About to go on a 10 day pheasant and duck hunt in SD.I have duck hunted all over the southeastern United States but never this far north and am super excited. My duck hunting area is the North Eastern section (00Y) of SD. Will be staying in Watertown. Couple of questions for you that live in this general area.

1) where are the good country mom and pop places to eat?
2) names of any good local taxidermist in case I kill a pretty rooster or duck?
3) any local outfitters in the area that carry guns and ammo?
4) any suggestions on cool places that are a must visit?

Thanks sigforum!

There is a Cabelas in Mitchell. Probably about an hour out of your way to Watertown (assuming you're flying into Sioux Falls) but might be worth it depending on how much time you have to spare.

Have fun, my pheasant hunting trip to Wessington was my favorite hunting trip ever. Can't wait to get back up there.

25 / 30 miles South of Sioux Falls. Best steaks around! Location, TEA S. D.
https://teasteakhouse.webs.com/dinnermenu.htm

I'm very jealous. I need to start traveling with my GSP for some pheasant.

Go west of Watertown to Henry. Henry Steakhouse used to have decent breakfast in the morning and cheap dinner specials. My dad couldn't make it to SD without having at least one steak dinner and one chicken dinner at the steakhouse. There is a diner in the next town to the West that was good for breakfast too but I don't remember the name. In Watertown we usually after at the cafe out by the stockyard.

Lots of good little potholes that don't get hit hard for ducks out by Henry and south of there for ducks. Bitter lake to the north for big water but bring a boat. I still see pictures of a house there the lake is taking over pop up on my desktop every now and then. There is a local guy in Watertown my friends used for ducks and pheasants a few times. Ask a local how to get ahold of Roger if he is still guiding. He used to own one of the bars downtown but I don't know if he still does. I haven't been there in 3 or 4 years now.

I hunt every year near Chamberlain, never been to the NE portion of the state.

For taxidermy, out of your way, but amazing work and prices, Marie's Taxidermy in Oacoma, SD is phenomenal.

The Scheel's in Sioux Falls is huge and has an excellent selection of guns.

If you get a chance, you should check out the Badlands, Wall Drug, and Rushmore/Crazy Horse - but all are West of you. If you do manage to get to Rapid City, be sure to check out First Stop, a gun store, and ask to go to the basement - you'll thank me!

I have not been in this area of SD for awhile as we usually are trying to huff it over to the Black Hills on I-90 but all of the places I have mentioned below are still going strong.

In Watertown itself, check out the Terry Redlin museum. Can't miss it on the east edge of town along I-29. Terry was a prolific wildlife artist from Watertown and the museum does a good job showing the evolution of his work over his career. He passed away a few years ago now. I grew up looking at several prints by him that my Dad collected just after my parents got married.

Another interesting stop is the Kones Korner gun shop. It is south of Watertown on Hwy 81. It started as and still is a C-store but they now boast an inventory of 2500 guns. I remember this was the first time I saw the railed versions of the Sig P-series when we stopped there.

If you get a chance there is also a nice gun shop in Aberdeen which is a little less than 2 hours drive from Watertown to the northwest called Sodak sports. In Aberdeen it is just south of the intersection of Hwy 12 and 281 on the west edge of town.

Also the Runnings chain of farm/fleet stores have an good selection of new guns and decent overall sporting goods department if you need supplies. We have some scattered around here in Minnesota, but I know there are a lot more in SD.

One thing that no one else has mentioned is the weather. I know the Dakota's have seen some wintry weather already which is early but no blizzards yet. That part of SD is very flat and it doesn't take much snow/ice to make roads shitty especially if are not used to them so take your time and drive slow if you get caught in something.

Hope you have a successful and fun trip.

About 40 miles South is a tiny town called Bruce. There is a GREAT tavern, steakhouse, restaurant called The Ridge. I ate there this Summer and it was very good. They do not have a webpage, but they are on FB.

Bruce is also famous for the quality of honey that is produced there.

I will be hunting in Winner starting on Friday of next week. It will be my 22nd or so annual trip.

Forgot to mention, ask your guide if possible how the fields are. I drove all across the state last week on I90, and the eastern part has had a ton of rain recently - there was standing water and flooding in a lot of fields. This means there’s likely to be gumbo in the fields (extremely sticky mud that cakes only your boots, you’ll be walking on 12# elevator shoes in no time). Muck boots help with this, I’m told, but have never personally used them. It is universally awful to walk long wet fields with it though. Some try to spray the soles of their boots with silicone spray to prevent sticking, which helps some. Talk to your guide, hopefully the fields have been able to dry before you get out there. Central part of the state where I was hunting (Kimball) was mostly dry last week and we were able to stay out of any still damp/wet fields.

Don't forget to order Chislic, the state food of S.D.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chislic

I don't live in Watertown (but I do live in eastern SoDak) so I can't be of as much help as I would like to be.

Kones corner, about 15 miles south of Watertown on Hwy 81, would be the place to go as far as an outfitter is concerned. They would have about anything you need, plus they would be able to answer alot of your questions about the area. Ammo can also be found in some of the larger gas stations and hardware stores, selection might be limited however.

Don't see many taxidermists around anymore. My suggestion is to ask around when you get here. Kones Corner would probably know. Same thing as far as a good place to eat is concerned. Most places serve pretty decent food.

We did have a lot of rain a couple weeks back but fields are drying out fast and the farmers are busy getting the corn picked. Low areas might be a bit soupy yet.

Northern ducks and geese haven't started down in any large numbers yet, but the Sand Lake area north of Watertown up near Aberdeen generally attracts a lot of waterfowl.

As far as cool places to visit, I guess that would depend on where your interests lie and how far you are willing to travel. Again, ask the locals, they will be more that happy to help.

Have a good hunt.

Thank you all for the great responses. Exactly what I was hoping for. I’ll check some of these places out. I’ll be all over some chislic!

Let us know how the hunt went & the hospitality of Dakotans. Good hunting!