There has been an increased interest in private shooting preserve permits in South Dakota, but an individual should first look at the high costs and requirements of such an operation.  A shooting preserve requires compliance with various laws and rules, minimum release/harvest of birds, and recordkeeping requirements for such a permit.  Success or profit of such an operation requires increased costs of advertising, lodging facilities, plantings for dense nesting cover (DNC), food plots, and wide tree belts for increased winter season bird survival.  The hunting experience MUST satisfy the desires of the customer, if an operator wants continued or future business from these hunters.

Any individual may charge a hunter to hunt on leased or privately owned land and may release pen-reared pheasants into an area to supplement native bird numbers for hunting.  These birds may be purchased as day old chicks (raised for later release) or older fully colored adult type birds.  If an individual chooses to raise or hold birds in confinement for future releases, they must first obtain a Captive Game Bird license from the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks.  These licenses allow a person to possess, produce, sell, offer for sale, or ship game birds.  The Noncommercial Captive Game Bird license allows an individual to raise and release game birds, but they cannot be sold or offered for sale.  The license fee is $10 for residents and $20 for nonresidents.  Shooting preserve operators are exempt from purchasing a Captive Game Bird license if the birds they raise are used only for release.  The sale of birds is not allowed.  A Commercial Captive Game Bird License, authorizes the licensee to possess, produce, release from captivity, sell, offer for sale, and ship game birds. The license fee is $50 for residents and $100 for nonresidents.

Anyone can hunt and release birds without a shooting preserve permit, provided the hunting takes place during the normal pheasant season, beginning on the 3rd Saturday of October.  Normal shooting hours, bag limits, and required state licenses must also be complied with.  This commercial type of hunting can be used by anyone, without having 1) a licensed shooting preserve, 2) minimum release requirement for the birds, and 3) recordkeeping requirements for bird release or harvest.

Most people think raising pheasant chicks will be as easy as raising chickens.  Unfortunately, raising pheasants is not quite that easy.  Pheasant chicks will cost $1.50 to $2/bird.  The operator will need confinement pens or other storage areas, feeding and watering facilities, and the birds released on preserves must be kept until they are at least 15 weeks of age.  The cost of purchasing and raising a day-old pheasant chick to 15 weeks of age, with costs of feed and electricity, amounts to $6-$7/bird.  A number of people have commented they will not try raising birds again due to the extra time required, death loss, etc., but instead will purchase adult type birds (15 - 20 weeks old) in the future.  By doing this, they will be assured of getting quality birds with long tail feathers.  The cost of a 15-20 week old pheasant will vary from $10-$12.  For a preserve in its second year of operation, the cost of the required minimum release of 600 pheasants may be $6,000 to $7,000.