South Dakota and Montana updates, it continues to grow. We’ve recently put together our “Signature Upland Hunt” together for those wanting an upland experience second to none. The combination hunt starts in Montana with 3 days of bird hunting along the Big Horn River. The 4th day is a 5 hour travel day to the South Dakota Ranch along a very picturesque stretch between Hardin Mt and the South Dakota border.

Arriving at the SD ranch for 3 more days of world-class upland hunting on thousands of acres of native prairie, a contrast to what we’ve hunted in Montana. Both locations provide unmatched beauty and great upland hunting. It really is a great experience.

I’ll be finishing up dog training in SD the month of August, guiding from September 1st thru the 25th or so, then heading back home to start the grouse camp around October 1st.

We have over 150,000 acres in South Dakota and 80,000 acres
in Montana. Our South Dakota properties we have 78,000 acres of our own deeded
land and over 100,000 acres of our neighbor’s properties that we lease. All of
our neighbor’s property that we lease is Cheyenne Sioux Tribal Territory Land.
The vast amount of this land prairie grass and rolling hills, creek bottoms and
unbelievable beauty. The South Dakota properties cover four counties, Potter,
Sully, Dewey and Ziebach in central South Dakota.

You will see allot of Sharp Tail Grouse, Some PrairieChickens and Hungarian Partridge and a great number of Ring Neck Pheasant. All natural and all wild!

Our Montana properties total 77,000 acres with a large part
of our property that runs close to eleven miles of the Big Horn River. This
property is so beautiful. Everywhere you look you see snowcapped mountains.
This land has many coulees that hold a good number of Sharp-Tails, and
Hungarian Partridge. We also have some flocks of Sage Grouse on our Fly Creek
property. The state limit on Sage Grouse is two a day a day and four in
procession. We only allow one Sage Grouse per Person. This bird is basically a
trophy bird and is not a good eating bird. These species of birds have been
struggling in numbers and we are trying to get that population back. We have a
creek bottom that runs through our farm for nine miles that has cattails and
plenty of Ring Neck Pheasants to end our day.

The seasons for 2012 in Montana & South Dakota are as
follows;

Montana License

Sharp-Tail Grouse    September 1st thru January 1st     4 Birds Daily / 16 Birds in Possession

Hungarian Partridge   Same as Sharp-Tail Season        8 Birds Daily / 32 Birds in Possession

Sage Grouse            September 1st thru November 1st      One Bird

Pheasant                  October 6th thru January 1st     3 Birds Daily / 9 Birds In Possession

South Dakota Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal License  (Estimated Dates As They Haven’t Set the
Dates Yet)

Sharp-Tail Grouse / Prairie Chickens      Sept 1st thru Dec 22nd     3 Birds Daily / 15 In Possession (Combined)

Hungarian Partridge        September 1st thru December 22nd    5 Birds Daily / 15 in possession

Pheasant                        October 13th thru December 22nd      3 Birds Daily / 15 in possession

Our Signature Upland Hunt A combined upland hunt in Montana and
South Dakota ; is four nights / three days hunting on our ranch
in  Montana, leave early on the fourth
day for a five hour drive to our South Dakota Ranch and have four nights and
three days hunting on our South Dakota Ranch. All inclusive package, travel,
meals & snacks, soft drinks and open bar, bird cleaning and packaging,
lodging, professional guide and professional dogs and shotgun shells. $7,200.00
per person, plus tax and gratuities. Additional days can be added for $1,000.00
per day per person. (You have the opportunity to harvest 39 Ring Neck
Pheasants, 46 Sharp-Tails, 62 Hungarian Partridge and One Sage Grouse if you
were to hunt four days in Montana and fill out and five days in South Dakota
and fill out your possession limits. An opportunity at 148 wild upland birds of
5 different species in one hunting package! Provided you purchase The Montana
License, South Dakota License and The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal License) No
other Upland Bird Outfitter Offers This Type of Package!

Montana Upland Hunts: is four nights / three days
hunting on our ranch in Montana. All inclusive package, travel, meals &
snacks, soft drinks and open bar, bird cleaning and packaging, lodging,
professional guide and professional dogs and shotgun shells. $3,600.00 per
person, plus tax and gratuities. Additional days can be added for $1,000.00 per
day per person.

South Dakota Packages: is four nights / three days
hunting on our ranch in Montana. All inclusive package, travel, meals &
snacks, soft drinks and open bar, bird cleaning and packaging, lodging,
professional guide and professional dogs and shotgun shells. $3,600.00 per
person, plus tax and gratuities. Additional days can be added for $1,000.00 per
day per person.

Additional packages can be added to these hunts at 70% of
the total price of that package. Example; Waterfowl Hunting, Prairie Dog
Hunting, Fishing, Deer Hunting, etc.….

