Richard's Road Trip 2010 - South Dakota or Bust

The only pheasants I've ever killed were on a hunting preserve. I'm looking forward to searching for "real wild ringnecks" in South Dakota.
photo by Richard Simms

What follows is a Blog as Chattanoogan.com Outdoors Editor Richard Simms winds his way on an 18-day "Road Trip." The ultimate destination is hunting waterfowl and pheasants in South Dakota. But there is lots to do between here and there. If you're just joining us, you might want to read from the bottom up... the first entry is dated Oct. 6, 2010.

Oct. 16, 2010

I simpy had TOO MUCH to write about this day. I have decided to begin "Part 2 - Richard's Road Trip 2010 - South Dakota or Bust." Please CLICK HERE TO READ IT.

Oct. 15, 2010 (8 pm Mountain Time)

I have returned from a 3 or 4 hour scouting expedition. At first blush the waterfowling prognosis - poor. The pheasant prognosis - incredible!

I feared that my Thursday evening wildlife viewing excursion (see below) had provided a skewed view of the pheasant situation... at least compared to the area I'm hunting in (about 4.5 hours to the South). I need not have worried. This place too, is lousy with pheasants. Today I didn't even have to waiting until the evening hour to see them.

The first walk I made into an area I might hunt... 2:30 in the afternoon under a baking sun... I watched as about a hundred (yes, I said ONE HUNDRED), pheasants flushed from a creek bottom and sailed into a wind row of cedar trees. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. After a half-mile walk, I was enroute back to the truck when I "flushed" the first flock at close range. I picked a rooster out of the bunch and nailed him... with my "pointing finger" anyway. I was psyched.

As I continued driving I saw pheasants everywhere I went. It appeared as if someone left the chicken coop open, except it went on for miles.

In one spot I was watching a prairie dog town as a half-dozen pheasants watched me from 80 yards away.

Suddenly I heard a prairie dog "whistle," and instantly every pheasant ran or flapped for the nearest heavy cover.

I suspected what was up, and sure enough turned around to see a hawk sailing our way. Yesterday I got to watch a hawk and a hen pheasant in a life-or-death game of cat & mouse. The pheasant won.

One USFWS Biologist warned me that "this weekend will be a zoo." Indeed I saw LOTS of other hunters prowling the same thousands of acres of public land I was prowling, and right now the Crossroads Inn (the ONLY hotel in Martin) is filling up quick... however there really is "thousands of acres" of public land here. The two areas I've picked out "for starters" total about 6,000 acres. It will be interesting to see how many pheasant hunters it takes to "fill that area up."

Driving to Martin I sort of skirted around the edge of "The Badlands." It was some amazing scenery.

And I understand that pheasants, like our resident geese, get "educated" real quick. No matter how many roosters there are, it will still be a challenge to get one into shotgun range when you are "dogless," and going it alone. But wondering whether or not there are pheasants there will NOT be the problem.

I checked out two possible duck hunting areas. One had a half-dozen ducks, but it was deep water... not suitable for a wader" like me. But I've got four days to keep looking, and plenty of pheasants to keep me occupied in the meantime.


You also have to keep an eye out for the "Deer Crossings" as you drive around. In the grasslands it's sometimes hard to imagine where they live and hide, but they are certainly here.

Meanwhile, thanks for all the great e-mails from folks who are reading along. It really is nice to know folks are checking in every now and then. Feel free to please send me an e-mail.

I've found my way to Martin, SD. Now begins the interesting process of trying to find a good pace to hunt. The search begins... will report as possible.

My goodness... how can I describe today other than to call it a 12-hour fish and wildlife extravaganza.

I was in the Akaska Bait Shop, Bar & Grill at 7:30 this morning when a gentleman sat down beside me and asked, "Are you Richard?" That's when I learned I'd "traded up" on guides. Instead of Chad Schilling, I was to be escorted by the family patriarch, Chad's father, Brad Schilling. Chad had been called away to guide on a pheasant preserve where the season is already open.

