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One of the most important assets an outfitter can possess is intimate knowledge of the land he outfits on. When we vet an outfitter familiarity of the land is way up on the list of what we’re looking for. I don’t know of an outfitter with better credentials on this front. Wayne Henderson was born over 70 years ago and has lived on it all but 10 of those years. He and his wife, Diane, are the definition of a family operation. They work hard together on every aspect of outfitting from building the cabins to washing the dishes.
The land Wayne guides on was homesteaded in 1903 by his great grandfather. His father was born in a sod house on the land. His home and barns were built in 1913. In 1996 He and Diane built an addition to the home and hunters cabins to house their guests. Since then they’ve continued to add on to their hospitality offerings with a bar in 2000 and a sauna and hot tub and they have plans for another cabin. The place is interesting and comfortable with lots of personality.
A truism about family operations is they tend to be great places to take your family. Home cooked meals, a cabin large enough to comfortably host a family of four and a relaxed pace add up to a great time reconnecting with family.
Wayne and Diane offer pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, and Hungarian partridge with no released birds. Hunters harvest 120 to 200 pheasants per year and over 100 grouse and huns depending on the weather and number of clients. Listening to him explain his habitat makes it clear he puts a great deal of thought, wisdom and sweat into creating effective cover and food sources. Upland bird hunting is included with guided pheasant hunts. This allows you to shoot at a variety of birds while you’re in South Dakota.
PARADISE OUTFITTERS also offers free range whitetail and mule deer hunts for both archery and rifle hunters. With 2200 deed acres and access to another 2500, you can expect to spot the deer in plenty of time to make a good plan. Along with deer he offers pronghorn, varmint and prairie dogs.
The stories about the land and Wayne’s life there are interesting. Wayne truly enjoys the friendships formed enjoying the outdoors. He explains how he came up with the name “PARADISE OUTFITTERS”. The truth is, he didn’t. He’ll happily tell you, his guests did. While glassing or sitting in a blind, they’d say, “This place is Paradise.”