Dates are filling up as we have only 17 spots available for
our Upland Packages. We will not over hunt our properties and jeopardize the
quality of our hunts. Remembering these are all wild birds. We are only a
double barrel gun outfitter, no more than three hunters per guide. Although you
have a great opportunity to harvest your possession limits, Browns Hunting
Ranch is all about the overall experience and not just about killing birds!

We require a 50% deposit to hold your dates. Credit card or
personal check is accepted. Visa, MasterCard only.

We are hopeful to come and enjoy this incredible jewel with
us. It is much more than a hunt; it is truly an experience you will remember
for your entire life.

For me, It’s an unbelievable opportunity to be part of such a great place with so much potential, I so look forward sharing it with you.

Point on the Prairie

West River in South Dakota is still the true west. When
crossing the Missouri River/Lake Oahe you will find a whole new world, one of
vast prairies, wild horses, and total wilderness. The Cheyenne Reservation
stretches many hundreds of miles taking in thousands of acres full of wildlife
beyond ones imagination. The last frontier? Indeed it is. Last fall was my
first year guiding at Browns Hunting Ranch, which was their inaugural season.
The ranch had about 30,000 acres with lots of sunflower, corn and small grains.
You’ll find draws and coulees full of pheasants, potholes full of ducks, but
native prairie was limited, very little to actually hunt. The sharp-tail we did
find were difficult to pin due to the type of cover we found them in…Sunflower
and corn stubble, but the birds are…where the birds are.

With it being our first year there were some growing pains,
but the tenacity of Browns became very apparent as we discussed improvements
and plans for 2012. One of which was to acquire more native prairie to fill
that avoid. So as of January 1st they added another 88,000 acres perfectly
located all within a 15-30 min drive from our closest hunt to our furthest hunt
west river.

I was out to the Ranch in mid-January to tour a new ground
of 88,000 acres and the “West River Lodge”.  The new property is all native prairie, along
the bottom and bluffs of the Moreau River.
It’s a sea of prairie, Taylor made for prairie birds, huge whitetail,
turkey, prairie dog and coyote hunting. Here you’ll find a life time of cover,
it’s a true sportsman’s paradise.

For the past few years the west river hunts had been part of
“Double A Outfitters”.  At one
time the ranch took in over 300,000 acres for prairie dog and big game hunting,
but had been limited to other types of hunting and fishing opportunities.
Here’s where we come in from the Browns point of view. Through Browns we will
add the upland, waterfowl, turkey and the fishing part of the operation that
Double A could not put together. The big game, prairie dog, and coyote hunting
will remain; it’s a great opportunity for everyone.

The lodge has private bed rooms / baths, large dining room
and lounge giving you a taste of the Wild West and a step back in time. There’s
no question the lodge and the west river hunts will be a huge asset to what the
Browns Hunting Ranch already has.  The
old west lodge is much closer to our west river hunts cutting our drive time
down to a minimum giving us much more time in the field. Hunting West River
we’ll find more sharp-tail, prairie chicken, and huns there are pheasants, but
not in the huge numbers you’ll find east river.

In comparison to last year, our early season will begin
September 1st on the reservation hunting prairie birds and the SD state wide
upland (sharp-tail, prairie chicken, and huns) season begins September 8th. In
hunting both reservation and private land it allows us a generous daily bag of
6 sharps-8 huns a day; however both licenses must be purchased. Last year we
began November 1st, the pheasant season had opened giving us a 4 species mixed bag;
however the sharp-tail and huns had changed their habits moving from prairie to
crop land. In listening to the older “locals” it seems as though the
sharp-tail have begun to “migrate” from the prairie to the crop
stubble later in the year after a couple hard frosts. From what we experienced
last fall it seems true, there is no shortage of food in the crop stubble, the
birds are huge. This fall however, when opening September 1st the birds should
still be scattered throughout the prairie feeding on bugs and weed seeds, it
should give us plenty of young birds. This, in my opinion is the “game
changer” for our SD hunts.

One thing also to keep in mind is the great late
summer/early fall walleye fishing on Oahe. What a perfect way to spend the day.
Bird hunt morning’s walleye fishing late in the day….priceless!

I’ll be back and forth from SD the rest of the winter and
spring learning the new land, training etc. My fall will start September 1st
then return home later in the month for the grouse season then back in November
for a mixed bag hunt of sharp-tail, waterfowl, pheasant, and huns. In truth,
Browns is a sportsman’s oasis, we have most anything a sportsman can want.  I’m betting the farm on this new land and the
west river hunts. It’s my hope you take the time to spend part of your year
with me on the South Dakota prairie. There’s no place on earth like what we have
west river.

Our Double Gun Bird Hunts will assure you a great hunt, good
dog work, lodging, meals and the personal service you have come to expect at Little Moran.

“Where we pride ourselves in not just taking game, but a reverence in how the game is taken”