South Dakota

A Sporting Oasis At South Dakota’s Sutton Bay

Published

1 year ago

December 9, 2024

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A Sporting Oasis At South Dakota’s Sutton Bay

A bird’s eye view of Sutton Bays dramatic lodge and surrounding landscape.

John MacGillivray, Dorsey Pictures

Few states have managed to brand an outdoor activity any better than South Dakota has with its famous pheasant hunting. For an introduced game bird that didn’t take hold in America until the late 1800s, the ring-necked rooster has found a welcomed home in the state where more than 130,000 hunters took roughly 1.2 million of the birds last year. The state estimates that the roughly three-month pheasant season generates some $400 million in economic impact including seasonal salaries. For a state with fewer than one million people, that’s not chicken feed.

A ring-necked pheasant flushes from the wealth of native grasses surrounding Sutton Bay.

John MacGillivray, Dorsey Pictures

According to state estimates, there are nearly 300 pheasant lodges and guide services across the state catering to mostly out-of-state hunters, places where sportsmen and women from across the country descend to pay homage to one of America’s favorite game birds. Come October, the South Dakota grasslands look like animated pumpkin patches as orange-clad hunters line up and march through cover to unearth the colorful roosters within shotgun range. South Dakota native son and fellow pheasant hunter Tom Brokaw describes opening day of pheasant season here as a religious holiday.

The rolling terrain of the Missouri River breaks makes for beautiful and productive pheasant cover.

John MacGillivray, Dorsey Pictures

And if there’s one cathedral where pheasants are especially revered it’s Sutton Bay, a sprawling resort community located atop the rolling hills of the Missouri River breaks, a dramatic landscape overlooking the big water created by the Oahe Dam, completed in 1962 near the capital city of Pierre. Lake Oahe is one of the largest reservoirs in the U.S., some 231 miles long and is home to some of the best walleye and smallmouth bass fishing in the country.

The author, Norden and Orzi celebrate the end of a productive pheasant hunt at Sutton Bay.

John MacGillivray, Dorsey Pictures

In addition to hosting a remarkable fishery, the lake provides a spectacular backdrop to Sutton Bay’s massive lodge and cabin complex. Drive across mostly empty prairie for an hour and come upon Sutton Bay and the place feels nearly surreal. Surrounding the dramatic lodging is a sprawling golf course carved out of the breaks and overlooking the big waters of Oahe. It’s a long way from anywhere and that’s just the way members like it. If the apocalypse happened, this is as close to a safe haven as you’re likely to ever find.

I traveled here chasing rumors about the place and its unrivaled setting and epic sporting activities—pheasant hunting, fishing and golf—but my November focus was the property’s abundant and fast-flying pheasants. Joining me was dog trainer Domenico Orzi, an Italian expat who made his way to America after a lengthy stint in South Africa. Orzi owns a kennel full of classic Old-World pointers, slightly smaller than their American counterparts and famous for their pleasant dispositions and keen noses.

The sunset view from the main lodge of Sutton Bay.

John MacGillivray, Dorsey Pictures

Guiding Orzi and me is Sutton Bay’s Jeff Norden, the resort’s hunting director who happens to own one of the finest Labrador retrievers I’ve ever encountered. While the traditional South Dakota pheasant lodge experience entails a line of hunters walking fields of corn, milo or sorghum, we opted to focus on native cover with emphasis on working the dogs through ribbons of cattails and grasses.

Sutton Bay has nearly 5,000 acres of habitat that holds a mix of wild and early released pheasants, so it’s difficult to tell the difference in bird behavior because all of them launch like feathered rockets—especially late in the season when they’ve survived their share of gunners and their dogs.

Orzi intercepts a rising rooster, one of many encountered daily at Sutton Bay.

John MacGillivray, Dorsey Pictures

Unlike most of the relatively flat Dakota prairie, the Missouri breaks that make up much of Sutton Bay’s landscape create an assortment of coulees with cattail bottoms, perfect lairs to hide the shifty late-season pheasants. Norden’s Lab, however, had an especially effective knack for flushing the birds from the dense cattails, sending the roosters past Orzi and me as we paralleled the dog on either side of the draws. The Lab provided the one-two punch of flusher and retriever and seldom missed marking and fetching the downed birds. For many bird hunters, watching a skilled dog work is the highlight of the experience, and Norden’s Lab was the marquee attraction.

Gourmet dining is also a part of the Sutton Bay experience.

