Before You Arrive

Guest Info & FAQs.

Everything you need to know before your hunt at Bolton Ranch — what's included, what to bring, and how we run the lodge.

Guest Info

What to expect at the ranch.

Getting Here

Bolton Ranch is at 29824 327th Avenue, Dallas, South Dakota 57529. Give us a call and we'll help you plan travel and confirm your arrival details for your dates.

Lodging & Meals

Stay in our new 13,000 sq ft lodge or the four-bedroom bunkhouse. Every day includes full-course, home-cooked meals, hors d'oeuvres, wine with dinner, and a personal bartender in the evening.

What to Bring

Bring your shotgun and shells, a valid South Dakota hunting license, and weather-appropriate upland clothing and boots. We provide guides, dogs, field transportation, snacks, and bird processing.

Common Questions

Everything you might want to ask.

Grouped by when you'll need it. If we've missed something, call the lodge at (605) 830-4565.

Before You Arrive

What should I pack?

Bring your shotgun and shells, a valid South Dakota small game license, blaze orange, and upland clothing and boots you can walk in. Layer for the season — early October can be shirtsleeves and late season can be single digits. Bring a cooler if you want to drive your birds home.

What weather should I expect?

Anything. Early season is often mild and dry; by late season expect cold, wind and the chance of snow. The hunting is good across all of it, and the lodge is warm at the end of the day.

What licenses do I need?

A valid South Dakota small game hunting license. Licenses are not included in your package price. Call us and we will point you to the right place to buy one before you travel.

Where do I fly into?

Most guests fly into Sioux Falls, Rapid City or Pierre and drive from there. Give us a call with your travel plans and we will tell you which one makes the most sense for your dates.

Can Bolton arrange transportation?

Ask us. Airport transportation is not included in the package price, but we will help you sort out the logistics wherever we can.

When is check-in?

Most groups arrive the evening before their first hunting day, settle into a room, and sit down to dinner together. Tell us your travel times when you book and we will have everything ready.

Hunting

What shotgun should I bring?

A 12 or 20 gauge you shoot well. Most guests bring a 12. Bring more shells than you think you need.

Can I rent a shotgun?

Give us a call. We will do what we can to get a gun in your hands if you are traveling without one.

Are shells available?

Shells are not included in the package price. Bring your own if you can — call ahead and we will tell you what we can help with.

How many birds can I take?

Daily limits are set by South Dakota regulations for the season you are hunting. Your guide will go over the specifics for your dates on the first morning.

How physically demanding is the hunt?

You will be walking crop fields, CRP and creek bottoms, so expect to be on your feet for a good part of the day. That said, we can pace a hunt to the group, and there is always the option of an easier day. Tell us what you need.

What happens to the birds I harvest?

Bird cleaning and processing is included. Your game is cleaned, packaged and frozen, ready to travel home with you.

Can beginners hunt here?

Absolutely, and we like having them. Our guides coach new shooters, the dogs do the hard part, and the trap range is a good place to get comfortable before the first field.

Lodging

Are the rooms private?

The lodge has twelve double-occupancy rooms plus a master suite with one king bed. You will share a room with someone in your party unless you have arranged otherwise — tell us your preference when you book.

Do rooms have private bathrooms?

Yes. Every room in the lodge has its own private bath. The bunkhouse has four bedrooms with two beds each and shared baths.

Is there Wi-Fi?

Yes, and there is a quiet sitting area with tables if you need to get an hour of work done away from the great room.

Can I bring alcohol?

There is a full bar and a personal bartender in the evenings, plus wine with dinner. You are welcome to bring anything particular you like to drink.

Is smoking allowed?

Cigars on the patio are part of the evening here. Please keep smoking outside the lodge.

What amenities are in the lodge?

A great room with a fireplace and big-screen TVs, a five-star kitchen, a dining room that seats the whole camp, a quiet work area, a mud room with gear lockers, and the patio and fire pit out front. See The Lodge.

Food

What meals are included?

All of them. A full hot breakfast, lunch brought out to you in the field, hors d'oeuvres before dinner, and a full-course home-cooked dinner with wine at the table. Snacks, soda, juice and water stay stocked in the field all day.

Can you handle dietary restrictions?

Yes. Tell us when you book and we will plan around it — the kitchen is ours, so this is easy for us to get right.

What about food allergies?

Let us know the specifics well before you arrive and we will make sure the kitchen accounts for them.

The Range

Who can use The Range?

Every lodge and bunkhouse guest. Range access is included with your package and clays for the trap range are furnished.

Tell me about the trap shooting.

Ten mounted throwers, set up so a group can shoot together rather than queue up. Most guests warm up on it before the morning hunt and come back to it after the afternoon one.

What is the long-range shooting?

Steel and paper out to 1,500 yards, shot off benches. If you have a rifle you have been wanting to stretch out, bring it.

Is there a golf simulator?

Yes — along with a pool table, shuffleboard, big-screen TVs and a full bar. It is where most evenings end up. Explore The Range.

Packages & Booking

What's included in a package?

Meals, lodging, guided hunts, trained dogs, transportation to and from the fields, bird cleaning and processing, land access, and range access.

What's not included?

Sales tax, hunting license, shells, gratuity, and airport transportation.

What packages do you offer?

At the lodge: a Day Hunt ($750, hunt only), 1 Day / 1 Night ($1,500), 2 Days / 3 Nights ($2,600), 3 Days / 4 Nights ($3,300), 4 Days / 5 Nights ($4,000), and 5 Days / 6 Nights ($4,500). The bunkhouse is a 3 Days / 4 Nights package at $2,800. All pricing is per hunter. See all packages.

Can I add a quail hunt?

Yes. A 5-bird quail hunt can be added to your stay for $150. Just let us know when you book.

How many hunters can you host?

The lodge handles larger groups; the bunkhouse suits parties of up to eight. Send us your group size and preferred dates and we will find the right fit.

Do you host corporate groups?

We do, and it is a good part of what we run. Corporate hunts & retreats.

What's your cancellation policy?

Deposits are non-refundable, but they can be transferred to another available date at the discretion of the outfitter. We will make reasonable efforts to find an alternative date; rescheduling depends on availability.

Reserve Your Dates

Still have questions?

Prime dates fill fast each season. Call the lodge or reserve online and we'll take care of the rest.