Warne Ranches
Hunting & Outfitting

South Dakota, The land of exciting game bird hunting. Where pheasant is king and the opportunities abound.

Imagine yourself hunkering down beside a prairie marsh watching flocks of mallards or occasional groups of teal and pintails work your decoys. Watch tens of thousands of Canadian and snow geese land in nearby cornfields. Listen to the constant echo of rooster pheasants crowing. Keep an eye on a wily whitetail. Get excited at the peeping of Hungarian partridge just before they flush.

With a combination of nesting area, wintering cover, unlimited feeding areas mixed with prairie wetlands, our fifth generation family ranch, north of Pierre, South Dakota offers over 8,000 contiguous, adjoining acres of the finest combination upland game bird and waterfowl hunting in the United States.

We take great pride in providing our guests with the highest quality hunts in some of the finest upland gamebird and waterfowl habitat South Dakota has to offer. Whether you're entertaining a group of business associates or just relaxing with old friends, the experience is always the same, friendly experienced guides, great dogs, excellent food and accommodations and the abundant numbers of birds found no where else but South Dakota.

Groups can range in size from four to twenty  hunters for the pheasant and upland game bird hunt. The pheasant/waterfowl combination is for large groups as well, although most of the time you will do your shooting in groups of four or less for waterfowl. When you plan your hunt with us you will have the ranch all to yourself. We'll hunt at your own pace and tailor plan your trip and outing to your wishes and needs.

Pheasant hunting is done in the traditional South Dakota style alternating walkers and blockers. Habitat varies between thousands of acres of chest high grass to over 25 miles of stripped food plots containing corn, milo, sorghum and sunflowers laid out in various widths and lengths. As few as four hunters, or as many as twenty will all find the appropriate sized fields to hunt. Forty miles of Russian olive, cedar, dogwood and plum tree rows also offer excellent late season cover. It's not uncommon to flush literally hundreds of birds out of these shelter belts in late season snow cover! Patches of weeds and wild sunflowers also provide the perfect cover for bonus birds like sharptail grouse, prairie chicken and Hungarian partridge.  You'll always hunt behind close-working, well seasoned gun dogs to insure the absolute best chances for success in flushing and retrieving downed birds. (Well-trained
dogs are always welcome.)

Located in the heart of one of the central fly-way's largest staging areas, Warne Ranches is able to provide our guests with some of the most exciting waterfowl hunting action in the country. With over 900 acres of private wetlands, Warne Ranches holds at times, over 100,000 migrating ducks and geese. Waterfowl hunting is done several different ways from pass shooting snows, blues and specs coming off the refuge to field hunting in pits with huge decoy spreads for the Giant Canada geese. Duck hunting usually takes place in floating blinds, shooting over decoys. Our ranches also have over 50 small stock ponds for "jump shooting".

With over 8,000 acres of archery only property, we also offer a limited number of archery whitetail memberships.   This hunt is a trophy only hunt(130+ gross inches) that runs from the opening weekend, which begins the 3rd Saturday in September and runs until the 2nd Friday in November. This allows our members to hunt a variety of different ways, from sitting in ground blinds at well-used water holes early season to hunting tree stands along irrigated alfalfa and corn fields during the peak of the rut. Whichever method you choose, your sure to see an abundance of game and have ample opportunities for success in getting a shot at a true Pope & Young class buck.

Trophy rifle hunts are also offered and are available through a state drawing, if you're successful in the drawing,  you can count on the opportunity at taking a 145 + inch whitetail. Last year our whitetail hunters enjoyed 100% success with the average buck grossing 150 inches.

                    

3-Day Premium Bird Hunting Package              

Includes lodging; 3 days, 4 nights, breakfast, field lunch with snacks and refreshments, gourmet evening meal and dinner drinks, upland licensing, guides, 4 upland birds per day, all ground transportation including airport pickup and delivery from Pierre airport, bird cleaning and freezing, decoys, blinds, and duck boats for waterfowl hunts.(waterfowl license and federal stamp not included)

* 3-day Pheasant/Waterfowl combination (Oct-Dec)..............$2,345

* 3-day Pheasant, upland game birds (Oct-Dec)...............$1,895

4-Day Trophy Whitetail Rifle Hunt-Includes lodging, meals, guide and transportation to and from the field-$3,500 per person.

Whitetail Archery Membership-(8 hunters per season) $3,500 per person per season. Includes exclusive access to over 8,000 acres of archery only property with tree stands, ground blinds and lodging at ranch clubhouse. Archery members are allowed to harvest one trophy buck (130+ gross inches) and two does.

*Based on parties of 4 or more hunters.
50% deposit required within ten days after booking to reserve your dates. Deposits are absolutely non-refundable unless you find another hunter to fill your vacant spot in the group.
5% State sales tax or guide gratuities not included.

Warne Ranches has received national recognition for its habitat management and hunting opportunities. Our Media References Include:

Boone County News - South Dakota Ranch Offers Cornucopia of Game
Nov 97
by Phillip Larson

Omaha Sunday World Herald - Biologists  Pinpoint Bird Haven
Nov 97
by Larry Porter

North American Hunter - South Dakota Pheasants Back On Top This Fall
Oct 98
by Bill Miller
                                                                                               
American Hunter - Dakota Double Take
March 1999
by Bill Rooney

Ducks Unlimited - Wing & A Prairie 
May 99
by Chris Dorsey

The Retriever Journal - Pheasant Fever In The Promised Land
Sept 99
by Ben O. Williams

Petersen's Hunting - Midwest Pheasant Revival
Dec 99
by Joe Coogan

Sporting Clays - Plan Your Hunt Now
July 2000
by Joe Arnette

Petersen's Hunting - Expeditions, Pheasant Farming
July 2000
by Lee Hoots

Outdoor Life - Everybody Loves A Pheasant
Oct 2001
by Jim Zumbo

Pointing Dog Journal - Photo Essay, The Warne Ranch
Sept 2001
by Ben O. Williams

American Hunter - Ringneck Rendezvous
May 2002
by Jim Zumbo

Bowhunter - Waterhole Whitetails
May/June 2003
by Mark Kayser                                                                     

Television References:
ESPN's North American Outdoors with Bill Miller (SD Doves and Ducks)

Midwest Sports Channel's Outdoorsman Adventures with Gary Howey (SD Pheasants)

ESPN's Back Roads  with Ron & Raven (SD Pheasants)

TNN's Bass Pro Shop's Outdoor World with Brenda Valentine & Jerry Martin(SD Pheasants) 

Bill Jordan's Realtree video CLASSIC HUNTS V (145 Inch Trophy Whitetail)

ESPN'S North American Outdoors with Mark Kayser (140 Inch Trophy Whitetail)

Outdoor Channel's Benelli's American Bird Hunter with Dave Gruber (SD Pheasants)

Host Ranch for  1997 - 2007 South Dakota Governors Hunt

Specializing in exclusive group and corporate hunts. To inquire about available dates, receive a brochure or to book reservations, please give us a call or an e-mail.

Thanks, and hope to see you this fall.

Cody Warne                                                                                                                                               
3520 Lambeth Place
Pierre, SD 57501
(605) 224-1445
codybuckwarne@msn.com