John MacGillivray, Dorsey Pictures

Following each hunt, we returned to Sutton Bay’s main lodge to enjoy gourmet meals that made certain; despite hiking the better part of each day, we didn’t lose weight on the visit. While enjoying Sutton Bay’s hospitality, we learned about the rich history of the property.

The Sutton Ranch began in 1896 when Ed Sutton purchased roughly 1,500 acres from a Chicago land company. Long before the Suttons settled the land, however, many Native American tribes thrived in the area. In 1804, intrepid explorers Lewis and Clark camped near what would become the Sutton Ranch as they searched for a waterway to the Pacific. Highway 1804, located near the ranch, is named in honor of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Norden and his world class gun dogs.

John MacGillivray, Dorsey Pictures

While South Dakota might be flyover country to many, for tens of thousands of American hunters the state is a dream destination, the kind of place any bird hunter aspires to visit at least once in their lives. For the 400 members of Sutton Bay, however, South Dakota is more than a bucket list stop, it’s become a seasonal home. One visit here and you’ll understand why.

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South Dakota

Fact brief: Does South Dakota require front license plates?

Published

3 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Fact brief: Does South Dakota require front license plates?

(South Dakota News Watch) – Yes. South Dakota is one of almost 30 states that require front and back license plates on vehicles, though there are a couple of exceptions.

Vehicles that are used for “occasional transportation, public displays, parades and related pleasure hobby activities” can use a rear-only plate. The plates cost $25 in addition to the normal registration cost. To qualify, drivers must provide their odometer reading at the time of registration and not exceed 7,500 miles in a year.

Motorcycles are also only required to have one plate.

Why use rear-only plates? Many owners don’t like how front plates take away from the aesthetic of their vehicles. But dual plates are touted as a way to assist law enforcement with crime.

South Dakota offers more than a dozen different types of plates: construction, emblem, habitat conservation, Dignity sculpture, historical, amateur radio license, disabled person, firefighter, EMS, tribal, tribal veteran, veteran and several military plates.

Source

South Dakota Department of Revenue, Personalized and Specialty Plates

South Dakota Department of Revenue, License plate application

Lakota Times, South Dakota specialty plates available July 1

South Dakota laws, 32-5-98

Thompson Law Injury lawyers, Which states require front license plates?

South Dakota News Watch partners with Gigafact to publish fact briefs that refute or confirm a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context.

Read previous fact briefs.
Read our verification standards and other best practices policies.
Submit a question for us to answer on the South Dakota News Watch Tipline.
Send questions or feedback to factbrief@sdnewswatch.org.

This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they’re published. Contact Michael Klinski at michael.klinski@sdnewswatch.org.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Dec. 22, 2025

Published

15 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 22, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

03-18-36-41-54, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

09-16-23-34-46, Lucky Ball: 07

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

01-09-18-19-44, Star Ball: 02, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South Dakota

ICE in SD — from small towns to Operation: Prairie Thunder

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

ICE in SD — from small towns to Operation: Prairie Thunder

Molly Wetsch

Reporter / Report for America corps member
605-531-7382
molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org

Five months after Operation: Prairie Thunder officially began, the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s collaborative anti-crime and immigration enforcement effort will continue into the new year, the governor’s office has confirmed.

The program was originally announced by Gov. Larry Rhoden to take place from July 28 through December.

One portion of Operation: Prairie Thunder involves the state’s entrance into multiple 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allow ICE to delegate some authority to state and local law enforcement agencies.

That happened as immigration enforcement operations ramped up after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who nominated former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as the Department of Homeland Security secretary.

Under Trump and Noem, more than 500,000 people have been deported from the country, according to Homeland Security, which has not released state-by-state deportation numbers.

ICE arrest data indicates focus on Hispanic, male individuals

In South Dakota, ICE and Homeland Security have been visible, especially in small towns in the eastern part of the state.

In July, ICE confirmed an active investigation at the Trail King Industries Inc. manufacturing plant in Mitchell, though no further information has been released about whether that investigation resulted in arrests, detainments or deportations.

In May, Manitou Equipment and Global Polymer Industries in Madison saw eight people arrested on immigration charges.

And in October, Drumgoon Dairy near Lake Norden confirmed that the company had been subjected to an immigration audit by Homeland Security, which is not the same as an immigration raid. But it resulted in the forced termination of 38 employees with citizenship information that was outdated, inaccurate or incomplete.

