways."

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Notice some of the quotes....



> "Our border states would like to have it, but hunters just have a better experience in South Dakota."
> 
> ...Game bird producer John Sargent of Gregory said* that as hunters become accustomed to South Dakota's commercial hunting operations, more are coming to the state.*





> Cwach, one of several hundred game bird breeders in the state, said many birds are still raised outside the state to provide enough _hunting_ stock every season.


It should say "shooting" stock :eyeroll:



> "There are a lot of private hunting operations in the state," Cwach said. "A lot of out-of-state hunters like to come in and hunt somewhere where there's an ample supply of birds.* They want to be able to shoot *and have a good time while they're here. *Not many of them like the idea of walking from midday to dark and coming up without a bird."*


Yeah we wouldn't want to hunt now would we? They want to be able to shoot guaranteed... :eyeroll:

Sigh.... a possible look into the future

Ryan


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## Shu (Oct 21, 2003)

great post Ryan. I agree with your comments.

I don't know why some of these guys just don't stay in their state and go to a pheasant farm there.


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

> Sigh.... a possible look into the future


Sorry R Y A N the futere is already here, where you been. Oh thats right Washington


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

g/o said:


> > Sigh.... a possible look into the future
> 
> 
> Sorry R Y A N the futere is already here, where you been. Oh thats right Washington


I may have outmigrated from the state like many of my peers G/O... but I can damn well guarantee you when I come back to visit and hunt this fall, I'm more welcome than you in every bar I enter ! I know I can walk in with my head held high. Do you think you can?

I have their respect unlike *you* . I think many here can empathize with a young guy needing to strike out in the world to make a decent fair living. If ND had the job opportunities at a similar wage that I can make elsewhere do you think I would so willingly leave all my friends and family? Hell no. You think I'd give up the great outdoors life I grew up with? Duhhhhh I wonder...

However the facts of life and a chance to provide my family with a better standard of living, combined with advancement possibilities made that decision the toughest one of my life. So yes I'll sacrifice a couple years being an NR for long term prosperity. Heck I can always return again someday. Maybe sooner than later.

At least people can respect and understand my logic for my professional decisions. I have more respect from them as an NR than you'll ever have from your own fellow residents.

Words to chew on....

Ryan 
(yes that's my real name not some online ID I hide behind)

.


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

> but I can damn well guarantee you when I come back to visit and hunt this fall, I'm more welcome than you in every bar I enter ! I know I can walk in with my head held high. Do you think you can?


Oh Yes R Y A N I'm not one bit ashamed of what I do.



> I have their respect unlike you


Now that is debatable isn't it R Y A N



> think many here can empathize with a young guy needing to strike out in the world to make a decent fair living. If ND had the job opportunities at a similar wage that I can make elsewhere do you think I would so willingly leave all my friends and family? Hell no. You think I'd give up the great outdoors life I grew up with? Duhhhhh I wonder...


Not true R Y A N most here will tell you they could make way more someplace else. But they chose to live here because of the hunting and fishing.



> At least people can respect and understand my logic for my professional decisions. I have more respect from them as an NR than you'll ever have from your own fellow residents.
> 
> Words to chew on....


Pretty bold words R Y A N, again you are assuming that because I'm an outfitter everyone hates me and loves you. I think you would be surprised how many people respect me as the individual I am. Intelligent people can put aside there differences and still be friends.


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## drhunter (Aug 8, 2006)

Just a question, may not have anything to do with anything, but.....

How is it that a guy can spend thousands of dollars on a world class bird dog, and then thousands of dollars on training, and still have to pay someone $150 a day to find him birds?

Seems to me you could save a lot of money and buy chicken, would be about as fun.


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## kgpcr (Sep 2, 2006)

I like hunting Game farms. They are a great tune up for the dog but real hunting it isnt. I have a new pup and have been able to shoot 20 birds over her so far and she is just over 4 months old. A game farm is a great place to do that. For the money they charge to hunt on thier property at some of the clubs that claim wild birds you are getting screwed royaly if they are carting in raised birds. I pay 11.00 for a pheasant here at a nice game farm. for 350.00 per day thats over 100.00 per bird.


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## Mark Hays (Feb 8, 2006)

TO HAVE BEEN FROM ND DOES NOT CUT IT.

THOSE OF US WHO ARE HERE, PAYING TAXES, MAKING THE STATE GREAT IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT.

TWO BITS OF INFO:
COME HUNT ND GREAT...DO NOT TALK ABOUT $$$$ YOU SPEND HERE SHOW RESPECT BY HOW MUCH YOU ENJOY THE BEAUTY & PEOPLE
OF ND

ONCE YOU LEAVE DO NOT CLAIM THIS STATE. STAY PAY TAXES, WORK FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE STATE AND ENDURE THE WINTER THEN & ONLY THEN CAN YOU CLAIM TO BE NORTH DAKOTAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Talk about turning on your own, geez. Lighten up Mark 

I'm with Ryan on this one. :beer:

I don't hate G/O though I think hes better than most of them by along stretch.