I could write a book about this day... but I won't bore you with the details. Was the fishing incredible?

No, it wasn't. But after a hard day on Lake Oahe (pronounced uh-wah-hee), I boated my personal best walleye and my first-ever northern pike.

I call that an excellent day. And I was fishing with the salt-of-the-earth.

Brad Schilling grew up in Akaska, South Dakota. He has pheasants and walleye in his blood. During the course of the day he shared that in 1993 he was living away from Akaska when his father asked him if he wanted come back and farm the family land. Brad did... his wife didn't. And that is when they parted ways.

About 4 o'clock Brad asked me if I'd like to go for a drive "and see some of the wildlife and shoot some pictures." With my personal best walleye and first northern pike in the bag, I started reeling up and said "Let's go!"

Before we get to that however... here's a glimpse at what kind of people live here. When we returned to the ramp I offered to back the trailer in. Brad said, "Sure. The keys are in the ignition." He left his Jeep Cherokee parked at a public launching ramp from 8 am until 4 pm unlocked, keys in the ignition.

I was shocked, and told him so.

Brad said, "Actually I usually leave a $20 dollar bill on the dash. If somebody steals it, I'd hate for them to run out of gas."

I believed he was serious and realized, "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore."

We dropped the boat off and began our tour of about half of the 5,000 acres Brad owns, or leases for pheasant hunting. At one point as we drove literally through the backyard of his home place, two bucks leapt from the grass.

As they ran, they flushed pheasants out of their way. Just a few yards later we approached the small lake in Brad's backyards and mallards leapt from the cattails and into the sky.

All I could say was, "Deer, pheasants and mallards in your backyard.... you left your wife for this?"

He just grinned.

Speaking of pheasants... I know South Dakota is 'The Pheasant Capitol of the World," but my gosh. As evening fell and we reached that "bewitching hour" before the sun sets, we literally had to "Shoo" the pheasants out of our way as we made our way across Brad's land.

I was, and still am, in awe. I saw more wild pheasants this evening, numbering in the hundreds, than I ever expected to see in my life.

Brad said, "We have one group of eight hunters who like to come and see how long it takes them to limit out each day. They are good shots. Last year the longest it ever took them was 34 minutes. Then we hook up the boats and go fishing."

It was a special day with a special man in a special place. I am in awe.

Check out www.oahewings.com for more about Brad, Chad and the services they offer.

Do you want to share your own Comments, Hunting Tips, Questions or other communiques... please send me an e-mail. I'd love for this electronic road trip to be on a 2-way street.

What can I say... it's a LONG drive to South Dakota. I departed Reelfoot Lake at 1 pm (CDT) Tuesday. The GPS told me it was 19 hours from Reelfoot Lake to Akaska, South Dakota. That is if you drive non-stop... no sleeping.

I slept... however I passed on paying money for a motel. It was a quick snooze in the truck in a rest stop, along with a few bathroom and food breaks. I arrived in Akaska in 26 hours... at 3 pm Wednesday. I am ready to sleep now.

The most notable thing about Akaska is the city limits sign which reads, "Welcome to Akaska: Pop. 52." However Linda at the local bar & grill said, "It's actually 38, and that's if you count my dog."

Shonda Schilling told me when I arrived at their Oahe Wings & Walleyes Motel, "All the rooms will be open. Just pick the one you want." She dropped by a few minutes ago to check on me. She said it had been a crazy week because her Dad had asked her to help combine their 9,000 acres of corn!

I have definitely arrived in a world unlike any this Tennessee hillbilly has experienced before. Some of the sights and sounds from the last 28 hours include: The Mississippi River (see video below), some ugly rush hour traffic in St. Louis, some killer classic rock radio stations coming across Missouri in the dark of night (I thought about it, but I did NOT video my karaoke. You're welcome.), and coming across South Dakota pothole country I marveled at the ducks. In parts of the state hundreds of flooded potholes line the highways and the majority of those held ducks... maybe 2 or 3, maybe 30 or 40. Where I'll be hunting ducks is a LONG way from Akaska so I have no idea what I'll find there. But my appetitie has been throughly whetted.

