2011 South Dakota hunt advice/help needed please....

[jore07]

I am going to try to head to South Dakota in Mellette County to attempt an archery whitetail hunt.

I am hoping some of you have had experience in this region...or surrounding areas on what time of year (during the season) might be best for my to make my trip. Any advice on tactics or anything would be helpful as well as this will be my first time in SD.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Bucnutz.wis]

I am going to try to head to South Dakota in Mellette County to attempt an archery whitetail hunt.

I am hoping some of you have had experience in this region...or surrounding areas on what time of year (during the season) might be best for my to make my trip. Any advice on tactics or anything would be helpful as well as this will be my first time in SD.

Thanks for all the help.

In Pennington County, the whitetails were in very heavy pre-rut the last week of October/first week of November last fall - my buddy smoked this 14 point from about 9 yards on Oct 31st...

Hunt mornings & evenings on the heavily used travel routes with doe in heat scent... and be sure and set up down wind so they don't smell you.

Good Luck !!

 

[jore07]

Wow nice buck! I could only hope to get something that nice. If i do knock one down it would be my first whitetail..and first deer with a bow. I am so pumped to get down there the year can not go by fast enough.

 

[mdunc8]

The first two weeks of November were always my favorite to hunt in Virginia. I haven't hunted whitetails too much out here, but I'd say that's about the right time to hit the rut (maybe a tad bit early).

 

[CABugle]

These bucks all came from Mellette County. South Dakota is a very fun place to hunt because there are so many whitetail and muleys.

 

[jore07]

CABugle - Were you hunting with archery or rifle? What time of year were you having the best luck?

I am taking my family along because we have family in that area so travel conditions are a concern as I have a young daughter and don't want to tavel on horrible winter roads with her if possible. Thats what holding me back on choosing rifle season, as SD rifle season in through November. Anyway thanks for the reply.

 

[warmer]

If you hunt archery, can't beat last week of october, first week of Nov. Waych the rifle season, believe it opens the second weekend of Nov. After that archery is pretty tough!

 

[cadman59501]

Cool looking palmation on that last buck CA

 

[CABugle]

I have only rifle hunted there. The season usually opens around the middle of November and that is when the bucks are the most active from what I have seen. The roads have only been a problem in Wyoming for us, usually once we are in to Nebraska and South Dakota the roads are fine.If you rifle hunt that area be prepared to pass aleast 30 bucks a day until you find the one you want.Good Luck and let me know if I could help you out some more.

CABugle

 

[1_pointer]

CA- Great looking bucks!!! I hunted the Grasslands south of Pierre for birds a few years back and we did see a whopper of a muley there. I plan on hunting SD sometime in the next couple of years. Congrats!!

 

[jore07]

CA - i forgot to ask you how much success did have applying for the tags? If i read it right they only give out 40 NR tags in that area for rifle season and archery is unlimited.

 

[grizzly5028]

Awesome bucks you guys!

 

[Bucnutz.wis]

CA - i forgot to ask you how much success did have applying for the tags? If i read it right they only give out 40 NR tags in that area for rifle season and archery is unlimited.

We've always bought our archery licenses off their website, which can be a little horrendous to navigate. We'd buy them about 3-4 weeks before we left and always had them in the mailbox within 4-5 days of the purchase.

If you run into trouble with it, let me know - I have a few under my belt.

I think the Archery tags are unlimited statewide... but I may be wrong.

 

[J Elky]

CABugle,

Public land or private on all those nice bucks?

Is it easy to find public land to hunt on in the Black Hills area?

thanks.......Jeff

 

[warmer]

There are two different ways to go with archery any-deer tags. One is a state wide tag, the other option is a tag for west river and a tag for east river(Missouri). So if you know you are going to hunt both areas, take the second option. If you want to move around take the first. Antler-less tags are limited to 5 per hunter. Rifle is different, because of the draw odds. Regular west-river tags for non-residents are rather limited, however the Special Buck tags are easier to draw, but a whole lot more expensive! Damned if you do, damned if you don't! Welcome to South Dakota. There is ample public acess through walk-in areas, no charge.

 

[jore07]

Yeah I am learning as I go. I have been researching and reading the regulations and website quite a bit over the last month or so. I am just waiting for 2011 regulations and everything to get settled before I make any complete decisions.

Right now I am leaning toward archery season. Depending on the how much time off I can get debating heading down there for the last week of October and first week of November

Anyone have any tactics and/or advice that may work better down there such as tree stands or spot and stalk or anything else I might not know about?

Thanks everyone for the help...It’s nice to talk to people from and that have been to the area.

 

[CABugle]

We usually try and draw the special west river tags. We went back there for the first time in 2006 and hunted on the Rosebud reservation. During that time we talked to a lot of people about the Mellette county area. After a very succesful and fun hunt on the Rosebud, we just started going door to door or farm to farm and asking permission to hunt. After about five hours we had three ranches to hunt on for the following year. After hunting those ranches in 2007 we found a large chunk of state and public land behind two of the ranches we had been hunting and it was totally landlocked. In 2008 we started just hunting the public land and that is where we have hunted the last few years because it is loaded with both Muleys and whitetails.

The Rosebud is also an option for us if we have some extra time, the Whitetail tags are fairly easy to draw and the Muley tags are a little more difficult. Anywhere in Mellette county is going to be good as the numbers are very high. The closer you are to the White River the better the Whitetail hunting seems to be.

As for what tactics work I would definatly try rattling as that is the only thing we have ever used and it works really good. Because of how thick the area can be around the white river I would try a tree stand before trying spot and stalk.

If I missed anything or you have anymore questions please let me know.

CABugle

 

[warmer]

CA has it figured out, follow his advice and you will fill!

 

[jore07]

Thanks CA I really appreciate the help. And well from all of you really. I actually have the luxury of hunting some private land that my wife’s family owns. Thing is not many of them really hunt anymore so as they are kind enough to let me hunt, they aren't much in the way of help as far as the rest of the hunt is concerned.

I am excited to go just a little nervous to put all my eggs in an archery hunt (never harvested anything with my bow yet). Last year was my first year actually bow hunting and 2nd full year shooting. I got close to a couple mule deer out here but just no good shots.

Guess everyone's got to have their first kill sometime might as well make mine a SD trophy eh.

 

[warmer]

I am on the other side of the state, East River, but would be willing to hunt with you if you need a partner.