# Best pheasant hunting state



## Alex

Send a reply saying what state you think has the best pheasant hunting.


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## Rick Acker

Florida!

Okay here goes...Top 5

1. North Dakota-because of access
2. South Dakota
3. Nebraska
4. Montana
5. Minnesota


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## roostman

best Pheasant state, for what numbers or access or for lack of hunting pressure?

For numbers it has to be Southdakota.


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## nodakoutdoors.com

roostman said:


> For numbers it has to be Southdakota.


For sure. As soon as ND has a rough winter it will be really obvious between the 2.


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## mnswd

I'm with Rick

The everglades are full of them.


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## fargodawg

I've heard GA, lots of non-res from Fla., but still plenty of birds


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## Dick Monson

If it wasn't so far to drive and expensive for the license and hard to get access I'd pick east-central Montana, late season. Hunt the washouts of the breaks on the tributaries of the Mo. Wheat stubble on top and bullberries in the draws. :beer:


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## Bob Kellam

I will second what Dick said!!!

I missed the trip last year but this year I am not going to miss it. Eastern Montana is pretty good hunting.

ND ranks very near the top for Pheasant hunting though IMO.

Bob


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## pack999

i agree with ur top 2 bout i think iowa shuld be #3 on ur list then the rest


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## Perry Thorvig

Dick,

What are the access issues in Montana?


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## Scott Schuchard

montana 
NODAK
South Dakota


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## Bagman

I gotta agree with pack999 here...any list that DOESNT contain Iowa (near the top) is ridiculous.


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## Chuck Smith

From my experiences I have only hunted pheasants in these states.

Total Numbers:
1. SD
2. ND
3. IA
4. MN
5. NE (hunted it about 10 years ago)

Access:
1. ND
2. MN (I live in this state)
3. IA
4. NE
DID NOT MENTION SD.....WAY TO COMMERCIAL NOW!


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## Dick Monson

Perry, last time I was there you had to hunt for a land owner as they didn't have to post, they just used red paint on a fence post. (maybe that's how posting got it's name.) So if you were in new country it was extremly difficult to find the actual owner, nor did I find people as agreeable. The scaricety of people is a problem because it may be 20 miles between places. Add to that the renter may be the poster while the owner is in Timbucktu. On the plus side a lot of the guys out there are big game hunters, thank God for elk, so they didn't mind granting permission, if you could find them.


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## oklahomawatrfwlr

Sodak, been there past 3 years w/ my dad (relatives and friends)


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## claimer

montana, sodak, nodak, florida(only because you can do a combo gator hunt).


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## pack999

i wouldnt even try to hunt in south dakota. I agree it is way to comercial. There are barely any areas where you can hunt without paying. What has hunting come to? You should never feel the need to pay somebody to hunt. All the hunting resorts took over all the good hunting land. Probably half the pheasanst in the state were pen raised ones that flew away fromm the expensive resorts. All the land there that is still isn't in the hands of the resorts are too overhunted to be worth it. WAY to comercial.


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## Rick Acker

Yes S.D. is very commercialized, but it has more acres or FREE Walk in Land to hunt than N.D. does!


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## Jiffy

Anywhere but NODAK...I have heard that Rhode Island is pretty good. Either there or Hawaii. 8)


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## Alex

South Dakota and Minnesota


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## Trout

Kansas..zillions of acres of WIHAs and 4 bird limit (now)..hunted it three years ago and limited everyday


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## njsimonson

Pembina...definitely Pembina.


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## deacon

Chuck Smith said:


> From my experiences I have only hunted pheasants in these states.
> 
> Total Numbers:
> 1. SD
> 2. ND
> 3. IA
> 4. MN
> 5. NE (hunted it about 10 years ago)
> 
> Access:
> 1. ND
> 2. MN (I live in this state)
> 3. IA
> 4. NE
> DID NOT MENTION SD.....WAY TO COMMERCIAL NOW!


Agree completely with this list, IA definitely deserves top 3 in both catagories. Not sure about NE.


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## WingedShooter7

SD and not because i live here but because its good.


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## Wingmaster55

Northwest Iowa is the place to be pheasant season #1 I live there #2 I can get access anywhere. Compared to south dakota numbers are just as good!


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## RETRVER

NE is not the same state for pheasants most folks remember with a little age behind them. Little CRP in comparsion to N.D., S.D., and Iowa. Agriculture from fence row to fence row. Pheasant hunting in Nebraska is done with "I might only see 4-5 pheasants and have a chance at one" type of day. I'm thinking Iowa out paces Nebraska.

My top three..

S.D.
N.D.
Iowa

RETRVER (Nebraska)


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## englishpointer

I hear Alaska is good. :beer:


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## tclark4140

interesting reading on this post (from north central iowa)...i will say that n.d. is very good for pheasant hunting, we always have great success, we come mostly to hunt ducks, for all the posts i read on this site about guides and hunt for a fee i find it alittle hard to believe that s.d. gets mentioned so often. also hunting pheasants in s.d. seems alittle bit like hunting them on a game farm. the s.d. birds seem very tame. but hunting pheasants in iowa to me is as good as hunting ducks in n.d... in iowa we have a very nice population of birds, but as everyday of the season goes by the birds get more sporting to get up to. which makes the hunt fun. as for permission in my part of the state, a person only has to ask. with the exception of opening weekend, and thanksgiving weekend. as these are usually reserved for family and friends to go out and continue a family tradition. as for public ground we have plenty also. acres and acres. as for another hot topic non resident hunters... we have lots of them also. probably 3 out of every 5 vehicles will be out of state.. and if i dont have a hunt planned they are always welcome to hunt with permission. now on to minn. i am not sure what part of minn pheaant hunting is good in as i know north of the cities doesent seem to get it done and south central minn has never compared to iowa....so for me to rank the states based on birds, access, the pure sport of hunting them, n.d. and iowa would tie for 1st the areas i hunted in minn. would be a distant 3rd, and do to the commercializm of s. d. they wouldnt get ranked.


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## tclark4140

dick m. did u get my reply, i cant figure out whether it went through or not to ya


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## Alex

So where is everyone planning on hunting opening weekend??

I will be here in Minnesota!! 8)


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## Shu

MN this weekend, IA in two weeks.


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## kevin.k

ive only hunted phes outa ND and SD

seems as the numbers are greater in SD but both great hunting states! :beer:


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## greatwhitehunter3

MinnesotA


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## stubbleduck

I can't turn down good ole Nodak the number one spot, but I guess I have never hunted any of the other states. It would defineately be fun to give them all a try though just for a new experience.


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