SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s that time of year, pheasant hunting season.

While the traditional South Dakota pheasant opener is still a couple of weeks away, hunting preserves are open and hunters from all over the country are having a blast.

With shotguns in hand and dogs at the ready, these hunters from Minnesota are enjoying the pheasant opener for preserves.

“It’s exciting, it’s kind of like primordial, you’re looking for it, everybody is yelling rooster and everybody is shooting and every once in awhile you knock one down,” Leon Ernster of Rochester, Minnesota said.

This hunting preserve near Estelline is called Black’s Pheasant Fields.

“It’s been really good so far,” Sterud said.

Jeff Sterud of Brookings is one of the guides. He’s been doing it for 20 years.

“I just like to the watch dogs work and mingle with the guys who come up from different parts of the country,” Sterud said.

He’s made a lot of friends that he gets to see year after year.

“Yeah quite a few same groups come back every time to hunt with yeah we have a good time,” Sterud said.

Jim Noem is another guide. He loves meeting people from out of state.

“It’s a blast, I take time off; I use all my vacation days at my job in Brookings just to come out here and guide and drive bus,” Noem said.

A bus that’s geared toward helping these out-of-state hunters go from field to field and find some birds.

But they say even if they didn’t, they’d at least enjoy some good old South Dakota hospitality.

“People are great they are friendly everybody treats you like you’re the only person in the world and I think that’s terrific,” Ernster said.