Buffalo Butte Ranch Blog
A blog from Buffalo Butte Ranch... a pheasant hunting and prairie dog hunting lodge in Gregory County South Dakota.
New Record Prairie Dog Kill in 2023!
June 3, 2023 by Dillon Springer
As of the spring of 2023 Buffalo Butte is proud to announce our prairie dog kill record as been broken and the bar has been set high! The gentlemen from Georgia Firing Line (https://www.gafiringline.com/) have set the new record at 1,855 yards!
Read MoreBuffalo Butte Shoot April 1st, 2023
January 25, 2023 by Dillon Springer
April 1st, 2023 Long Range Shoot - slots are filling up so reserve you spot soon. We also have an all inclusive stay and play package as an alternative to maximize your weekend.
Read More2018 Lodge Addition
December 23, 2018 by Dillon Springer
2018 Lodge Addition - Buffalo Butte Ranch
Read MoreNew 2017 Lodge Long Shot Record
September 23, 2017 by Dillon Springer
We have a new (currently broken, Sorry Missy) lodge record at Buffalo Butte Ranch! Missy Gilliland has broke our previous record of 1,249 yards by knocking a prairie dog down at 1,644 yards! Her husband, Jim, was her spotter and also recorded the shot.
Read More2015 Pheasant Brood Survey Indicates Pheasant Numbers are up 42 Percent
August 27, 2015 by Dillon Springer
PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) has completed the annual pheasant brood survey and the results show a 42 percent increase in the statewide pheasants-per-mile (PPM) index from 2014.
Read More2015 Prairie Dog Season Update
August 4, 2015 by Dillon Springer
Now that we are into the month of August I can now say that our prairie dog season has come to an end for the 2015 season. Normally I could say that at the end of June but this year the prairie dog population was strong enough to allow shooting well into July and even some in August. Our regular shooting dates start in the middle of May and go to the end of June. This is when the pups are typically up and out in full force and provide good shooting.
Read MoreBuffalo Butte Ranch Spring Chick Report
July 14, 2015 by Marshall Springer
Hello again from Buffalo Butte Ranch. What a difference a few months can make! We had a relatively dry fall last year followed by a very mild winter once again. With only 10 inches +/- of snow the entire winter, not much moisture was put back into the soil. I’m sure some of you in the East are saying “How could that be?” South Dakota is the land of ice & snow, frozen tundra. Well, we had another very mild winter; temps reached the 70’s in January.
Read MoreSpring Food Plot Planting
June 26, 2015 by Dillon Springer
While pheasant hunting or talking about pheasant hunting with anybody the term “food plot” tends to come up often. You can’t talk about surfing without referencing the ocean or mountain climbing without the mountain. Pheasant hunting and “food plots” are no different here in South Dakota.
Read MoreHappy Spring
May 19, 2015 by Marshall Springer
Once again winter was fairly mild in this part of South Dakota. We had a few snow events of 5” + - but nothing news worthy. Of course we had cold temps and wind but if you have spent much time in SD you should expect that. All the pheasants and prairie dogs came through in great shape.
Read More2015 Spring Planting
May 13, 2015 by Dillon Springer
Each fall the hunters arrive to hunt our plentiful pheasant population while pushing strips of milo and corn. One would think that the preparation for these hunting groups would consist of stocking the pantry, mowing the lawns, cleaning the lodge, etc. But the actual real prepping for the hunting groups takes place in the spring. After the winter has come and gone, leaving only brown, dead, and barren fields in its wake, we must break out all the equipment from the machinery sheds and put them to work in the fields. It’s planting season!
Read MoreCome Visit Us at The NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits
April 9, 2015 by Marshall Springer
It's hot and humid in Nashville, TN. Stop by and see us at the NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits - Booth 552. In case you miss us this year, we will be at the NRA show in Louisville in May 20-22, 2016.
Read MoreSwamp People Visit The Ranch
August 14, 2014 by Dillon Springer
In case you missed it, last year Troy and Jacob Landry from the TV show Swamp People paid the Buffalo Butte Ranch a visit to promote CCI and Federal ammunition and shoot some prairie dogs.
Read MoreNRA-ILA Dinner & Auction
March 5, 2014 by Marshall Springer
Buffalo Butte Ranch hunt will be auctioned off at the 8th Annual NRA-ILA Dinner and Auction Friday, April 25, 2014 6PM at the Infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Read More2013 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Year Review
January 8, 2014 by Marshall Springer
Hello from Buffalo Butte Ranch! Thought it was about time I dust of my blogging skills and try to appease one of my new year’s resolutions. This one may be easier to keep than my no/low carb diet. Time will tell.
Read More2013 Tye Easton Raffle
February 21, 2013 by Marshall Springer
Citori White Lightning, Over under, double-barrel hunting shotgun, waterfowl, upland game, geese, grouse, ducks, Browning Firearms Product.