Of yea, did I mention the camel? The exotic beast (pictured below) has to rank high among the strangest things I've seen so far.

Tomorrow I head for Lake Oahe with professional walleye fisherman Chad Schilling. He has a laundry list of walleye tournament wins to his credit. We'll see if he can produce with a camera in the boat? Tomorrow however is the last time he'll fish for a while. He switches to guiding for pheasants. Akaska and every other South Dakota town is gearing up for an onslaught of out-of-state hunters Friday for the opening days on Saturday. Check out www.oahewings.com for more about Chad and the services he offers.

By the way, I checked my cell phone when I arrived here. It didn't read "No Service." It actually read "No Way in Hell!" Nor is there there Internet access in the Oahe Wings & Walleyes Motel, but I'm told that if I head down to the Akaska Bait Shop, Bar & Grill, I should be able to hit a wi-fi connection there. If you're reading this, I was successful. Otherwise I am OOS (Out-of-Service).

A large portion of Northeast South Dakota is obviously "pothole country." There's no way a duck hunter could be bored riding down the road.

The ducks ignore speeding cars, but they don't like it when you stop.

Folks in South Dakota get excited when pheasant season rolls around. There are "Welcome Hunters" signs everywhere you look. There are also numerous, permanent "Poaching Hotline" signs posted along all the major roads I've seen. They take hunting very seriously here.

One thing you won't see very often in South Dakota is a curve in the road. It is pretty much the ultimate "straight shot" wherever you want to go.

And finally, the parting shot for today's entry... The Camel.

Do you want to share your own Comments, Hunting Tips, Questions or other communiques... please send me an e-mail. I'd love for this electronic road trip to be on a 2-way street.

I got an education in Reelfoot Fall Crappie fishing this morning. Blue Bank Resort guide Bill Blakely introduced me (and his War Eagle) to a few Reelfoot stumps. The water is about 2 feet below normal right now and the entire lake is a stump bed as far as the eye can see.

I'll post more pictures later, but for now suffice to say today was quality over quantity. But it is a pleasure for an East Tennessee boy to fish REAL crappie structure. We put a half-dozen BIG Reelfoot crappie on ice and let the little ones go grow up.

Now it is westward-ho... 18 hours of driving to Akaska, South Dakota. I'll try to check in along the way.

Do you want to share your own Comments, Hunting Tips, Questions or other communiques... please send me an e-mail. I'd love for this electronic road trip to be on a 2-way street.

Tribute to Heroes (Earlier Today)

Must hurry... heading out on Reelfoot shortly to see how folks catch crappie here in October. Will share with ya'll later today, hopefully.

Meanwhile, a short tribute to two of my heroes.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Meriweather Lewis. He died while traveling along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee three years after completion of the historic Lewis & Clark Expedition. Debate still rages as to whether his death was murder or suicide? He was said to have been sorely depressed about his life back in the "real world" after his dangerous 2-and-a-half year journey to the Pacific Ocean and back. But the nature of Lewis's multiple wounds lead many to believe it was murder.

Where is CSI when you really need them?

I will think often of Lewis as I travel to South Dakota and along his route, the Missouri River.

And today is the anniversary of the death of another great man, for different reasons. On this day in 1997 John Denver died when his ultralight aircraft plunge from the sky. Later today I will sing along on a Rocky Mountain High.

Finally a couple of pictures of the view from my room at Blue Bank Resort.

I am now Blue Bank Bound.

I left Huntsville Sunday following the Southeastern Outdoor Writers Conference Sunday and returned to Chattanooga to pack the truck enroute to South Dakota. Departure is imminent and I will pit stop at Reelfoot Lake and Blue Bank Resort tonight... and hopefully soremouth a few Reelfoot crappie tomorrow.

What lies beneath the tarp you may ask?

