Prairie Grouse Haven, a new opportunity for prairie chickens and sharptail grouse

Prairie Grouse Haven, a new opportunity for prairie chickens and sharptail grouse

Rose Bud Indian Reservation - South central South Dakota,

Timetable: Mid September to mid October

Accommodations: Expanded lodge offers first class accommodations

Food: Country cuisine

Hunt: Prairie chickens, moderate; Sharptail grouse – moderate to difficult

South central South Dakota is one of a few places where two species of prairie grouse, prairie chickens and shaptail grouse overlap in their range. Rivers like the Missouri and the White carve through the prairie breaking up the monotony of the country and provide ideal habitat for these two prairie grouse species. While excellent populations of sharptail grouse occur across this region, only isolated pockets of prairie chickens remain. Prairie chickens tend to prefer flatter ground in moderate hunting terrain with short grass and sharptails prefer hillier and more rugged terrain for moderate to difficult hunting, again in fairly short grass. Many wing shooters consider both of these upland prairie grouse to be very challenging. However, given the limited numbers of prairie chickens and the difficulty of bringing one to bag, prairie chickens are considered to be trophy birds by many of us.

Prairie Grouse Haven is one of those places where very strong numbers of both of these prairie grouse are found. The steady increase in grouse numbers in this area over the past few years have given rise to this outfit, a hunt with a primary focus on prairie grouse. While there are 12,000 acres of excellent grouse country right around the lodge, this location near the towns of Whitten and Carter, SD in Tripp County, is just east and adjacent to the Rose Bud Indian Reservation and just south of the White River. The “Res” as the locals call the Rose Bud, encompasses 1.8 million acres of grouse country. A Native American guide and a tribal license are required to hunt the “Res”. Tribal law is different than state law regarding hunting. For example, non-resident small game hunters in SD are allowed only two five-day hunts in the state. However, while hunting on the “Res” there are no such limitations for non-residents. In addition, the pheasant season on the “Res” opens before the statewide pheasant opener in mid October. These options offer the traveling wing shooter some flexibility in scheduling as well as variety, especially for those traveling to this region to hunt with multiple outfitters over the course of several weeks to a month.

Chance Colombe is one of the Native American guides employed by Prairie Grouse Haven and he is convinced that “Grouse hunting on the Rose Bud is virtually untapped”. Host and lead guide Scott Winston is an avid grouse hunter himself and has a intimate knowledge of both sharptail grouse and prairie chicken habitat and their behavior. Most important, the guides know when and where to find the birds. Early in the season, mid September to mid October and before the state wide pheasant season opens, prairie grouse can still be found in family groups with many inexperienced adolescent birds. Cold weather and hunting pressure has not yet forced them into larger coveys and they are more spread out over the prairie. Early conditions can be warm, but it is much easier, early in the season to locate birds and get flushes that are close in. It is not uncommon within this first month of the season to limit out daily with any combination of three prairie grouse. Prairie grouse can be hunted from dawn to dusk, unlike pheasants. Scott takes hunters out into sharptail country in the morning and later in the afternoon. Prairie chickens are very spooky early and late in the day as they are feeding. By 10:00, they will settle down and loaf in native grass making them easier to approach within shotgun range. By 3:00 prairie chickens are on the move again, alert and feeding. In this area sharptail grouse outnumber prairie chickens approximately three to one.

While Scott has Spaniels, hunters are encouraged to bring their own gundogs. All dogs are welcome at Prairie Grouse Haven. While prairie grouse are most commonly hunted with pointing dogs, knowledgeable guides like Scott can get hunters with close working flushing dogs into the right habitat, under the right conditions and with expert strategy for close in shots. The country is big enough to hunt multiple dogs at the same time, but separately. Early season can be hot, so dogs must be in excellent physical condition, especially when hunting prairie chickens at mid day. Prairie grouse, certainly prairie chickens, can be hunted with good success without dogs as well.

Prairie Grouse Haven focuses solely on hunting prairie grouse and is a new subsidiary of All About the Hunt, a full service outfitter, offering outstanding pheasant, deer and turkey hunts. The common element between the two outfits is Prairie Grouse Haven uses the same lodge. Different ground is hunted for prairie grouse and the inclusion of the Rose Bud Reservation provides vast and additional country with multiple options for the traveling sportsmen.
The lodge has been recently renovated and expanded. A rustic bar with a pool table is now the center piece for the lodge. Local pine was brought in raw and crafted into a unique look and function, both inside and out. A spiral staircase provides access to a second story poker/cigar room, complete with a men’s only restroom. Two large decks, upper and lower, overlook the wild South Dakota prairie. There is a nice mud room to bring in kenneled dogs. Well behaved gundogs on the other hand are allowed to sleep in your room. While the majority of the 11 bedrooms have two beds, most hunters take advantage of having a private room. Cooks that work the lodge are of local talent and offer some of the best home cooked, country cuisine this hunter has sampled. I have not experienced a better apple pie anywhere!

Prairie Grouse Haven is six and a half hours north east of Denver. There is a very small airport in Winner, SD for private planes about a half hour away. Most hunters fly into Rapid City, SD, Sioux Falls, SD, Pierre, SD or Omaha, NE rent an SUV and drive to the lodge. While the 12 gauge is still king in South Dakota, smaller gauges are used very successfully on early season prairie grouse, with no. six shot. A South Dakota small game license can be secured for $110 online at www.sdgfp.info/hunting . If you plan to hunt the Rose Bud Indian Reservation, a $75 tribal sharptail grouse and prairie chicken license is good for the season and can be obtained online at www.rstgfp.net . A tribal small game combo, including pheasant runs $125. The South Dakota statewide grouse season opens September 19th and the on the “Res” September 11th. Statewide pheasant season opens October 17th and on the “Res” October 9th. Call Scott Winston 303-450-5013 for more information.