The Combination South Dakota Hunt

Ducks, Pheasants, Browning, Mossy Oak, And Polaris

Ray (Hawkeye) Sedorchuk

  What makes a good hunting trip? How about great people, excellent gear, superb hunting, and extraordinary utility vehicles. We all look forward to a great trip but few turn out as well as our last hunting experience. Our adventure begins at the Prairie Sky Ranch located near Veblen, South Dakota. Bruce and Corrine Prins own and operate the beautiful prairie based operation. The main lodge is roomy and comfortable with a friendly staff. Cozy guest cabins are dotted along the adjacent hillsides. Meals are served at the main lodge which overlooks a waterfowl heaven. A prairie pothole region filled with mallards, teal, gadwall, and canvasback ducks. In the distance, 200 plus head of buffalo roam the rolling hills. Bruce and Corrine have a lodge that becomes your home when you visit. They have a way of making you feel like part of the family and on this trip the friends made seem like family. There is no better way to make relationships grow than hunting and spending time together at camp.

      When we arrived at Prairie Sky we were not only greeted by the Prins, but by the Mossy Oak team, Browning, Winchester, and a great group from Polaris. The gathering was a group effort put together by Polaris and the others in order to show off their clothing lines, guns, ammunition and utility vehicles. Our hunting party was outfitted in APX Mossy Oak undergarments and outer hunting clothing, including the APX performance scent control fleece line. Browning and Winchester set us up with a room full of Browning shotguns and all the Winchester ammunition we could carry. Polaris has also teamed up with Mossy Oak and Browning to produce a Browning, Mossy Oak, Ranger utility vehicle. The basis of our trip would be to travel from various hunting areas using the Browning Edition ranger with mossy Oak camouflage.             

     Our mornings would consist of rising early around 4:30am and meeting ready to hunt in the lodge for breakfast around 5:00am. Shortly after eating we would load our gear into the Browning Edition Polaris Rangers and travel to the fields with waterfowl guides.  These young men know waterfowl and their daily routines, just before daybreak we would be dropped off in a predetermined area. Our guides would already know that there was a good amount of ducks roosting in the area and at daybreak the ducks would be looking to feed. As we readied our seated positions the guides would set out decoys to entice our hungry feathered friends into shooting range.

     As the light began to break the horizon a few swirls of ducks lifted and took flight, it was too early for legal shooting. At this point the ducks were landing in the decoy set. I turned to look for the signal from our guide on when to shoot, on my left was Ben Maki of Mossy Oak. I noticed he gave me a wink as the guide yelled out ”Take-em”. With my first shot two green headed mallards fell, I was using a special edition browning Cynergy matted in Mossy oak Duck Blind camouflage and chambered for 12gauge, 3 ½” shells. The Winchester High Density 4 shot was lethal as many far off shots suddenly turned into an effective range. When the morning hunt shutdown we were just shy of our daily limit and lunch was on our minds.

     We found the Polaris Ranger to be a great addition to our hunting effort, as the machine offers great off-road capability and the capacity to haul three hunters and their gear. The Browning Edition Ranger is outfitted with Mossy Oak Break-up camouflage and is equipped with two gun scabbards rear, a cargo box, winch up front and the browning logo imprinted in the bench seating. The vehicle is powered by a 700cc Electronically Fuel Injected engine and is ready for any off-road experience with a true four-wheel drive system and a fully independent suspension. Traveling to and from the field using the Ranger is a great asset as gear and game can be easily transported to distant locations that would otherwise we out of range to the foot hunter.

     Later in the afternoon after lunch we would meet up with our second set of guides, these fellows were birddog handlers and pheasant hunting guides. The South Dakota Prairie is big land and hunting such a vast area takes more than one dog, many guides use several dogs. Our upland guide used an aluminum dog trailer to carry his hunting partners into the field, again the Polaris Ranger came into play. Conveniently the dog handler’s specialty trailer towed quite easily behind one of the Ranger units giving him the ability to trade off dogs as needed. Anyone who has hunted on a guided upland bird hunt knows that the guide is only as good as his dogs, fresh and well scented dogs are key.

     The vastness put the birds at an advantage, we made our line and pushed the hillsides into the lower valleys. The dogs began to point and then flush as we made our way into the lower fields, Winchester’s new Super Pheasant loads in 5 shot placed many a bird in the game bag. The day came to an end with plenty of birds lying in the back of the Browning Edition Ranger; the bed was a great way to transport our game back to camp.

     Our last night in camp was a time to reflect on the new friends made and all the hunting and shooting experiences, looking out over the prairie that evening I tried to paint a picture in my mind of the prairie and the buffalo in the distance. The flocks of ducks landing in the potholes just outside the lodge and the faces of my new friends, I wanted to remember the entire trip. There is a sprit in any hunting camp and our stay with Mossy Oak, Browning, Winchester, and Polaris was the foundation for many more great hunting trips. The products we used were the best of the best, we shot the great firearms with excellent ammunition, we were comfortable and concealed in our clothing, and we had the opportunity to drive and use a great off-road vehicle. Many thanks to all that made our trip possible...                                  

