ScatterGun Legacy
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Meet Chuck’s sons – The Ross Boys
Left to Right – Pat Ross, Mike Ross, Tim Ross & Charlie Ross
Chuck and Sheila Ross
For them this is not a job but truly a dream come true.
Former ScatterGun owners Chuck and Sheila Ross have made their year-round home here at the ranch since 2000. They not only designed and built this incredible lodge but more important play a pivotal role in the day-to-day operation of ScatterGun.
Chuck began his outdoor career in the early 70’s when he became the Outdoor Editor of WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For Ten years he hosted and produced a weekly outdoor show called “The Outdoors and You”. His first visit to South Dakota was in 1973 and it was one he would never forget.
After leaving the television industry, Chuck founded the adventure travel company Fishing Travel Inc. He operated that company until 1990 when he sold it to Carlson Companies in Minneapolis.
He then went on to become General Manager of Gage Outdoor Expeditions. In 1996 he left Gage and went back to running his own outdoor travel company known today as Chuck Ross Outdoor Travel.
In 1988 Chuck started Thunderstik Lodge in Chamberlain, South Dakota where he continued as an owner until 1999 when he sold his interest and started construction of ScatterGun Lodge.
Chuck and his wife Sheila were married in 1998. Since that time they have hunted and fished together from Argentina to the Northwest Territories of Canada. Sheila is as comfortable with a shotgun or fishing pole as she is with running the office. She is responsible for all inside operations of ScatterGun. Along with the bookkeeping she also handles all of the staff and the gift shop as well as sharing her South Dakota background with ScatterGun Guests.
The hunting operation, the kennel, sporting clays and shooting school are just some of the things that keep Chuck busy. Program development and marketing are also part of his responsibility.
These people share a commitment to provide each and every ScatterGun guest the finest possible experience. For them this is not a job but truly a dream come true. Sheila said it best, “It’s so fun to have people come back that have truly become our friends. When their hunt is over I hate to see them go but always look forward to their return next year.”
Remembering Chuck Ross
Official Obituary of Chuck Ross – July 24, 1942 – December 3, 2022
The Dogs of ScatterGun
Gun Dog Magazine Story
The ScatterGun Retrievers
Ask the more than three thousand guests that have hunted over these wonderful animals and you will find the highlight of their ScatterGun experience is indeed the ScatterGun Retrievers.
Hey Pop,
Just the boys checking in. We’re just about set to bring in the clients! Guides and dogs are arriving, coolers are getting loaded up, and the lodge looks beautiful. We sure miss you. You’d be proud of the way the ranch looks. Our guys and the Ogle’s have done great...
Goodbye to our Friend
August 26, 2020 was National Dog Day. It is also the day we said “Farewell” to one of our most beloved ScatterGun Retrievers, Bailey. For the past ten years this wonderful dog brought nothing but joy to her foster family, Tracy and Julie Bashore, in Rochester...
“He is Just a Dog”
To anyone that has ever walked in the door at ScatterGun Lodge in the last ten years, there is one true highlight. He is a hundred-pound Yellow Labrador named Bear. The weight of his gigantic head on the laps of hundreds and hundreds of people is a memory in itself....
My Dad
By Bear It was 2011 when I arrived a ScatterGun Lodge. At eight weeks of age life was a pretty big adventure and there would be no better place to experience that adventure than ScatterGun Lodge. Once all my brothers and sisters left for...
Kyle Hupfer is the owner of ScatterGun Lodge after purchasing it in May of 2025. Kyle is a lifelong outdoorsman, growing up hunting deer, rabbit and squirrel in Indiana and pheasants in Illinois. He is a businessman and lawyer. In 2005, Governor Daniels named Kyle the Director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, a position he held for over 2 years. He has a long history in business and politics, including serving as the Republican State Chair in Indiana and as the General Counsel of the Republican National Committee.
He and his family look forward to continuing the Ross family legacy of ensuring that ScatterGun is the preeminent pheasant hunting property in South Dakota!
