The Shooting Sportsman Endorsed Lodge Program recently approached The High Adventure Company’s Sean Finley, GM and Executive Chef of The Signature Lodge, with a few questions about what the South Dakota pheasant lodge has to offer. His answers have us excited for the fall season!
Where is your lodge located?
Our lodge is located just 20 miles north of Pierre, South Dakota, overlooking beautiful Lake Oahe. We are located at the “Point” of the Golden Triangle of pheasant hunting in South Dakota. Most of our guests fly into the Pierre Regional Airport (PIR), either commercially or privately. Rapid City, which is 2½ hours away, is the next-closest commercial airport.
What bird species do you offer, and what is the limit?
We are 100 percent pheasants at The Signature Lodge. The limit is 20 roosters per day per hunter, and this is included in the package price. Our season runs from mid-September to mid-December, and the hunting is great throughout the entire span.
What is your hunter-to-guide ratio?
We can handle a single hunter to more than 30 in our corporate groups. Our guide-to-hunter ratio is normally 1:4 but can vary. The number will always be one that is conducive to a safe, productive and enjoyable hunt. Individual groups hunt with their own guide team, dogs and field transportation. We do not mix groups.
What is the terrain and cover like?
We intensively manage thousands of acres of native grasslands, shelterbelts and multiple food plots to produce high bird densities in areas that are easy to walk. Corn and milo are our favorite food-plot cover crops.
Do you hunt with pointing or flushing dogs? Can a hunter bring and hunt with his/her dog—and if so, where will the dog stay?
We mainly go with flushing breeds (Labs and cockers), because they work the best for the “block and push” style of hunting we offer. Guests are free to bring their dogs, which can be housed in our indoor kennel facilities. We do, however, like to know in advance.
Do you welcome non-hunting spouses—and if so, what is there for them to do?
Yes, non-shooters are welcome and can be accommodated at a special rate. They can partake in field walks with their hunting spouses, photography, golf, fishing and sporting clays, and our luxury lodge offers a beautiful game room and fitness area with a walk-in sauna and hot-tub facility. They will also be joining our hunting guests for every gourmet breakfast, lunch and dinner.
How is your lodging managed? Single or double occupancy? Main lodge/cabins?
Every guest at The Signature Lodge gets a single-occupancy room with a private bath. Our lodge contains 33 guest rooms—all internal, with common areas spread throughout the lodge—as well as a pro shop, multiple bar areas, a cigar lounge and a game room.
Learn more about The Signature Lodge (Cheyenne).
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE SIGNATURE LODGE (CHEYENNE)