Dayle,
It is hard to express how much fun I had in just a brief visit to your Ranch. I felt like family in just a few hours. Everyone I encountered from the neighbors, to the employees, yourself and all those great dogs made my trip unforgettable. The food and accommodations were first class, and the wildlife was visible in every direction. The hunting was amazing, your attention to detail makes a successful hunt very likely even for a novice like me. Of course bringing my new best friend home from the ranch was the best part of this adventure. Gretchen and I just left this morning for a four day drive home, she is already proving to be an intelligent and adorable companion. Thanks to all involved in matching me with my new dog, continuing her training and giving her a good life in Arizona is my job now. We will both be back to the ranch for more hunting and your amazing South Dakota hospitality. A tip of the Chefs hat to Dayle, Roper, Dustin, Mike and all of those I met briefly for making my visit extraordinary.
Sincerely,
Dan Noonan
Page Arizona

1st time EVER Hunting

Hello Everybody, Just wanted to thank you all for a wonderful time!!! I love your place and if I could would apply for a job there, I could stay forever!! I hope you understand the importance of this Thank you? I have always grown up around guns. I use to shot all the time both rifles, shotguns and handguns with family and friends. Whenever somebody would mention hunting, I was a mile away. This has now changed thanks to Dayle and Dave. I have witness the lonely weekends with my two boys and husband leaving for hunting trips and I would stay home. Watch out guys, I am along for the FUN!!! Can't wait till next time. You are great!
Denice Bledsoe
Ammonia Refrigeration, Inc.

1-22-2009

Dayle

Thanks from my son Cort and myself. Your staff was very friendly and accommodating. We had a great time and you were a great host with a first class operation.
Hopefully, you will post the attached photo on your bulletin board. Best regards.

Steve Darling

11-21-2008

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11-7-2008

Dayle

It has been a full week since we left Little River and I have told everyone who will stand still what a great time we had with you guys! Thanks for such a great time. Glad we picked last week, instead of this week, because you guys made the national weather report this morning! Big change from low 70’s last week to 31 degrees and snow today huh?

My father-in-law Ronnie has never hunted outside of North Carolina and he has been telling everyone that sits in his barber’s chair what a great time he had! You guys really know how to make us “tourist hunters” feel welcome.

Please relay my gratitude to Doug, Roper, Savanna, Aaron and of course Dayle (including “Daisy”, “Patches”, “Covey” and “Skoal”) for all of your efforts in insuring we all had a great time. The frozen 50 lbs of phez made it just fine on the return flight home and we cooked some for our family Saturday night. Everybody raved about it. This weekend I’m trying Doug’s crock pot suggestion with Campbell’s GOLDEN Cream of Mushroom Soup and Lipton Onion Soup Mix. I’ll let you know how everyone liked that one!

Stay warm out there on the prairie and say hello to my fellow Gamebirdhunts forum members in February at the Wisconsin Pheasant Fest. Stay in touch from time to time.

Best regards,

Mitch Simmons

Lake Waccamaw, NC

Gamebirdhunts.com (“Tarheel Blue”)

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4-28-08
Dale

My son and I went out there in September 2007 and had a wonderful time and hunt. Everyone was very nice to be around and talk too. This was Clark's graduation present from high school. On the way home to Roanoke Va. we were talking and he said this was the best present he could hope for. Thanks for the memories that were created. The lodge was a very nice place to stay in. Daisy and Gunner worked so well that I felt guilty that they did their job with style and I missed birds.

                    Thanks again
                       Rick K.  Roanake, VA
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4-02-08

I want to thank you personally for an outstanding hunt. I was worried about bringing 5 buddies all the way up from TX and having the experience be less than expected. However, the hunt was absolutely incredible. Your staff's hospitality along with the accomodations were exceptional. We were all very impressed with the dog work. I've been Pheasant hunting in the corn fields of West Texas, and to be quite honest with you was disappointed because the fields did not allow us to hunt behind pointers. Your hunt was exceptional for people who enjoy watching dogs work. By the way your guide Llana was worth the trip alone. After talking with all of my buddies we have decided to rent the entire lodge and make this an annual trip. Thanks for a great time! 

Jason

,
I wanted to give you an update on Lizzie. First of all I want to thank you for delivering a dog that was everything and more than you promised. I made at least 50 phone calls looking for the GSP with the temperment to be an inside dog, and the drive to be a guide dog. Lizzie has been awesome with my 2 yr old girls, and an absolute pleasure in the house. In the field she has been phenomenal. I had her hunting within a week of her arrival. She has progressed beyond all expectations and is now finished. When I was training, I would release 30 chukar in a 100 acre field, and every time she would find 95%-100% of the birds released. If anyone is looking for a GSP with natural retrieve, you need to turn them onto that line. I have worked with labs for years, and she has as much drive to retrieve as any field lab I have seen. Thanks for letting go of an exceptional dog. I will be passing your name on to people who ask about her. 

Jason
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3-28-2008
We went to Little River Pheasant Hunts in South Dakota for the first time last season. My father, two brothers and I have hunted North and South Dakota for the last 14 years.

