South Dakota Hunting Outfitter and Guide Reviews

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Oct 24, 2011

Outfitter Review: South Dakota Hunting Service - Onida SD

Outfitter / Owner: Mike Moody

Hunter: Greg Staples

Animals Hunted: Pheasant

Just returned from a fantastic 2 day hunt with SDHS. Started each day with waterfowl and finished with Pheasant. Took a limit on pheasant each day. Duck hunting was slower as the wind and weather did not cooperate. Thousands of ducks in the area. They just wouldnt fly over us. The hunters just before us and just after us got their limit on Ducks. Certainly not the outfitters fault my group didnt kill out on waterfowl.Accomodations were fantastic. The lodge is awsome and the cooks are 5 star. Mike Moody runs a clean efficient operation with no stone unturned. Everything was exactly as advertised. Game processing was flawless and the working dogs were amazing. cant wait to go back!

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Apr 4, 2011

Outfitter Review: River View Lodge - New Underwood SD

Outfitter / Owner: Paula or Scott Phillips

Hunter: Charles Shiner

Animals Hunted: Turkey - Merriam's

River View Lodge provided me a fantastic hunt with plenty of big birds to choose from took a big 22 pound gobbler on the first morning and spent the rest of the hunt in their world class accommodations. We saw a ton of big Mule Deer bucks and quite a few whitetail too. Scott took me out and let me hone in my rifle on a large prairie dog town. Great times and looking forward to going back for a big Mulie.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Feb 24, 2011

Outfitter Review: Jim River Ranch - Redfield SD

Outfitter / Owner: Jesse Wright

Hunter: David Collum

Animals Hunted: Grouse, Partridge, Pheasant

Spent 9 days at JRR in Redfield, SD. Amazed at the sheer number of pheasants and was pleasantly surprised at the number of Hungarian Partridges around the ranch. The lodge is gorgeous, the food is great and I don't think you'll find any better people on earth. Jesse has thousands of acres around the main ranch and over 30,000 acres leased west of the Missouri. West lands are for sharptail (plentiful) and Mule Deer and Whitetail hunts. Bring lots of shells!!!!!!! Going back again this fall since I've never seen a better play to enjoy everything a hunt is suppoosed to offer.

Hunter Rating

Submit Date: Nov 3, 2010

Outfitter Review: Dakota Ranch Outfitters - Piedmont SD

Outfitter / Owner:

Hunter: Chip Czulada

Animals Hunted: Mule Deer

Had a great trip with Pat West and his gang in Philip, South Dakota. Can't wait to go back again. Had 3 1/2 days of good weather and literally saw 100's of deer each day. The other 1 1/2 days we had 50-60 mph winds and the deer hunkered down pretty tight. We saw tons of great bucks and were only chasing the 4 1/2 yr old + deer. All 3 of us had multiple opportunities at shooter bucks and we killed 1x160 inch MD and the other 2 guys had multiple opportunities. Accomodations and company were fine, with a great visit to the prairie town in South Dakota. Overall I would not question a decision to go back and would highly recommend Pat to anyone.

Outfitter Review: Sanders Ranch - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Mark Sanders

Hunter: Barry Stephan

Animals Hunted: American Bison

This was a shoot more than a hunt (probably not much different from buffalo shoots of the 1800s). After investigating various buffalo operations, I realized that getting a truly 'wild' buffalo can be a high dollar proposition, and while not 'stupid' buffalo (or more correctly - bison) are a herd animal with a set of instincts inherent in their nature. So, the Sanders have a herd of buffalo in the Black Hills and I got one. This consisted of hiking over a hill or two and the buffalo where nice enough to be curious about us on the next hill, maybe 200 yards away. A heart shot with a 7mm Rem mag took the critter down, nice 18 month old animal. Mark is very good at guiding and at the same time doesn't hyperventilate about the little stuff (the stuff that happens). The primary purpose of this venture was to get meat in the freezer, and I am not disappointed. This is an animal in excellent condition with very tasty meat. As bison is lean, maybe my cholestoral will continue to go down (as the moose and halibut diet did for me). I spent three days touristing around while the butcher got the buf cut up. This was a great experience, may have to do this again some time.

