ABERDEEN, S.D. – As the crisp Autumn air settles into northeast South Dakota, the excitement for pheasant season has begun rippling through the campus at Northern State University.

This can be seen by the new display in the Jewett Regional Science Education Center, which highlights habitat management.

It can be seen with the Pheasants Forever Student Chapter formed last year.

It can even be seen by the eight-foot-tall inflatable rooster nesting in the Student Center on Tuesday morning.

South Dakota’s traditional pheasant season opens Saturday, Oct. 19. Thousands of visitors are expected to be in the region around Aberdeen, the pheasant hunting hub of northeastern South Dakota, to take to the fields.

Some students are prepared to switch from maroon and gold to tan and orange.

"I've pheasant hunted in the Faulkton, S.D. area my whole life, and it's what brought me to Aberdeen for college,” said Bryce Knapek, Pheasants Forever student chapter secretary. “The hunting here is great, but the people of South Dakota are what make it such a special place for me.”

The large display in the science center helps showcase the chapter’s commitment to hunting and conservation in the state of South Dakota, he said.

The collaboration between the Northern South Dakota Pheasants Forever Chapter and the Pheasants Forever Chapter at Northern highlights the importance of community involvement in preserving natural spaces, said Casey Weismantel, northern South Dakota chapter publicist and student chapter adviser.

“Promoting habitat awareness is critical for wildlife conservation, especially in a state known for its rich outdoor heritage,” he said.

The pheasant population in South Dakota can be traced back to birds released in Spink County in 1908, according to South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Through the next decade, the state purchased and released thousands of birds around the state.

The first hunting season took place Oct. 30, 1919 in Spink County (Yes. It was a one-day only hunting season). Pheasant hunting season spread, and by 1934 it was held in every county. And nine years after that, the Ringneck Pheasant was named the state bird of South Dakota.

More than 100 years after that first hunting season residents and out-of-state hunters still head out into the fields in October. And a fair number of Northern students make their way out through Jan. 31, 2025 when the current season closes.

Kaisha Van Engen, second-year Northern student majoring in biology, serves as vice president of the Northern collegiate chapter, along with being a founding member of the student organization. The Pheasants Forever chapter on campus is geared toward bringing opportunities to the campus and community.

“We want to bring awareness of habitat conservation to the campus, since many believe that Pheasants Forever is just hunting and killing when we are actually trying to help the environments and population control,” she said. “We adopted a highway and are cleaning the ditches for it this Wednesday (Oct. 9). We also want to hold a gun safety/clay shooting practice for the newer hunters or people that just want a little more practice.”

The group has a gun safety class, clay shooting practice and guided hunt planned in the coming months, she added. The student chapter has also donated decorated birdhouses around town to schools and nursing homes.

Activities like these, said fellow member Kolby Lacher, help the student organization bring important ideas and values surrounding conservation and hunting to the forefront.

“It also provides education to those who may not know anything about conservation, hunting and firearms,” he said. “In a world full of fear surrounding some of these things, we are able to teach those on campus the truth around them, such as firearms.

“Ultimately,” he said, “this club brings opportunities that are unique and influential throughout the country into the Northern campus for the student body to take advantage of.”