SD Black Hills Whitetails

[rmyoung1]

Anyone here hunt the Black Hills in South Dakota for whitetails? Looks like it would be a ton of fun in neat country. Thinking about adding it to my "wish list" but would love to hear from those who've done it.

 

[NoWiser]

I have not, but I was there turkey hunting this spring and have never seen so many whitetails in my life. It was ridiculous!! If only we'd seen 1% as many turkeys as deer we'd have filled our tags in no time. If you go, you will have fun!

 

[T Bone]

Lived there and hunted out my back door for 6 years. Lot's of deer. It's fun. I'll see if I can find some pics of BH bucks.

 

[rmyoung1]

It's fun. I'll see if I can find some pics of BH bucks.

Would love to see the pics

 

[duckhunt]

Ive never hunted the black hills but I think that is beautiful country.

 

[jzeck2]

They are much smaller body size than the deer that live out on the prairie (1/2 the size it seems to me). As a resident I can't seem to draw a tag but every 3 or 4 years so it could take a while to draw that tag as you build up preference points. It is possible to draw the tag with 0 points. Southern Hills has more deer than northern hills but also has more private land than central and northern hills. Dry years like this one water can be an issue and deer and elk are even more attracted to private land. In fact most of the white tails are centered closer to private land including towns and subdivisions. I'd look for private land with water and feed and then try to position myself on forest service land and intercept the deer as they move back and forth. Just like most mountainous areas, the drainages and low areas are mostly private but there are enough forest service roads that you can get on the uphill side of the private land and not have to bad of a hike, usually less than a mile.

Turkey hunting this spring I also noticed the lack of turkeys and the deer are definitely on the rebound, with more deer in the northern hills than I have seen in about 5 years but still many fewer than southern hills. The northern hills in my mind is rougher country and thicker. Southern hills is ponderosa pine and grass. As you move north it becomes more heavily timbered turning to a mixed ponderosa spruce forest and less open meadows. A lot of the forest service roads (two tracks) will be shut down but that's ok with me. Hasn't been a big burn in a while in the hills. There is some CWD in the hills but they don't even test anymore to my knowledge.

Not a lot of giant bucks if you care about such things. The Prairie and East River is where you will find the giants but 90% plus private land and the landowners have mostly discovered there are people who are willing to pay for access.

I love hunting the hills every few years when I draw a tag but it's more about the hills and setting up a camp than harvesting a deer. I've been known to wack a lot of small bucks and does for the table in the hills

The application season is usually June/July.

 

[jzeck2]

Above average Black Hills Whitetail

 

[jzeck2]

My 2014 Black Hills Deer. About average for the Hills, above average table fare though. Never been accused of being a trophy hunter.

 

[rmyoung1]

Nice pictures. Thanks for chiming in. Looks like a fun place to hunt. I'm not concerned with size nearly as much as I'm interested in hunting cool places that are new to me. This fits the bill nicely, I think. Thanks again!

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

I always thought that would be a fun hunt. What do they eat out there? It has seemed crazy hot and dry everytime Ive been out there in Sturgis. Beautiful country though.

 

[Rooster52]

I will be hunting the Black Hills this fall but just across the border in Wyoming.

 

[TheDudeAbides]

I have 2 flashy points for the Black Hills deer.

In the next few years, I might have to hopefully cash them in.

Looks like 285 people with 2 or more points applied for the 280 non resident permits.

In a few years, I should be luck.

I like the late draw, because I can wait and see if I drew anything else before applying.

 

[beagle001]

I've got two points but not sure when I'll get around to trying them out. Pretty country for sure, but I've got other places in SD I enjoy hunting more, but maybe I'll cash em in just for the adventure.

 

[Wulffhunter]

Only thing that sucks is that they have big mule deer in the SD hills but they let the landowners have half of the 200 tags right away. And I guarantee they don't hunt on their private land either.

 

[utahminer]

I meant to reply to this thread a xouple of months ago and got distracted. I hunted Black Hills for white tails last year. I really had a great time and decided that it will become a family tradition every couple of years. If you havent already searched there are a handful of threads on Hunttalk that speak of SD White tails that I used to educate myself. I hunted both the Norther and Souther. Areas and had chances in both areas. PM me if you have any questions.