Outfitter Review: Ghost Canyon - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Ray Hulse

Hunter: Jeff McDaniel

Animals Hunted: Deer

Ray dump 8 hunters in a small track of land right off the highway before daylight and expected everyone to remain in a ground blind for 12 hours. The Blinds were placed so close seeing each other was possible. No guides service other than dumping the hunters in a previously shot out drainage ditch. The camp was over crowded with pissed off hunters from the previous week still there. It was quite obvious that everyone was unhappy and hunters were stacked up in a tiny track of land doing time with everyone seeing the same 20 or so deer move about. Ray Hulse is running a SCAM.

Outfitter Review: Fish Hunter Guide Service - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Gary Gangle

Hunter: Stephen Kendall

Animals Hunted: Pheasants & Waterfowl

Four of us hunted with Gary Gangle, Fish Hunter Guide Service of Lake City SD for three days, beginning 11/02/09 and ending on 11/05/09. The Outfitter told us just prior to coming up that he had plenty of waterfowl to hunt, this was just not the case though. Pheasant hunting, with the exception of Noon until 5:30 on the last day was poor as well. We hunted the same Pheasant field two days in a row, back and forth as the guide was so determined birds were in the field. His duck hunting was in a word, "Unsatisfactory". His idea of waterfowl hunting was to pass shoot birds, he placed us in areas with little to no cover and few birds or shooting opportunities were available. Soon as the sun came up, the birds could see us. We do not believe he spent any time scouting for birds and in fact over heard other folks in Restaurants talking of great duck hunting within a 20 drive. he had no visible help from his son, our perception was he did not scout before we arrived either. We booked our own lodging and we were satisfied with that, was a farm house east of Grenville, SD.

Outfitter Review: On the Point - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Jack Swanson

Hunter: Thomas Matz

Animals Hunted: pheasants

On the point is everything they say it is. I recommend it without reservation

Outfitter Review: LODGEPOLE CREEK OUTFITTERS - SOUTH DAKOTA

Outfitter / Owner: STEVE

Hunter: JOE DONIO

Animals Hunted: MULE DEER

THE WORST OUTFITTER I HAVE EVER HUNTED WITH !!!

Outfitter Review: Swanson Pheasant Hunts - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Jack Swanson

Hunter: TOM MATZ

Animals Hunted: pheasants

a fun pheasant hunt with a ton of birds. we were grouped with another party and we had a great time. Folks go way out there way to make you feel at home and hope you come back. (LOVE THOSE HOME MADE ROLLS, OR MUFFINS WHEN WE HAD OUR MORNING COFFEE

Outfitter Review: Cheyenne Ridge - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Charles Weinreis

Hunter: charles medici

Animals Hunted: mule deer /whitetail

I researched south dakota outfitters and couldnt have found a better run operation cheyenne ridge came out on top. I certainly wasn't disapointed. The food was outstanding and there was 3rd and 4th helpings if you wanted to eat that much. The guides were all very experienced with most having several years of experience guiding in the area. The camp is very well run. All employees do their share of work and everyone was always happy and in a good mood. This made camp life enjoyable. I only saw numerouse mule deer and whitetail just happened to be a very nice 5x5 whitetail I missed him on the 2nd morning. since I was hunting with smoke pole we were selective on our shot opertunities 2 Out of 3 hunters were sucessfull one a very large 6x5 muley The second a nice 5x5 Several nice 5x5 were sighted Most everyday the hunters were either into deer or seeing deer we stopped counting how many deer we saw after the second day because it was becoming a pain to keep track of all of them. This was a ranch house hunt very comfortable camp, stop looking and call cheyenne ridge

Outfitter Review: Tom Trask - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Tom Trask

Hunter: Tom Sommers

Animals Hunted: Merriam Turkey

We saw adequate numbers of turkeys, but we were hunting as the third group of 4 hunters through the camp on 10,000 acres and the turkeys definetly had been pressured. We harvested 7 out of 8 birds possible thru 3 days of all day hunting. The ranch is beautiful, the accomodations only fair (bunkhouse with no indoor toilet) None of us are picky eaters - the food was terrible. The price of this hunt was as much as competing hunts for Merriams. Will not go back.

