Pierre, SD

I will be hunting opening weekend in Pierre SD..

Does anybody have a recommendation for hotel and dinner while there?

Thanks

Can't help you with that but they have a dollar tree in town, if you wanna stock uo on snacks for cheap.

We liked the Fort Pierre Motel. They were friendly.

The Super 8 was a DUMP..

I think we ate at Mad Mary's. I got a buffalo burger.

If you haven't gone before, you need to go to the basement of Lynn's Dakotamart.

'Never been opening weekend, and I think Pierre has to be "ground zero" of the opening. Have fun!

It will be very crowded on opening day. Best to pick your spot and arrive before daylight. Ft. Pierre motel is the best place to stay.

Fort Pierre Motel is closest to hunting and dog friendly. You can stake out dogs there. if you clean up. Be carful driving thur Fort Pierre--we watched local PD set up a speed trap in front of the motel daily and spend hours writing tickets. (the motel is across from a school.) They are right about motel 6--it is NOT dog friendly and a rough crowd. Make reservations we'll in advance, they are almost always booked opening week. There is also a motel in La Minestra, Mad Mary's are nice restaurants. There is a good steak house north of town, Cattleman's.. Minestra is italian, frequented by lobbyists and politicians. Mad Mary's next door is american fare. Try the Chateau in Fort Pierre if you want local tavern experience--beware there can be some serious drinkers in SD. Perkins for breakfast--apparently they don't eat breakfast in SD or eat it at home. There aren't a lot of options. If you are from Texas, don't go near anything that claims to be a Mexican restaurant. Oahe vet opened up a 8 pm and pulled over a 100 quills from my dog, including a whole bunch in his tongue and soft palate after he retrieved a porcupine. There was a tavern near the vets where they cooked birds for us, but can't remember the name. Caution: opening day is a zoo. Everyone gets up hours before daylight and rushes out to the grasslands so it is best to scout the day before and and plan your morning hunt--safe parking to enter the grasslands can be iffy along the freeway. A gps chip is helpful to show you what pastures are grasslands--there is private property within the grasslands. Or, you can get a map from the grassland hq in Fort Pierre. Pro trainers use the grasslands the month and a half before the season opener and birds there are warier than the rest of the state. Plan on doing lots of walking. Consider branching out and hunting other areas in the walkin book. You will find bird dog guys from all over the country opening week. Be ready to walk, watch out for pheasants, the hens look a lot like grouse, look closely at the first couple of birds you kill to make sure you don't have a hen pheasant in your bag. Be sure to visit Dakota Mart--sort of a grocery, small Cabelas-- you can get your license there, usually a walkin hunt map book and shells and guns. Birds are easy to kill--I shot a .28 w/ 7.5s and never felt I didn't have enough gun. They are bloody--make sure your game vest is blood proof.

This place is great. Go downstairs and pick up whatever hunting/fishing gear you might need. Then go back upstairs and shop for your groceries.

Thank you all.. we are hunting a friends private land so we will not have to share. He leases it out to other hunters after the 1st weekend.

I think we are booking at American Inn. Have heard Mad Mary is a good place to eat.
will make sure to check out Dakota Mart

Do i need to buy license ahead of time or can i buy the Friday before opening day?

You can buy a license online and they will send a copy to your phone. SD only sells two week licenses to out-of-staters. If you are only there for a week mark the second week for the last week of their hunting season in case you want to return later. You can reschedule that last week to anytime during the season. If the guy has birds you are lucky--you will probably avoid some crowds--i suspect a lot of people will go this year. Most leased land is more pheasant habitat than grouse but you can often find birds around the grain strips. There is plenty of room on the grasslands but you often find hunters already in the pasture you wish to hunt when you arrive. And, you have no way of knowing you just missed some hunters who worked thru the pasture. BTW is is legal to hunt unpaved roads as long as they aren't posted safety zone (near a house or ranch hdqrs. ) Road birds are mostly pheasants but it is a good way to get young dogs into birds, but you need a buddy to watch for traffic--SD farmers drive fast. Also, if checked, don't lean your gun against the vehicle even if you just checked it empty--it is a ticket in SD.

Great information.

We always had problems with other hunters coming up to a field we are hunting and just hunting in front of us. I know it is public, but in Kansas you don't hunt a field if someone else is hunting it.

There used to be a bad [censored] house/lodge southwest of Pierre near Lake Oahe called Log Heaven lodge. Not sure of its status now but they had a huge house and then built about 6 hotel style rooms on the same property. The owner had a game preserve south of Pierre. I think since I was there he and his wife divorced so I'm not sure of the status or name any longer.

Hunt the ditches around Scattergun Lodge. They stock the ditches really well.

If it's an AmericInn you be good I haven't stayed in that one but I have stayed in 3 different ones and the were all good.