Review of Buffalo Butte Ranch

Reviewed by UltimatePheasantHunting.com

	Joe Kratke (MN), Tony Nickles (SD), Marshall Springer (Owner) & John Gosselin (VT - Publisher of the Upland Almanac).

I had not visited the Springer's at Buffalo Butte since 1993, and I was especially eager to see their new lodge they built in 2005 in person. The pictures they had taken and posted on their website indicated that I was in for a treat. John Gosselin, the publisher of The Upland Almanac magazine was with me for this trip. We arrived at night, and walked into a warm and inviting lodge, complete with décor fitting for a top-notch hunting lodge. The first thing I noticed walking in from the back deck was the buffalo head mounted above the fireplace between the large picture windows. On other walls there were pheasants, deer and outdoor prints from various artists.

	The Buffalo Butte Lodge at the base of the Buttes with "The Chalets" of Backcountry Outfitters next door.

Colleen and Marshall Springer were entertaining a large group of hunters from Wisconsin and Ohio, and we were introduced to all of them. After all the introductions, we started hearing about their hunt so far. The overwhelming comment by most was about the number of birds they saw. Being from out East, they are not used to seeing flushes of a hundred or more at a time.

We awaited the rest of our hunting party-Ryan Trask and Joe Kratzke-and they finally showed up around 8 PM. We went to bed early that night in anticipation of lots of exercise upcoming the next couple of days.

When we arrived it was near 70 degrees. When we woke up, the snow was flying, the wind howling out of the north, and the air temperature was about 15 degrees-what a change! Never the less, this was South Dakota in November, and we were well prepared for it, as MOST of us brought thermal's-the gentleman from Vermont seemed to forget his, but we had extra chaps that helped to keep his legs dry and warm.

After an outstanding home cooked breakfast of Midwestern favorite's scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes and rolls, we geared up and got ready for the day's hunt. Marshall went over his rules regarding hunter safety and ethics, stressing the fact a safe hunt will be a rewarding hunt. After we received our safety directions, we loaded up in the Suburban and headed to the first field.

Along the short drive to the field, we were able to witness numerous pheasants flushing from along the side of the road. This, of course, was on line with the Pavlov test, as suddenly four grown men turned into babbling, drooling idiots.

We finally reached our destination, loaded up, got the dogs ready, and headed out. Marshall explained where he anticipated the birds to be, based on the current weather conditions and the bird's historical movement patterns. The field was a mix of CRP and cane, stripped for cover yet easy walking access. Walking was a little tough as the snow was wet, and the dirt became muddy. Boots soon became heavy and the base of the boot grew to about 10 times its normal size.

About forty yards into our walk, the dogs became extremely birdy, and we soon got on some awesome points and flushes. Within 20 minutes we had 7 birds in the bag, and when we got to the end of this first field we took a minute to discuss the strategy for our next field.

We crossed over the fence line and started walking a field of cut corn stalks bordered by prairie grasses on both sides. The birds in here were pretty spooky, getting out way in front of us even though we were walking into the wind. On top of that, the snow was being blown into our faces too.

	Joe Kratzke takes aim.

We only got one rooster out of this 60 yard stretch, but literally saw a hundred bust out ahead of us. We watched these roosters fly down into a low lying CRP field about 300 yards away, so we decided to walk another field and let this area sit for a few hours.

We walked a long winding creek bottom with thick CRP and thickets. We had 2 in the creek bottom with the dog and Marshall and 2 walking about 20 yards on each site slightly ahead of us. The birds were a little spooky, quite possibly due to the sudden weather change. The entire previous week highs were in the 70's and even a day over 80, so this cold weather and snow really messed with their heads.

Near a bend in the creek, where a large food plot was located up the hill, we saw about 200 birds explode in front of us. Joe and John were fortunate to get close enough to drop a few roosters. We were now 2 shy of our daily limit, and knew that just one more short walk should do it.

We got on the section road and started walking back towards the Suburban. Sure enough, along the way we were able to bag our last 2 birds. Quick and precise retrieves all day long ensured we would achieve 100% success today.

We made back to the truck by 4 PM, and worked on cleaning the boots off before climbing in. On the way back, Marshall took us slowly to the "safe zone"-an area designated as a no hunting zone ever. When the truck came slowly rolling down the dirt road, we started seeing birds moving to the crops. We got the cameras out and got treated to a mass exodus of pheasants, as hundreds started flushing out into the other fields.

A short drive later, we were back at the lodge, eager for hot showers and food. We were treated that night to Flintstone-sized steaks, potatoes, veggies, and the works-which pretty much topped the entire day off for us.

In a nutshell, the hunt was awesome, the lodge warm, beautiful and comfortable, the food filling and our hosts most gracious. The Springer run a grade-A operation, and the amount of return customers is a tribute to the way they run it.

Contact Buffalo Butte Ranch at:

Buffalo Butte Ranch
Marshall & Colleen Springer
RR 5 Box 53
Gregory, South Dakota 57533
605-835-8544
www.buffalobutte.com