Outfitter Review: Whetstone Creek - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Christi /Dean Rozeboom

Hunter: Jerry Long

Animals Hunted: Rio Grande and Merriam's Turkeys

Here is my report from our recent trip for turkey to Whetstone Creek in SD booked with Gander Mountain Outdoor Adventures. 1) Outfitter: Whetstone Creek (booked by Gander Mountain Outdoor Adventures)2) Owner: Christi & Dean Rozeboom 3) Address: Gander Mountain Outdoor Adventures, 180 East Fifth Street, Suite 1300 Saint Paul, MN 551014) Phone: Gander Mountain Outdoor Adventures (877)482-3982 5) E-mail: nick.chiodo@gandermountain.com 6) When: May 1-4, 2008 7) Where: Burke, SD 8) Guided: Semi-guided; pointed out roosts and small amount of available property. 9) Drop: No 10) Transportation to hunting area: Ten minute self-drive from lodging to hunting area, walk in & out. 11) Accommodations: WELL-equipped ranch house including HOT showers. 12) Trophy hunt only: No 13) Species hunted / harvested: Rio Grande and Merriam's turkeys hunted. Two Rio Grande turkeys harvested. 14) Tools used: Bow. 15) Land hunted: Private 16) Cost: $475 per person for three night/three day hunt. 17) Challenging terrain adversely affect hunt: No 18) Did weather adversely affect hunt: Yes. Heavy winds and rain on May 1st; 60 mph gusts, horizontal rains, and stinging ice on May 2nd. 19) Quantity of game: Excellent 20) Quality of game: Excellent 21) Guide's Competence: Group could have used more "semi-guiding." 22) Guide's Hunting Ethics: Unknown 23) Condition of Equipment: Some blinds were available on the property, but the one we saw (small hoop blind) would not have functioned well for archery. 24) Food: Group provided using the well-equipped kitchen. 25) Accommodations: Outstanding. Best place I've ever stayed while hunting. 26) Trophy care: Handled by hunters. 27) Meat care: Freezer on sight. 28) Number of outfitted / guided hunts for myself: 6 29) Contact me on Bowsite, user name dustyvarmint if you have questions. 30) Recommended: No. If you can afford to double the hunt cost and use a proven archery outfitter then do so. If this price-point is all you can afford, you want to observe lots of turkeys doing what turkeys do, and you will accept marginal shot opportunities then you may want to consider this hunt. General comments: There were 5 members in this group. Opinions given are mine and not necessarily that of the other group members. Two birds were taken. Four of five hunters took shots from 20 to 30 yards at birds genuinely trying to avoid blinds and decoys. Prairie dog shooting and coyote hunting were also available. Two people fired 5 shots each starting at 319 yards in the prairie dog town - there was no further action. We didn't try coyote calling. The area is beautiful. I recommend having Christi give you a comprehensive tour of the available hunting property. We started looking at this hunt a year ahead of time. Initial calls and e-mail to Gander Mountain Outdoor Adventures went unanswered. Once contact was made by us we were told by Mike at Gander Mountain Outdoor Adventures several times that this was an archery hunt, unpopular and there was no need to book until late winter. When we called back to book we were told that the first three weekends were already booked. That pushed us into week four. Highly recommend dealing only with Nick.

Outfitter Review: Ragged Edge Hunts - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Calvin Kraft

Hunter: Dave Seanor

Animals Hunted: Mule Deer & Whitetail

I would highly recommend Calvin @ Ragged Edge.Would go back every year, everything was Top Notch. Had a GREAT hunt. !

