The South Dakota Upland Slam - Meadow Creek Pheasant Camp
August 09, 2024 by UGUIDE South Dakota Pheasant Hunting
Arizona has its Quail Slam (Gambles, Mearns and Scaled) and South Dakota has its Upland Slam (Ring-necked Pheasants, Sharp-tailed Grouse and Hungarian Partridge). Once prevalent over all of South Dakota, this slam is now only possible in western South Dakota. That's where the UGUIDE Meadow Creek Pheasant Camp is located. This camp has been a top producer for hunters since its inception in the UGUIDE system in 2013. UGUIDE is also celebrating its 20th year in 2024. Let's breakdown why Meadow Creek is unique and what makes the SD Slam possible at this camp only.
Location - Located in Perkins County in the NW corner of the state, the landscape has a look and feel of eastern South Dakota 50+ years ago. It is big sky country and you can see for miles. Avid upland bird chasers that want to get their dogs on a variety of species will want to seek out this destination.
Habitat - The habitat at this camp is what creates a different experience than any other UGUIDE camp. The guests have access to over 3700 acres of a mixture of CRP, food plots and crop ground. You won't find soybeans here but you will find corn, wheat, sunflowers, oats and milo. Adjacent to the property is the 155,000 acre Grand River National Grassland. This might be the key to finding huntable populations of Grouse and Partridge. In addition to that, the surrounding area hosts thousands of acres of grasslands and CRP providing for an incredible bird production landscape like no other. The owner and I have worked closely together to perfect our food plot systems. Meadow Creek boasts over 100 acres of corn and milo food plots rotated annually.
Hunting - Some groups have shot almost as many grouse as pheasants on their trip. The owner was kind enough to invite me out to hunt with them on one occasion and I personally shot my limit of grouse and pheasants on one push. The hunting can be indescribably EPIC. If you like to run your dogs in grass vs food plots then there are no shortage of acres to do this. You can't possibly cover all the acres at Meadow Creek in a 4 day hunt. If you enjoy viewing wildlife you might see Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer and Pronghorn Antelope as well. This is further evidence that this property produces a different kind of upland hunting bird experience.
Performance - Meadow Creek has run the highest harvest numbers for the slam since its opening. We only track pheasant harvest in our weekly reports and Meadow Creek runs the highest average of harvested pheasants per person per day. In 2023 Meadow Creek produced a season long average of 2.6 birds per person per day compared to the 1.9 total average for all UGUIDE camps.
Lodging - Lodging at Meadow Creek is located in the original family homestead located right in the middle of the farm. Watch pheasants and grouse fly about from the spacious deck at the farmhouse. Packages at Meadow Creek are self-guided and private-exclusive to your group only. You'll feel like you own the place that week.
Current Opportunities - Week 5 (Nov. 13-16) never used to be open as the owner wished to leave this week idle to give the farm a rest from hunting pressure. With the acquisition of additional premium hunting acres, the owner has decided to open up week 5 for reservation. You can see Meadow Creek Week 5 (and other UGUIDE Pheasant Camp) Availability here. Review Package Options here. Run Quotes & Reserve here. Contact UGUIDE if you have questions here.
