Prairie Chickens - Needle in a Haystack?

[Dean Weber]

Just completed a really special hunt which was a bucket item for me. Although I live in South Dakota and have hunted Prairie Chickens, I have never walked them up with dogs. Mostly I have pass shot at them when they are moving from feeding to roost. I have seen them taken as an opportunity bird, although this was my first time targeting them specifically to get a limit of Prairie Chickens and with no Sharptails.

Joel Vasek of SD Outdoors Unlimited, Scott Smith (Parker member) and John Lowry joined me for what I considered my epic hunt. The goal of a straight Prairie Chicken limit was nearly accomplished both days with only one Sharptail grouse on each day. We ended the hunt with a flurry of as many as a couple hundred Prairie Chickens flushed in a 5 acre roosting area over a 10 minute flurry. Craziest thing I have ever seen on the prairie.

We were fortunate for not running into any rattlers, but one coon did meet his demise in a dog fight. It is big and wild country in Western South Dakota, check out the pictures.

Special call out to Reggie Bishop. The 32" 16 gauge was on fire and it was blooded on the wild prairie and open skies with a very difficult bird. Most shots were between 40-60 yards. Our own Scott Smith was able to down the longest bird of the hunt, great shooting Scott!

[Stan Hillis]

Congratulations and great pics, Prairie Man.

[Stan Hoover]

Very nice Dean,

Thanks for taking us along with your pictures!

[mobirdhunter]

Now that’s a bucket list hunt for sure. Good shooting! Those Reggie Bishop guns are special.

[Scott Smith]

Thank you Dean for putting this most exciting and memorable hunt together. It was truly special!

[Double Lab]

Prairie chickens have always been on my list but was always hesitant to take my dogs there because of the rattlers. Nice pics but who is who? I'll be in Hitchcock, SD for the opening of pheasants at our usual haunt. I'll wave going through Sioux Falls.

How are they for table fare?

[Dean Weber]

Originally Posted by Daryl Corona

Prairie chickens have always been on my list but was always hesitant to take my dogs there because of the rattlers. Nice pics but who is who? I'll be in Hitchcock, SD for the opening of pheasants at our usual haunt. I'll wave going through Sioux Falls.

How are they for table fare?

Daryl,
As a way to identify, I am shooting a GH16, Scott Smith is shooting a black diamond Model 12, and my buddy John Lowry is shooting a Citori. We all chose our guns which provided enough choke for the longer shots.

As for taste....well they do not taste like chicken. However, we coated them with olive oil after tenderizing and seasoned with Tone's garlic and pepper blend. Cooked rare-ish, they tasted more like a red meat. To be honest, I was floored how delicious they were. All commented the same.

[Reggie B]

Great to see that 16 taking birds! Great pics!

[Larry the Gun Guy]

Originally Posted by Dean Weber

Daryl,

As for taste....well they do not taste like chicken. However, we coated them with olive oil after tenderizing and seasoned with Tone's garlic and pepper blend. Cooked rare-ish, they tasted more like a red meat. To be honest, I was floored how delicious they were. All commented the same.

What a great hunt! I think now we can all understand why the market hunters took so many birds for the big city restaurants back in the day. They are great eating birds. I have only shot a few and I did have one mounted. Are any of these birds going to be mounted Dean?

[Dean Weber]

Originally Posted by Larry Stauch

What a great hunt! I think now we can all understand why the market hunters took so many birds for the big city restaurants back in the day. They are great eating birds. I have only shot a few and I did have one mounted. Are any of these birds going to be mounted Dean?

Larry,
These early male birds don’t have their “horn” feathers grown out. The big boomers with long horn feathers are taken late in the season. So, none to mount for me. However, something to shoot for….maybe a late pheasant/chicken combo while in search of chicken horns!