WY Black Hills Deer

Hey guys I just got back from a scouting trip in the black hills as I have a Wyoming general A deer tag this year. I want to hunt public and during my trip out there I noticed a lot of the black hills forest was very thick and not a lot of openings where you can see more than 50 yards and not a bunch of mature whitetails. Do you guys have any tips for success in these areas?

I had a Region A tag last year and hunted a couple days in the Black Hills NF. I saw saw some good whitetail bucks. But, you are right, it is thick. Check out the link in my signature for the whole story. PM me if you want some specifics. Good luck!!!!

Hunt the pubic land that enters into the fields (private or public) where they feed. Look at your maps and you will find places. Try not to get run over at night when they exit the woods or in the morning when they go back to the woods. Most activity will occur 1 hour after sunrise or 1 hour before dark.

good luck to all
the dog

Not trying to hijack the thread, but are the deer in the black hills more like hunting forests in the east?

VAspeedgoat said:

Not trying to hijack the thread, but are the deer in the black hills more like hunting forests in the east?

Click to expand...

My opinion is "somewhat". This comes from a person that grew up hunting deer PA. The deer in PA. seem to cover the entire woods. The area that hunt in Wyoming... the deer bed on the edge of the woods (close to the food source). No reason to wander all over when the food source (alfalfa fields) are close. Many times I will see deer bedded in the field during the day (if they feel safe).

good luck to all
the dog

Speedgoat, I hunt the BH on the SD side and its similar to the driftless area of WI but all pine trees. Lots of hills with small open areas in most valleys. The deer population is 95% whitetail with mule deer sprinkled in. There are some very thick spots but with the fires in recent years on the SD side there are alot of areas that have little under brush. Those are my favorite areas because visibility is usually around 100 yrds and I can "still hunt" down the ridges. If you plan on hunting the BH make sure you have good hiking boots, accurate rifle, and a pack/drag harness. If you want to find a good buck, do as Randy said, and find the farthest place from any road. The locals like to road hunt

Hey thanks guys I saw a lot of Deer on my scouting trip but not in the places I originally planned on searching based on my research hopefully it will go well this year I appreciate the input!

Your question takes me way back to 1977. A buddy and i didn't draw our first choices but we did get drawn to hunt further East. Sundance Wy was our home base, we found a older couple in town who posted their basement for rent during deer season. That reasonably priced lodging and the several neat waterholes there downtown close by took care of our after hunt, man o man to be that young and healthy again, great times and the last right hand turn headed East toward SD, the last turn before SD, took us to a unforgettable hunt we had, a great hunt that some of which i'll never forget.

It wasn't very far down that Indian type named road, maybe a mile or two most, and it was clear of timber aside the road but the trees started maybe 60-100 yards up the gental sidehill on our left going south. The semi rounded ridge was only maybe 200 yds and kinda paralleled the road along there. That ridge, i was told, was the border between the two States. It and the shaded timber on the wy side held a remarkable amount of trophy Whitetail buck, way more than i could have ever guessed before walking it. I saw, busted up in the timber, at least one big buck each day and several that looked like medium to bigger 8 and 10 points.

The trouble was sticking a bullet in one and not just barking the trees. There was a trail on that ridge i'd pussyfoot down thinking not a deer in 10 miles when not 60 yards away a white antlered big boy would bust from his resting hideout and immediately dig in and haul balls out of there pronto. Was like busting a wild rooster at your feet. I'd put the crosshairs right in front of his chest and squeeze off a sure kill shot only to hit a friggen tree, a couple trees, before i figured a better way and then scored near the end of a great two week visit to that nice area.

What worked for me was to drop over the other side of that ridge, go down along it maybe 50 or 100 yards then slowly pop over, sneak n peek, and see what was. It didn't take much of that technique before i scored my buck. There were, back then, really good bucks bedding in that timber. Was a frustrating but memorable hunt. What worked back then probably will still work now.

Hope you have a great hunt like we did, good luck! OH, we saw 2 HUGE Bull elk on that same little ridge, no tags but awesome to see them.

I also grew up hunting the Black Hills of SD. Any time you can find an edge you will find the deer. Whether that be an edge of meadows, burns, or a thinning in the timber were you have grass's growing. Finding a freshly logged area is a golden ticket.
If you see an area that looks good to you just get out and walk. Even if the road is beat down or has lots of traffic. If your not afraid to put boots on the ground you will be amazed how fast you'll be alone. At least in SD very few get out and walk more than a couple hundred yards from the road.