Coolers, decoys, storage bins full of hunting stuff and clothes. I'm told that October weather in South Dakota can range from desert conditions to blizzard conditions... sometimes on the same day.

My packing skills are poor... I am certain that half of what I haul will never be touched or used... meanwhile half of what I really need or want will still be at home. Oh well.

Do you want to share your own Comments, Hunting Tips, Questions or other communiques... please send me an e-mail. I'd love for this electronic road trip to be on a 2-way street.

I played hooky today. All of the folks with the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association Conference in Hunstville were invited to a "Shooting Day" sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. It was an opportunity to go pop caps untils your shoulders, and ears, were sore.

However I had the chance to head for the lake with my friend and guide, Mike Mitchell. I'm a catfish guide and I specialize in (trying) to catch LOTS of catfish. And when you catch lots of catfish, the law of averages dictates that there are going to be some trophy fish in the mix.

Mike on the other hand, specializes in catching nothing but trophies. Don't plan on catching big numbers, but you can expect to have the chance of catching a fish of a lifetime. Mike doesn't get real excited until he see big blue cats in the 40 to 100 lb. range.

We were joined by good friend Sam Simons, a trophy cat addict from Chattanooga. We fished hard about six hours and we caught seven catfish. From the bottom up they weighed 5 lbs., 8 lbs., 15 lbs., 35 lbs., 37 lbs., 38 lbs., and topping out with a massive 47 lb. beast. Click HERE for a Photo Gallery. It's many hours of waiting beneath a cloudless, windless and very warm October sky.... with periodic spurts of absolutely intense, adrenalin-pumping panic when one of Mike's broomstick-style rods bows into the water. Check out the videos below for a taste.... and then visit www.tnriveroutfitters.net

Guide Mike Mitchel (left) helps me hold an impressive 38 lb. blue cat. What can I say... I don't regret missing the SEOPA Shooting Day at all.

Sam Simons Battles 47 lb. Beast

Richard Simms VS 38 lb. Big Blue

I had the fine honor of visiting a short while with Ray Scott at this week's meeting. He was signing his new book, The Bass Boss. He's always a fascinating spokesman and I especially enjoyed his telling of the tale of how he stole the idea of "catch & release" from trout fishermen. However I was most intriqued by his sharing of copies of the very FIRST BASSMaster Magazine published in Spring of 1968.

Who, beside Ray Scott, knew what great things would be born from such humble beginnings? The articles and photographs are wonderful reading of times gone by. But I must say that I was MOST amazed by the full page advertisement I found on the final page of the magazine. Without comment, or critique, I share it with you.

I'm just sayin'.....

Do you want to share your own Comments, Hunting Tips, Questions or other communiques... please send me an e-mail. I'd love for this electronic road trip to be on a 2-way street.

So far Southeastern Outdoor Press Conference has been been enjoyable, albeit routine.

It was fascinating listening to some of the greatest names in the outdoor writing field share their "Secret of Success." (l-r) Mark Sosin, John Phillips, Wade Bourne and J. Wayne Fears... don't know them? Check Google, or read a lot more outdoor literature. In the end the "Secret of Success" basically boils down to great skill combined with hard work. Guess I've got half of it right.

Speaking of success, Chattanooga's Tony Sanders of "Outdoor With Tony Sanders" fame shared with other writers how he got into the Outdoor Radio business on WGOW.

At Friday's "Breakout" session, outdoor product manufacturers share the latest and greatest goodies with writers. Above two outdoor communicators take a lesson in aging whitetail deer at the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) booth.

Mostly these get-togethers are more about "networking" so that all the folks across the country in the "outdoor biz" can associate faces with names.

Folks who hope to someday break into the "Outdoor Writing" field (like me), would be wise to join up. Pay a visit to www.seopa.org.