Outfitter Review: Ragged Edge Hunts - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Calvin Kraft

Hunter: Dominick Fanell

Animals Hunted: Mule Deer

Excellent deer hunting. Many large mule deer bucks. Fast paced at times. Large amount of deer seen daily.Accomodations were top shelf. Food was fantastic.Anyone looking for a great mule deer hunt won't go wrong choosing Calvin and his crew.

Outfitter Review: Randy Routier - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Randy Routier

Hunter: Monie McMurtry

Animals Hunted: Antelope

Randy is an awesome guy. This is an awesome hunt. They put you where you need to be. I got my doe the first day and my buck the fourth day. The buck will make P&Y.Breakfast and coffee at about 5:30 then out to the blind. Lunch is sent with you-sandwich, chips, cookies, crackers, little candies, pudding and 4 bottles of cold & 2 bottles of frozen water. Supper is, generally, whenever everyone gets back.Randy and family go out of their way to make sure you're taken care of. They're always asking if you need anything and how can they make you more comfortable. They are truely awesome people. I can't say enough about them.When emailing, put "Randy Routier" in the subject line so I don't delete your email.

Outfitter Review: Ghost Canyon Outfitters - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Ray/Kristina Hulse

Hunter: Jim Bernardin

Animals Hunted: Mule/Whitetail Deer

Ray Hulse runs a nice operation and is very concerned with each hunter's safety and sucess. The accomodations are a new house complete with satallite TV. kitchen facilities, washer/dryer etc. Very comfortable and homey.There is an abundance of both whitetail and mule deer and one should have multiple opportunities. I was on a late season archery hunt and took a very nice 3x4 mule deer buck.The stands were well positioned and comfortable.These are nice people and i would recommend them without qualification.

Outfitter Review: South Dakota Hunting Service - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Mike Moody

Hunter: Bryan R. Gasper

Animals Hunted: whitetail, muleys, merriam's, pheasants, ducks, ge

Mike is a heck of guy who runs his business like he would want a hunt to be if he was paying somewhere else. I cannot recommend him enough. I've hunted turkeys 4 times and pheasants and ducks 3 times.

Outfitter Review: Rogers Retreat - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: JL/Valrie Eldridge

Hunter: Jeff Good

Animals Hunted: Pheasant

JL provides an excellant pheasant hunt, food was great. My hunt was in 2005, 4 days of great hunting. Going back this year. Will let you know how this hunt goes, but sure it will be great.

Outfitter Review: Little River Pheasant Hunts - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Dayle Luedeke

