Meet the Perrys

The Perry River Ranch provides hunters with many acres of hunting land that includes a wide variety of terrains and spans over four different South Dakota counties.

Owners Wyatt and Shayna Perry started Perry River Ranch to expand on a dream that began over six decades ago and continues to flourish as a family owned and run business.

Here is some information on ranch managers Wyatt and Shayna Perry, as well as more about the ranch’s history.

The Perry River Ranch story began 60+ years ago in the early 1960’s. The ranch is owned by Doug and Linda Perry and their 3 children. Wyatt Perry and his wife Shayna are managing the hunting operation.

Wyatt and Shayna Perry

Wyatt is a third generation farmer and rancher on the family owned farm and ranch. He learned to fish and hunt at a young age and vividly remembers his days in “daycare” with his grandmother as she took him fishing.

Wyatt grew up watching his father and grandfather hunt, and his earliest memories are of hunts he accompanied them on. Wyatt learned to properly hold a gun as soon as he was old enough to lift one.

He was not yet a teen when he began hunting/guiding on the ranch with his father. In fact, Wyatt’s one and only job has been working on the ranch.

Unlike many other kids who work at fast food restaurants or retail stores, Wyatt grew up in a unique situation that allowed him to gain an in-depth view of nature, farming, hunting and of guided hunting excursions.

There’s always something to do and something to learn when you live and work on a ranch.

And working on the ranch kept Wyatt busy whether it was working after school, throughout summers, or coming home from college on weekends.

The ranch has always been–and is still–one of Wyatt’s top priorities and passions. When Wyatt is not guiding, he is working the farming sector of the ranch with his family. Fencing, planting, calving out cows, and harvesting are just a few of his responsibilities on the farm.

Wyatt’s other top priority is his family: his wife Shayna and their dog Nala. Shayna is a special education teacher with the local school district. Wyatt and Shayna married in 2020 and share a love for nature, hunting and the ranch.

Shayna’s family also likes to hunt. Her mom and dad live and work in Pierre.

Perry River Ranch History

Wyatt’s grandparents, Harry and Gloria Perry bought the Perry Ranch after Harry finished his service in the Marines in the 1960’s. Harry grew up in Michigan until High School. He attended high school in Rapid City, South Dakota.

He enlisted in the Marines and after his service he attended college at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. At Brookings, he met his wife Gloria. They moved back to Rapid City after college and started Perry Construction Company.

Harry had worked some jobs in the Presho area and found the rolling hills and wide open spaces appealing. When he learned in 1963 that the acreage that would soon be known as the Perry Ranch was for sale, he bought it.

Over the decades, Harry cultivated and developed the land, and today the ranch serves as grounds for raising cattle, sunflowers, corn, wheat and milo.

Harry and Gloria raised four children on the ranch, including Wyatt’s father, Doug. Doug loved ranch life from the time he was little and chose to stay on the ranch after he was grown, and continue working the family business.

Since Harry still worked construction as well, Doug headed up ranch operations from a very young age.

Doug has run a guide business on the ranch (Perry Ranch) for many decades. Ready for semi-retirement, Doug has decided to focus solely on the deer hunting guides at the ranch.

Wyatt’s love for bird hunting led him and Shayna to take over that portion of the guide business and make it their own, leading to the creation of the Perry River Ranch.

Today, Wyatt and Shayna’s Perry River Ranch offers pheasant, goose and turkey hunts on several thousand acres. You won’t find a more experienced guide team to help you enjoy the scenic beauty of Presho and achieve your bird hunting goals.

You’ll find the best of South Dakota pheasant hunting here, as well as the best goose hunting and turkey hunting focusing on Merriam turkeys.