2026 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Season Forecast - Fall Outlook Report

All the fall reports are out. Pheasants Forever has there 2026 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Forecast as does the State of South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks. Both are good and educational and indicate a good season ahead. The savvy hunter will need to dive into local farmer knowledge as well as weather patterns across the year. Most would agree the state all shared a mild winter which is essential to high bird numbers. That needs to be combined with average May and June temperatures with average precipitation which some areas also got. July is the divergence into record heat and more so in the north than in the south. Some areas had over 8 days in July with highs over 100 degrees. That kind of heat decimated hatch numbers in 2021 but is unknown the impact of birds hatched in June. Some feel they can weather that kind of heat when more than 3-4 weeks old. Counter that with reports from my neighbor who raises cattle 2 miles to the south of me, "I've seen more birds than I have in 25 years". I hope he is right. Another factor for hunters is the knowledge of drought status across the state and region. One staggering view is 3% drought in August of 2025 as compared to 90+% drought in August 2026. This will result in Emergency Haying which will open up CRP acres and more to haying up to 50% of the acres. Be aware of that as your favorite spot may not have any bird holding cover. This does bunch birds up in the remaining cover, however. And lastly it is expected that crop harvest will be well ahead of schedule. I saw 3 combines in one field beginning soybean harvest on Sept. 15th. Once beans are done (about 2-3 weeks) they will start on corn (about another 2-3 weeks). Wet weather will slow things down. It looks like the economy is a little soft so we are offering our last 3 open hunts at 40% Off. Week 5 & 6 at Meadow Creek and Week 6 at West River Adventures. These can be hunts of a lifetime. See more details in related 40% Off Pheasant Hunting Sale.