Hunter: Steve Lamont

Animals Hunted: Pheasants, Partridge, Grouse

We normally go on a couple hunts every year for different game. This was one of the best and most organized hunts I have been on. The guides and Dog Trainer were excellent. Their dogs were fantastic. Made me a little embarrassed at my year old lab Max. I thought my dog was doing good for his age. He wasn't even in the same game as their dogs are. It was more fun for me to watch all the different dogs work then to hunt. The birds and the overall hunt is second to none. We had really good weather and that did help. The dog trainer also helped us out with our year old male and showed me how to easily correct a couple problems I was having. It was so easy to fix I can't believe I couldn't figure out how to correct Max's problems. The trainer is also one of the guides and is the one that runs the dogs. He has the dogs running so good you don't even hear him say anything to them. They just do their thing. He says hupp once in awhile and blows the whistle sometimes but I have never been on a bird hunt where the guides weren't always yelling at the dogs. I really wanted to bring one of those dogs home with me. He had year old dogs out in the field that I could swear were three or four the way they hunted. They made my poor little Max look like a mutt out in the field. They had both labs and German Shorthairs they used. He normally ran them seperate depending on what kind of terrain we were hunting. The labs were normally in the higher cover and the pointers worked more where we could always see them. The pointers were really fun to watch. I didn't know pointers hunted as good as they do when they are not even a year old yet. I always thought they had to get older to do the things they did. Shows what I know about dog training. You definitely need to check this place out. You will feel right at home. It is a small town they live by and they definitely have small town hospitality. I normally have a great time on most of the hunts we go on but I will remember this one for a long time. Shooting the pheasants, and there was a lot of pheasants was fun but the overall trip was fantastic. Sitting around and talking in the evenings with the guides and dog trainer was one of the best parts of the trip. I had to go into Aberdeen one of the days and they just gave me a Tahoe to go and do my shopping. They offered to take me in but gave me the choice. You will definitely be happy with this place. They have clay pigeon shoots for free, pool table, poker table, horse shoe pit. It was just a really fun hunt. I wanted to give it a review right away because they deserve it and I wanted my enthusiasm to be very high yet when I posted the information on their great hunt. They also have some huge whitetail's there. I wish I would of brought my bow with me. They let you archery hunt for free if you are there pheasant hunting. You don't get charged a nickle unless you actually shoot a buck. I seen one buck that I thought was a B&C class. They told me they thought he was around 150 or so and there are much larger deer there then that. I have been to four different deer hunting lodges and haven't seen a deer of the size I seen at Little River and I wasn't even deer hunting. They do offer archery hunting. The mounts and racks they have hanging around are huge. They didn't even get excited when that huge buck jumped up in front of us. Go check them out, you won't be disappointed. They are also fairly inexpensive compared to a lot of the places I have been to in South Dakota. The overall hunt was just fantastic and I hope if any of you go there you get the same experience I did. I already can't wait until next season because this is definitely one of the two hunts I am going on next year.

Outfitter Review: Dakota Hunting Trips - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Chris Peterson

Hunter: Jerry Long

Animals Hunted: Pronghorn

Surrounded by pronghorn all day long. I am fascinated by pronghorn and this was a dream come true. Highly recommend the fully guided option.

Outfitter Review: Roger's Retreat - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: JL /Valerie Eldridge

Hunter: Thomas Ferrara

Animals Hunted: Pheasant

Hunted here in November of 2005. We had four full days of hunting, plenty of wild birds. No problem getting your limit. This was my first pheasant hunt with this outfitter and already booked for 2006. Plenty of area to hunt, with all the right food for the birds. JL is a great guy, lot of fun to be around. He really knows his bird hunting and puts you in the right spots to get your birds. This was a great hunt and can't wait to get back this year. www.rogersretreat.net

Outfitter Review: Dakota Trophy Hunts - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Tom/Sheila Trask

Hunter: Phil Rutt

Animals Hunted: White-tail Deer

This was my fourth trip to Dakota Trophy. As always, I saw lots of big deer. This year, I shot a 165" 10pt the first evening of my hunt. My brother-in-law shot a 150"9pt the same evening. My father-in-law shot a fine 5x5 mulie the same day. We hit the rut perfect and the bucks were really chasing does. I would highly recommend this hunt to anyone who is serious about killing big deer. I'll be going back again in two years.

Outfitter Review: Lodgepole Creek Outfitters - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Steve Sandgren

Hunter: Mike Cottreau

Animals Hunted: Mule Deer

Hunted for muleys in Nov 2004. Steve was adamant about not shooting that 22" buck in the first two days, but even that never appeared. Saw one good whitetail, on day 4, but it was shot at by other hunters and chased off before we could set up. Guides were local and very familiar with the area, but the muleys just weren't there. The food was below par. Three other hunters there at the same time all took small bucks (all below 120"). Nothing you'd need a service to harvest. The major problem seemed to be interference from others, even though we were always on private land. Eliminate that and the hunt may be successful. The guides certainly tried their best under the circumstances.