While nationwide ICE arrests and deportations have targeted a wide variety of individuals from multiple countries – including in neighboring Minnesota, where Somalian people have been the most recent target of ICE operations – South Dakota arrests have involved nearly all Hispanic people.

Most recent ICE arrestees in South Dakota are citizens of Mexico and Central America, with the majority coming from Mexico and Honduras, and 98% are male, according to government data obtained via a FOIA request from the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by South Dakota News Watch.

The project currently retains accurate state-based data from July 1 to Oct. 15. The data cannot accurately reflect any arrests prior to July 1 but can help to understand general arrest trends in South Dakota.

Hispanic people across the state have reported feeling less safe, said Ivan Romero, vice president of the South Dakota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The Latino Festival and Parade, which is hosted in Sioux Falls by the South Dakota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, was canceled this year due to safety concerns, Romero told News Watch in October.

“That was unfortunate, but people just don’t feel comfortable coming to Sioux Falls at this point,” he said.

The vast majority of detainer requests from July 1 to Oct. 15 went to the Minnehaha County Jail in Sioux Falls, followed by the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City and the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

The Deportation Data Project defines detainer requests as “all requests to state, county, and municipal jails and prisons either for a person to be held on a detainer or for a notification of release date and time. A detainer is a request to a local jail to hold someone for 48 hours beyond when they otherwise would be released so that ICE can make an arrest in the jail while the individual remains detained.”

ICE said that detainer requests are most often lodged against an individual in an agency’s custody that poses a “public safety threat.” Other Homeland Security agencies can issue detainers, but most come from ICE, according to the agency’s website.

Operation: Prairie Thunder focuses on drug operations

To date, ICE has signed more than 1,200 287(g) agreements with agencies in 40 states, including five with various South Dakota agencies enabling parts of Operation: Prairie Thunder.

Those agreements take three different forms:

Task Force Agreement: The “force multiplier” program that allows law enforcement officers to adopt limited immigration enforcement duties, with ICE oversight. The South Dakota Highway Patrol signed this agreement on May 22 and the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigations signed it on June 11.
Warrant Service Officer: Allows law enforcement officers to execute warrants on behalf of ICE on individuals in their agency’s jail. The South Dakota Department of Corrections signed this agreement on Aug. 28, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office signed it on March 17 and the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office in Pierre signed it on March 7.
Jail Enforcement Model: Allows law enforcement officers to identify and process individuals who may be in violation of immigration laws while they are serving time in their agency’s jail. The DOC signed this agreement on July 25.

While Operation: Prairie Thunder’s immigration enforcement prong has been well-publicized in the state, the majority of the program’s activity comes from enhanced traffic monitoring and drug enforcement, according to data released from the governor’s office.

According to a press release from Operation: Prairie Thunder, 260 of 406 – 64% – of individuals currently in custody as a result of Operation: Prairie Thunder have a drug charge and 156 have been cited with a drug charge and released. More than 2,000 traffic citations have been issued.

The “ICE Contacts” section of Operation: Prairie Thunder’s most recent dataset said that 89 people had been contacted in ICE-related situations since the program was announced. A representative from the Department of Public Safety told News Watch in a statement: “The intent of (Operation: Prairie Thunder) is to reduce crime in our communities.

“It is important to note that any ICE contacts are incidental contacts – we aren’t seeking out illegal aliens during the saturation patrols. However, the 287(g) agreement allows us to coordinate swiftly with ICE if a stop uncovers undocumented individuals. Those undocumented, non-citizens, are the people counted as ‘Individuals Contacted.’ Not all of those found to be undocumented are taken into custody, per ICE guidance, therefore the ‘Contacts’ and ‘Arrests’ sections differ.”

The program, which initially concentrated most of its efforts in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area, has started other efforts across the state.

Operation: Prairie Thunder most recently carried out operations in Belle Fourche, Huron and Yankton, where 75 individuals were taken into custody, 42 with a drug charge. Twenty-seven people were identified as ICE contacts.

The city of Brookings issued a statement on Dec. 12 that the operation would be coming to town Dec. 17-19 and that the city “would not be participating.”

Josie Harms, Rhoden’s press secretary, said the ongoing arrest and citation statistics indicate successful crime-fighting efforts.

“Our results remain impressive, and it is clear that this operation is keeping South Dakota strong, safe, and free — so we are going to keep it up,” Harms said in a statement.

This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email for statewide stories. Investigative reporter Molly Wetsch is a Report for America corps member covering rural and Indigenous issues. Contact her at molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org.

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