Side Bar Section:

Mossy Oak’s Duck Blind Camouflage

     Mossy Oak’s newest camouflage pattern has been introduced as Mossy Oak Duck Blind. Duck Blind was designed specifically for avid duck and goose hunters in all flyways from the east to west coast - to be equally effective in marshes, potholes, riverbanks, reeds, tules, bottomland, corn fields, wheat stubble, rice fields and just about anywhere a waterfowl hunter would want to be hidden from the birds' view. Duck Blind is built on a base background of true dirt colors with different tones to represent wet and dry ground, with elements of millet, wild oats, corn stalks, phragmites, Johnson grass, soybeans and native grasses selected and placed to achieve maximum effectiveness. Unique shadows enhance depth and create the ultimate 3-D effect. Finally, muted shades of brown, tan, gray and soft black are incorporated for blending into harvested fields, marshes and wetland environments. All you have to do is sit down - and be the blind.

Winchester Ammunition:

Xtended Range

    Winchester releases their new Xtended Range waterfowl load with confidence, this means more pellets in the pattern and most waterfowl hunters are getting what they want. In other words, Winchester Ammunition is giving them just that with the addition of number six size shot in a new Supreme® Xtended Range 3-inch, 12-gauge waterfowl load. Each pellet is heavier than lead or steel and delivers energy farther down range. The new load has a payload of 1 3/8 ounces of No. 6 shot, which offers 30% more pellets than 5 shot within a given payload. Winchester Ammunition’s Xtended Range Hi-Density Waterfowl loads have set new standards for shotshell performance on ducks and geese. The Xtended Range Hi-Density pellet delivers maximum energy to the target. On our latest water fowl hunt in South Dakota we noticed a real advantage with the Xtended Range ammunition, I personally saw Ben Maki of Mossy Oak make a 65 yard shot on a mallard. That was proof in a real sense, in the field. 

Super Pheasant

     Winchester Ammunition is adding two new 12 ga. loads to their popular Super-X® Super-Pheasant line of shotshell ammunition. The first new load is a hi-velocity 12 ga. 2 ¾” load using 1 3/8 oz. of plated lead shot. These loads have a muzzle velocity of 1450 fps and are available in shot sizes of #4, #5, and #6. These new loads will be perfect for those hard hunted, late season pheasants that may only offer the hunter a tough long going away shot.
     Winchester’s other addition to this line is a 12 ga., 3” load using 1 ¼ oz. of #4 steel shot. Designed with the avid pheasant hunter in mind who must use non-toxic shot, these new loads have a muzzle velocity of 1400 fps. Both of these new Winchester® pheasant loads deliver long-range, tight-pattern power with heavy shot weights and high velocities.

    We found these loads vital when hunting the prairie pot-hole region of South Dakota; this area places many shots over water where the federal regulations ask for lead free shot. 

Browning Cynergy

    The word on Browning is in and the Mossy Oak Duck Blind camouflage Cynergy is hot, chambered for 12gauge, 2 ¾, 3, 3 ½ inch shells and offered with both a 28 and 30 inch barrel. The Browning Cynergy boasts the ultra-strong MonoLock Hinge with 300% more pivot surface area to distribute wear, and the lowest profile receiver of any 12 gauge over and under which helps to reduce muzzle jump and perceived recoil. The exclusive Reverse Striker ignition system with mechanical triggers and a rifle-type striker provide faster locktime and reduced overtravel, while Impact Ejectors feature dual springs for positive, consistent ejection. The long travel Inflex Recoil Pad system reduces felt recoil as much as 25% and offers a wide range of length of pull adjustments. With all this technology, the Cynergy forges ahead in 2007 with a broad range of new models. New Feather models are some of the lightest over and unders available. High grade models elevate the level of elegance in this exotic line. Add to that a broad range of sporting guns, with new Euro Sporting models and guns designed especially for trap shooters. Of course, all the new guns feature the same fit, finish and quality that makes Browning shotguns so sought after. Whatever your passion, there is now a Cynergy available to suit your every need and desire.

Polaris Browning Edition Ranger

     Polaris has partnered up with Browning and Mossy Oak to produce an off-road hunting vehicle with a sense of outdoor passion. The newly introduced Ranger has a few special Edition standard features, including standard 700 EFI engine, Mossy Oak New Break Up design camouflage (hood, dash, rims, decals), no-shine wrinkle black paint (cab frame, bumpers, screens); custom stitched black / brown / marsh green deluxe seat; Browning logos (hood and custom seat); Carlisle PXT off-road tires; 4.0 Warn winch; and a dual gun scabbard with Lock & Ride mount. The Ranger is wider and longer than a conventional ATV, let’s go over some statistics. The Browning Edition Ranger comes in at 287cm (113in) long, 152.4cm (60 in) wide, 190.5cm (75in) high and with a wheelbase of 193cm, (76in) long. Many buyers are interested in cargo and towing specifications, the Ranger has a fairly large hard plastic cargo box, the dimensions are 143x101.5x31.5cm (54x36.5x11.5 in), vehicle payload capacity is 681kg (1500lb), Hitch tow capacity is 681kg (1500lb), and the cargo box capacity is 454kg (1000lb). The vehicle it’s self weighs in at 539kg (1185lb) and sports 27.9cm (11in) of ground clearance with a fully independent suspension. Speaking of suspension, up front you’ll find 20.3cm (8.0in) of suspension travel and in the rear we have 22.9cm (9.0in) of travel. The vehicle has an MSRP is $12,099.