The big bang begins Saturday.

Millions of pheasants will fly. Millions of dollars will follow.

The regular South Dakota pheasant season - a renowned autumn extravaganza that began a year after the end of World War I - will send more than 100,000 hunters into the grain fields, shelterbelts and hopeful weed patches Saturday in search of ring-necked roosters.

And while the biggest financial blast will hit the pheasant heaven of central and eastern South Dakota, parts of West River will feel the financial fever, too.

"The first week, the motels and everything are full in town," Pioneer Auto Museum owner Dave Geisler of Murdo said Friday. "It's a wonderful deal. It's actually better over in Presho and places like that. But it ain't bad here."

Last year, that "ain't bad" was good for $163.4 million in direct spending statewide, with almost $117 million coming from the pockets of nonresident hunters. State Game, Fish & Parks Department spokesman George Vandel of Pierre said those estimates are based on U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service data on the spending habits of hunters nationwide.

"We take the stats the feds keep and extrapolate based on the cost of living," Vandel said. "Frankly, we think we were grossly underestimating the economic impact of the pheasant season for many years."

The central and eastern counties are the best for pheasant production, but parts of western South Dakota also have quality ringneck hunting, Vandel said. The Murdo area is near the western edge of the main ringneck range, but pockets of good hunting exist near Martin and near Shadehill Reservoir in Perkins County.

Even in the generally arid rangeland of the far western counties, a few birds survive in islands of habitat, Vandel said.

"You get down around Buffalo Gap and up around Newell in those irrigation projects, and you'll find some birds," Vandel said. "Anywhere there's suitable cover, you'll find some birds."

It won't be like the best pheasant turf, however. And available hunting ground is limited in cattle country. Vandel also cautioned hunters to respect private-property rights.

Last year, almost 100,000 visiting hunters and 80,000 residents killed more than 1.8 million pheasants. With the pheasant population this fall estimated to be even higher, Vandel expects the skies to rain ringnecks when the shotgun thunder roars.

"I'd bet we'll see some excellent hunting overall," Vandel said. "It appears that we have a good distribution of birds, scattered throughout most of South Dakota. You don't have to drive all the way to Howard to have good pheasant hunting."

Once considered the heart of South Dakota pheasant hunting, eastern South Dakota towns like Howard and Redfield still attract throngs of hunters and provide excellent hunting nearby. But they have largely been surpassed in prolific rooster production by the central and south-central part of the state.

The golden triangle between Winner, Chamberlain and Platte can be stunningly productive, for both pheasants and their financial impact. Becky Rose, assistant director of the Chamberlain-Oacoma Area Chamber of Commerce, said Friday that all 14 motels were full in the two sister towns on opposite sides of the Missouri River.

"We're completely booked," Rose said. "We did have a hotel call and say they had a couple of cancellations due to a death. One of the hunting buddies died, so they canceled."

Hunters were arriving in Chamberlain and other pheasant-country towns by car and private plane this week in preparation for the opening weekend. And the streets were ablaze in hunter orange by Friday afternoon.

"I just walked out the door a few minutes ago, and you can see all the out-of-state licenses and all the orange coming out," Rose said. "It's very exciting. And we're looking forward to a great hunting season."

The bird: Ring-necked pheasant, the state bird.

The season: Oct. 20 through Jan. 6 statewide.

The hours: Noon Central time to sundown through Oct. 26, then 10 a.m. Central time to sundown through the season.

The limit: Three roosters a day, 15 in possession.

The impact: $160 million in direct spending by hunters statewide.

The crew: 100,000 to 150,000 hunters will be in the fields Saturday and Sunday

The history: First state pheasant season was in 1919.

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com