Read MoreSticker Group
December 5, 2012 by Dillion Springer
A few days ago we were host to another group of guys who were new to Buffalo Butte Ranch and wanted a taste of the wild birds that South Dakota has to offer. Like many new groups that arrive here for the first time, they weren’t sure of what to expect when they pull into the driveway to the lodge for the first time. Fortunately, any concerns they may have had were put to rest when they walked into the lodge and experienced first-hand that they had arrived at a first-class operation.
Read MoreAkzo Nobel Mid-Season Hunt
November 27, 2012 by Dillion Springer
For the second year in a row we were host to a company hunt specializing in steel and steel coating. These self-proclaimed “steel pimps” made the journey with some colleagues and clients to relax and let loose a bit with some great hunting mixed in.
Read MoreFather-Son South Dakota Pheasant Hunt
November 13, 2012 by Dillion Springer
This may have been Caden’s first time hunting wild South Dakota pheasants, but don’t let the inexperience lead you to think these guys had trouble making the birds hit the ground! On more than one occasion, they both pulled off some incredible long shots that would make the most seasoned bird hunter jealous.
Read MoreKimmons Group Hunt
November 6, 2012 by Dillon Springer
Four seasons ago in 2009 I got the opportunity to open up our land and lodge to a father/son group, Jeff and Kurt, and guide them for 3 days of some incredible pheasant hunting. Once again, they were treated to a great hunt and they went home with more good memories of hunting pheasants here on the Great Plains.
Read MoreKeating Group Pheasant Hunt
October 30, 2012 by Dillon Springer
Back in July 2012 I received a phone call from a guy from Nebraska looking for an upscale lodge for him and his 3 friends. He went on to tell me that he had grown up in Nebraska and that back then there were pheasants everywhere. Limiting out was never an issue.
Read MoreLonnie Primeaux of Louisiana
October 25, 2012 by Dillon Springer
The second group of the season brought 3 guys from Louisiana up to our lodge for a wild pheasant hunt. A few days into the 2012 season and I am feeling more and more certain that there are going to be a surplus of birds here at Buffalo Butte Ranch for the duration of the season. These boys made quick work of the birds and didn’t take any prisoners. Very few birds that got up within shotgun range escaped the fury of BB’s from their 12 gauges. We walked a variety of cover while they were here. From CRP grass to corn and food plot and into some trees, the birds were spread out throughout the first 2 days of the hunt.
Read More2012 South Dakota Pheasant Opener
October 22, 2012 by Dillon Springer
Once again it is the time of year here in South Dakota when pheasant hunters from every corner of the country come in to Gregory to find ample wild pheasants. Here at Buffalo Butte Ranch we were fortunate enough to host a group from Texas for the 3rd straight year. After a few days of strong winds the weather calmed down over the weekend and opened up for a great hunt! We couldn’t have asked for better weather and the birds were out in full force as well.
Read MoreNew Website
October 9, 2012 by Marshall Springer
After 4 years, we were finally ready to redo our website. Take a look and we hope you enjoy our website as much as we do.
Read More2012 South Dakota Pheasant Count Up
September 5, 2012 by Marshall Springer
PIERRE, South Dakota - Annual August pheasant brood counts in South Dakota indicate that the statewide pheasant population is up from last year, and that should equate to an excellent pheasant season this fall.
Read More2012 South Dakota Prairie Dog Hunting Season
July 3, 2012 by Marshall Springer
Prairie dog season started May 13th this year with a group that has been flying in from Illinois for years. The pups were out in force and the weather and shooting was great for the rest of the month.
Read MorePheasant Populations Looking Good
October 8, 2011 by Marshall Springer
Pheasant populations have been reported from the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks as a decline across the state with the harsh winter. However, driving around the ranch at Buffalo Butte Lodge pheasant numbers appear to be good as usual. We are excited for another year of pheasant hunting and look forward to meeting our new groups for 2011. We have a few slots available, so call for availability.
Read MoreNRA Show in Pittsburgh PA
April 29, 2011 by Marshall Springer
We have booth space reserved at the NRA show in Pittsburgh PA. The show is at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center from April 29-May 1. If anyone is in the area be sure to stop and say hello and to check out our newly designed trade show booth!
Read MoreSpring Farm Update
April 18, 2011 by Marshall Springer
Hello everyone from Buffalo Butte Ranch. As I sit here writing our "spring" blog installment I look out the window and it looks more like winter than spring. A late season snow has the ground covered with 5" of wet snow.
Read MoreSure Shot Scott's Buffalo Hunt
February 26, 2011 by Marshall Springer
We had the privilege of hosting one of the hunting communities finest up and coming young stars, Scott Smith Jr. with his father Scott Smith Sr. on a buffalo hunt.
Read MoreFriends and Family Fun Hunt
February 2, 2011 by Marshall Springer
Hello everyone, welcome to the first installment of the "Buffalo Butte Blog". Our goal is to share what's going on at the ranch with all of our great friends we've made over the years.
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