Little River is without a doubt the best Hunting Lodge we have ever been at. The people were all great. Great food. Fabulous dogs and the accommodations were comfortable and relaxing.

Little River has more to offer then we ever hoped for. We have hunted at six different Pheasant Hunting Lodges in the last 14 years and there is no reason for us to ever look for another one. We will be hunting at this lodge for many years to come.

I can't say enough about all the fun we had. This place is awesome. I think I enjoyed watching the dogs hunt more then shooting our limits in pheasants. We even shot close to our limit's in partridge two of the days. Without these fabulous dogs it wouldn't of been nearly as entertaining as it was. 

We had our own dog there and he learned so much just hunting with the great dogs they have, I could hardly believe he was the same dog when we had to leave.

The dog trainer and guide Paul asked me if I wanted him to use any of his dogs or if I wanted to just hunt my dog by himself for awhile. My dog is young and I thought it might be better if he was in the field by himself. He did get up a few birds but wasn't able to quite figure out those wiley ringnecks.

Once Paul put a few of his dogs in the field my lab had many more opportunities for retrieves and he actually learned to quarter better in front of me and even figured out how to rustle out the birds better. I cannot believe how well those dogs listen to Paul. He doesn't even use a shock collar on most of them. 

It started to get a little late in the day on our third day and one of the groups were several birds short of their limit. I went out with Paul to just help walk and to see if I could learn anything about handling dogs. 

This group of guys didn't have any dogs with them and I believe there were eight or nine hunters total. One nice thing they also did was give us the choice of hunting with another group or by ourselves. You don't always get that option at other places and we enjoyed being by ourselves this time.

I don't know how, but Paul was using six German Shorthair's at once and they were fabulous. I have no idea how he kept them all straight in his head but none of them got too far ahead and they all did great. It is amazing to watch a dog find a bird and point and have two or three others stop and point right behind the dog that found the bird. He told me this was called honoring when the other dogs stop, freeze and back up the dog that found the bird. 

He just pops the whistle and they all turn around and go the other direction and cross each other. Sometimes he just says hupp and they all turn around right away and head in the other direction. I have no idea how he got them to do this but it was very impressive and exciting to watch.

My dog had more opportunities to retrieve and find birds in three days then he did the entire rest of the season in Wisconsin, and I took him out a lot. We have a few pheasants but nothing like this place.

We got done early one day so Paul loaded us all up and we headed about 40 miles away from the lodge to go Sharptail Grouse hunting. I have never shot a Sharptail before. I had my chance but of course I blew it. The group did kill several that afternoon though. They are as hard to hit as pheasants. I was under the impression they didn't fly as fast as a pheasant but boy was I wrong.

He did this just so we had something else to do for the rest of the afternoon. They didn't charge us one extra nickel for taking us to a different spot to hunt a totally different bird.

The owner Dayle and main guide Paul go way above and beyond the call of duty. Dayle is one of the nicest guys you will ever come across. This is a first class outfit and I would recommend it to anyone. The meals are great. The cooks name is Roper, and he can cook!

If you want a pheasant hunt in the Dakota's you will remember for a long time this is the place to go. I can also tell you that the price is very inexpensive compared to what we normally had to pay at other lodges for what we received.

We had been at lodges that were a little less money up front but didn't have half to offer as Little River. Everything is included in one price. Many of the other lodges actually ended up costing us more after they nicked and dimed us for every other little thing they could think of. 

Our birds were cleaned, washed, bagged and in the freezer before supper was even on the table. We went down to help out cleaning the birds about 45 minutes after the hunt and everything was already done.

I can't say enough about Little River. If you want to have a great time and enjoy a hunt you will never forget then try out Little River. You will love it. I guarantee it.

We will be there again this year. We are trying to swing it so we can be there for a five day hunt this year. I can't hardly wait!

Jerad in Wisconsin
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03/16/08
We had a party of twelve hunters and everyone had a great time. There were more pheasants then anyone could imagine. It wasn't always easy and without the great dogs it could of been difficult but our guide made sure we got plenty of shooting and our birds all three days. We even took a Shorthair pup home with us and she will be there this year getting more experience in three days of hunting then I could give her in a year here.

Ron in Georgia
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02/22/08
DALE ,
JUST WANTED YOU GUYS TO KNOW THAT I JUST LOVE MY LIVER FEMALE SHORTHAIR. SHE IS 19 MONTHS OLD AND has turned into a hunting machine. SHE POINTED WELL AND WILL ONLY IMPROVE WITH TIME. I can't even imagine how good she is going to be when she is three or four years old. I WILL BE SURE TO TELL EVERYONE WHERE I GOT HER FROM. THANKS AGAIN FOR A GREAT DOG

JOHN ABERDEEN 
South Dakota
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02/21/08
My father and I had the best all around hunt of our life at Little River in South Dakota. The people were great, the dogs were fabulous and we had no worries the entire trip. I would give almost anything to have a dog that hunts like their dogs do. They include everything on your trip except your license, and the guide Paul got that for us right at the lodge. We have already sent in our deposits for this season. There is no way you will be disappointed with this place. This place is second to none!
Jerry 
Texas
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