Finally... following the "premier" SD Blog entry (below) I've had a TON of e-mails from folks with concern about my "less than stellar" year... and well-wishes for the pending "escape from reality." Turns out there are several folks who will be in various parts of South Dakota at the same time I'm there. There really have been too many e-mails to name individual but it is been heartwarming to know that (A) folks are reading, and (B) so many folks "feel my pain." Thanks to everyone who has written... and read.

Keep those cards and letter coming.

Do you want to share your own Comments, Hunting Tips, Questions or other communiques... please send me an e-mail. I'd love for this electronic road trip to be on a 2-way street.

For the next 18 days I'm free... it's a long-awaited vacation. Although the plans were first hatched nearly a year ago, the pending break from reality couldn't come soon enough after what I will always remember as "The Year from Hell." Forgive my language, but there is no more fitting description.

Hopefully in the coming days I can create enough fond memories to overcome the bad ones accrued the first eight months of 2010. You're lucky... you get the condensed version of my misery (assuming you care to read as I wallow in self-pity for just a little while).

It began with chronic pain in my right shoulder just after Christmas 2009. That is my shooting and casting shoulder, by the way. The pain grew worse and worse despite treatment, leading to MRI's and surgery to remove a bone spur and repair a torn rotator cuff.

That was bad... then my year went downhill from there.

Too many of my loved ones died this year, including my dear mother, Marion Simms, after 37 days fighting to live.

During most of those 37 days, having apparently turned into an orthopedic time bomb, I suffered from a ruptured disc in my neck... a pain I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. Chronic, debilitating pain combined with emotional upheaval take a heavy toll.

Thank God the eight months of physical pain has finally ended, the emotional wounds haven't quite healed however. I don't think I've ever needed "a break" quite as much as I need this one.

So what "plan" was hatched a year ago?

Most years I like to plan a "road trip" somewhere. I fish a lot, I hunt a fair amount... but occasionally we all need to see some new woods and water.

I have several friends who have made treks to South Dakota. There I am told that pheasants carpet the ground like fallen oak leaves. An exxageration of course, but one biologist told me a couple of weeks ago that, "I think Stevie Wonder could kill a limit of pheasants here this year."

That sounds fun, however every one of my friends returning from usually successful pheasant hunts said, "I sure wish I'd had a duck hunting license."

After hearing that more than once, I vowed I wouldn't visit "The Pheasant Capitol of the World" until I could at least have the chance to combine some rooster hunting with some greenhead hunting.

South Dakota however, is stingy with their non-resident waterfowl licenses. You must apply in advance and be drawn, just like applying for certain quota deer hunts in Tennessee.

In the midst of my aforementioned misery, I missed the first South Dakota waterfowl permit drawing. However I got my head together for a second drawing and scored a South Dakota duck hunting license for one small area... Bennett County, South Dakota.

That is my ultimate destination... Martin, SD down near the Nebraska state line. The population of Martin is about 1,500. I'm not sure about red lights, but I know there is only one hotel. In Martin there is nothing to do but hunt.

But there is much to do between here and Martin. Reelfoot Lake, Blue Bank Resort, walleye on Lake Oahe and whatever else I can find.

Before I head West however, the first few days will be in Huntsville, Ala. for the annual Southeastern Outdoor Press Association Conference. It's a chance to see what I can learn from my outdoor writing peers, be wooed by a number of outdoor product manufacturers and retailers, enjoy some occasional liquid refreshment and good food.

So I am off on "Richard's Road Trip - 2010, South Dakota or Bust" ... keep checking in on Chattanoogan.com Outdoors and go along with me, a computer, a camera, a fishing rod and a shotgun. Click HERE for my tentative road map (always subject to change).

As wireless connections allow, hopefully together we'll kill something other than time... but my primary goal is to forget "The Year From Hell," for a little while at least.

Do you want to share your own Comments, Hunting Tips, Questions or other communiques... please send me an e-mail. I'd love for this electronic road trip to be on a 2-way street.

The author (right) with Hank Rogers, a guide at the River Bend Lodge & Hunting Preserve in South Carolina from a 2008 "road trip." photo by