Although I do sometimes give him a hard time hes right about this stuff just as often as hes wrong which is way better than most of the commercial crowd.


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

That's a lot of animosity towards a guy that simply states the truth. All you have to do is look to any state and the way game farms are growing. Elk, Buffalo, Whitetail, Pheasant, you name it. If people don't have to work for success, they're willing to do it. Every year sees fewer and fewer real outdoorsmen in the woods; the kind that will walk all day for one or no pheasant and just enjoy watching good dog work. The kind that don't bait or drive deer, that hunt them one on one in their bedrooms. The kind that will backpack in for an elk on public land versus taking a jeep ride on a private ranch and shooting the Bull of your choice. Yes, every year there's less of these guys around and more of the "lazy hunter". It's too bad and ulitimately, our sport will suffer for it.


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## brianb (Dec 27, 2005)

> How is it that a guy can spend thousands of dollars on a world class bird dog, and then thousands of dollars on training, and still have to pay someone $150 a day to find him birds?


Drhunter: The reason the guy above spends the $150 to get his dog on birds is that is a drop in the bucket compared to the price of gas, food, lodging, training, dog supplies, the dog itself. The best dog in the world can't find birds where there aren't any. That's what most non-residents experience at home wherever that may be. Oh, a world class bird dog isn't $1,000's it is well up into the tens of thousands.

I'm sorry but good dog work for me involves birds. The way they handle the bird before and after the shot is dog work.

I totally understand why out of staters use those places. I hunted Eastern Washington public land for pheasants for 5 years. I averaged way less than one bird per day. Tough hunting. Very few birds.

That being said, I understand it but on all my trips to SD we always hunted public land and did pretty well.


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

Bobm, A little food for fodder! You agree with R Y A N on this thats fine.


> South Dakota Licensed Private Shooting Preserves
> 
> Year Not Renewed Renewed New Total
> 1999-2000 11 107 23 130
> ...


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

G/O I was agreeing with Ryan about leaving ND for greater opportunity in regard to Marks statement about him not being able to claim ND as his hometown. Just seemed a little meanspirited or maybe jealous, to me if you grow up in an area its always going to be home.

I was also saying the you have been saying alot of things lately that I agree with somewhat to my suprise :wink:

What does the post you just posted mean?? the part about south dakota preserves I don;t get the point.

I'm serious not being sarcastic. I don't understand the post

Thanks
PS
I've been staying out of controversial stuff lately, I'm tired of it so I've been taking a break.
( saving my juice for election time :lol: )


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

Me too!!


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## g/o (Jul 13, 2004)

R Y A N said that



> Sigh.... a possible look into the future


I informed him the future is here which it is. The chart from SD shows the growth in Shooting preserves in the last 5 years. We went from 130 in 2000 to 223 in 2005. It also shows the average acreage of these preserves 997 acres. Now a game farm in MN or Ga their fields are probably 20 acres. These are actual farms there food plots are usually bigger than the fields you hunt on most game farms. My preserve is 800 acres on one block of land. Like it or not this here and its not going away. R Y A N chose to leave ND and I do not fault him for that. I however chose not to instead I chose to go into business for myself. I operate a shooting preserve and sell birds to preserves in 3 states. Because I chose to stay and do this R Y A N seems to feel I'm not welcome in the local watering holes in ND. I disagree, I don't think there are very many childish, narrow minded people in ND that are going to hate me for what I do. Many may disagree, as I disagree with them on things but such is life. I know we agree on the resident only week on PLOTS and that its bull. So you will notice on another post here we have a PLOTS in our area you can hunt that week being a Non Resident. Check out this link.http://gf.nd.gov/info/plots-maps/news-changes.pdf


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

G/O that makes sense to me and I agree with you about that, like I said i was talking about Ryan, my pont being he should be able to state his opinion about ND policies even though hes no longer a resident.

Its just his opinion he has no influence on the policies of ND no more than I do.

I don't know the size of a field at a commercial hunting place. I hope I never do, no insult intended. I do agree its the inevitable end of this sport in its current form in ND its already happend in much of the country.

And I also agree that the no Nrs on plots sucks but like Ryan its not my call you can also throw in the 14 day license with that, it doesn't hurt anyone but the little guy with acouple kids that wants to try to grab afew weekends, the guys that are eating up the land can easily afford multiple liscenses. I'm not going to go any farther with this discussion though because they always go downhill rapidly. 
I hope all of you have a good season.
G/O check your PM


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