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GREGORY, S.D. -- Our group recently made its annual pilgrimage to South Dakota to hunt pheasant, and we shot the legal limit each day. Gregory, S.D. (population 1,342), was appropriately labeled "the ground zero of pheasantdom" by Fortune magazine in 1992 and yearly lives up to that title.

It was the destination of our fivesome for a three-day expedition Oct. 26-28 with a day allotted to travel each way.

Bill Hensley of Charlotte initiated this now-yearly sojourn, this being his 17th to hunt in the area, the last 14 with the Double K Guide Service in Gregory. His son Bruce is a regular, and they each invite a few peers.

This year's version included Bruce's friend Dodson Patterson, also a 50-something shooter, and Bill Hensley's comrades John Andrews of Charlotte and me. We've been friends since college days at the old Wake Forest.

We flew into Sioux Falls, S.D., and rented vans for the 150-mile drive west to Gregory, located in the south-central part of the state about 13 miles from the Nebraska border. The area is noted for its abundance of game birds, and 2007 was forecast to have a 20 percent increase in pheasant population.

Dave Keiser, owner of Double K, owns and leases about 2,000 acres of prime land, and his guides have ample space to take clients.

We've hunted in groups as small as three and as large as 18. Fields and strips of land are hunted depending on the size of the party. I prefer eight to 10 for maximizing results and hunter safety.

Guides are sticklers for safety and scrupulously observe the state's hunting laws. Ideally, a strip for hunting is 50-60 yards wide and 350-400 yards long, hunted with eight to 10 shooters and guides.

This scenario allows four walkers or drivers with two wing men just outside and slightly ahead, two advance blockers and two end blockers. The advance blockers await the approach of the walkers, then as they near the advance men, they back down to where the blockers are posted. Dogs, usually Labradors, work a short distance ahead of the drivers to flush and retrieve downed birds.

The terrain in this part of the state is rolling hills, much like the Piedmont, with few trees and, to use a cliché usually attributed to Texas, is miles and miles ... of miles and miles.

Topography is flat in the Sioux Falls area and becomes slightly hilly as one goes west to the Missouri River. Gregory is about 50 miles west of the Missouri.

Given the abundance of birds, guides can make or break the enjoyment of a hunt. Two things are of about equal importance: ability and amicability.

Monty Samuelson, a native of the area now living and working three hours away in Nebraska, takes vacation time to serve as chief guide for Double K and spends the first three weeks and subsequent weekends in Gregory. He has guided most of our hunts and has capable help in longtime guides Marvin and Tanner.

A splendid addition this season has been Jeff Quinn, who hunted as a client with Double K for 15 years before joining the service as a guide this year.

South Dakota law prohibits taking female birds. When flushed, usually one bird at a time, a guide or veteran hunter shouts "hen" or "rooster," thereby informing hunters whether or not to shoot.

The male bird has distinctive coloring with a red-and- black head and white ring around the neck. The female is basically brown with flecks of white.

We are amazed at the guides' ability to distinguish gender even at distances as soon as the birds are airborne.

The season opened the third weekend in October and runs through December, usually ending the first weekend in January. Out-of-state licenses are $110 and are good for two weeks, which can be separated into two hunts.

For information, contact the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, 412 W. Missouri, Pierre, S.D. 57501 or call (605) 773-3485. For information on the Double K Guide Service, write Dave Keiser, 211 Von Seggern Rd., Gregory, S.D. 57533 or call (605) 835-8658.

Leo Derrick is a freelance writer who lives Asheboro. Contact him at 629-1068 or lderrick@asheboro.com.