Outfitter Review: Ghost Canyon - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Ray Hulse

Hunter: CHARLES

Animals Hunted: WHITETAIL //MULEDEER

IN A NUTSHELL OWNER WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL AND VERY SAFETY MINDED 13 HUNTERS 15 DEER 40 MILE A HOUR WINDS STILL WE ALL TAGED OUT E MAIL ME FOR FURTHER DETAILS DAHUNTA22@AOL.COM

Outfitter Review: Neu Outdoors - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: John Neu

Hunter: Jerry Hennessee

Animals Hunted: Snow Geese

The migration of Snow Geese through South Dakota in March is a site to behold. If you like to wing shoot and be treated like a king, this is the place and outfitter for you!Not a champagne hunt, but a good time.

Outfitter Review: Dakota Adventures - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Brent Barton

Hunter: Brandt Williams

Animals Hunted: Mule/Whitetail Deer

Hunted with them last year and posted review. First experieince with them was awesome. The second experience was forgetable. Outfitter overbooked, did not live up to committments and obligations, overcharged us, lied to us. The list goes on and on. The outfitter is apparently a victim of his own success and will tell you what you want to hear until it comes time to deliver and then he starts back peddling, lieing and making excuses. This is unfortunate becasue based on first experience thought we had found an outfitter we could use regularly. However, based on our second and final expereince, we will never hunt with him again and strongly recommend anyone who is thinking about hunting with him, think twice and if you do, get a legal and binding agreement executed with him so there is a provision for recourse when he dumps on you. Or better yet find an outfitter you don't need to hire an attorney to use. If anyone thinks this is sour grapes, we have the paperwork to prove it.

Outfitter Review: South Fork Ranch - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Bart Ramsey

Hunter: Phil Obrist

Animals Hunted: PHEASANT, DEER(mule-whitetail) TURKEY

I .HAVE HUNTED DEER, TURKEY AND PHEASANT. RETURNING THIS SEASON FOR ANOTHER TROPHY WHITE TAIL. SMALL FAMILY RUN OPERATION. CONTACT BART AT www.southforkranchhunting.com

Outfitter Review: Dakota Adventurers - SD

Outfitter / Owner: Brent & Dawn Barton

Hunter: Brandt H. Williams

Animals Hunted: Mule Deer

Extremely reasonable 4 day-hunt on Standing Rock Indian Reservation in early to mid November. All 6 hunters had their deer in the freezer in less than two days. This enabled us to hunt Pheasant with his pheasant hunting clients for no additional charge except the licenses. Hit the rut in the absolute peak, 5" of new snow didn't hurt. Saw an incredible amount of excellent deer in less than 2 days. New lodge on the Missouri River is first class. Extremely accomadating folks and friendly. A true family business. Going back in October for Antelope.

Outfitter Review: Lodgepole Creek Outfitters - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Steve Sandgren

Hunter: David Tomlin

Animals Hunted: Mule Deer

I saw 75+ deer on the first day hunting, both whitetails and mule deer. They had a very dry year there in South Dakota, but the deer were still plentiful. I took a 300+lb. 3x4 mulie on the first day. The food that was provided was just so so, and the accomodations were fair.

Outfitter Review: Willow Creek Wildlife, Inc. - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Steve/Bob Stoeser

Hunter: Brett Richeson

Animals Hunted: Prairie Chicken, Sharptail Grouse, Pheasant

It was a very enjoyable hunt for upland game late in Sept., 2002. Since pheasant season was not in yet, I had to hunt pheasant on the 1280 acres of preserve land they have. They have a total of over 13,000 acres to hunt! The guide and I sighted other game such as whitetail and mule deer, antelope, coyotes, and ducks and geese. I would like to go back and hunt antelope with them someday. I would like to hunt upland game with them again also. We found prairie chickens and sharptail grouse fairly often, even though it was supposed to be an off year for these game birds.

Outfitter Review: Dakota Trophy Hunts - South Dakota

Outfitter / Owner: Tom Trask

Hunter: Phil Rutt

Animals Hunted: White-tail Deer

This was my second year hunting WT deer at Dakota Trophy. Both years I saw many trophy class bucks and took a 139" 8pt in 2000, and a 147" 9pt this year. You are guided by the ranch owners themselves and they know how to get you on the big ones. They also have great mule deer as well. Great time was had by all.