First trip out West to NW SD

JMax78 · Apr 4, 2018

My buddy and I decided our first trip out West will be an archery Mule Deer hunt in SD. Primarily we are looking at areas in the NW part of the state. So much land, so little time. I have talked to the Game Warden out there (very nice guy) to get an insight on the different laws in SD vs PA. I am looking forward to ditching the tree stand and entering into the spot and stalk game. The difficult thing is to narrow down equipment, stare at maps contantly, and get out there and hunt. Primarily we are studying areas between Belle Fourche and Buffalo. Hopefully this works out and we end up going somewhere like this every year. Can anyone tell me what kind of weather you can expect out there in Late September to mid October?

Dieseldog · Apr 4, 2018

SD in late fall can be 0-85degrees. 0-60mph wind. And from dry as a bone to rain or snow by the foot. But in all actuality it will probly be about 40 at night and about 60 during the day with the odd rain shower over a weeks time.

Keeptrying · Apr 4, 2018

https://www.weather.gov/unr/2013-10-03_05

Better do it while you can. Changes are coming to OTC archery tags in SD.

beagle001 · Apr 4, 2018

We've been out there that time of year and it's been 90, and it's been 50. The wind is legit though. Hardly ever not windy.

The SDGFP app is nice to have, along with OnX.

CampRipleyLF · Apr 4, 2018

Dieseldog said:
SD in late fall can be 0-85degrees. 0-60mph wind. And from dry as a bone to rain or snow by the foot. But in all actuality it will probly be about 40 at night and about 60 during the day with the odd rain shower over a weeks time.

This! but if you really want to know what the average temp and precip, you should look at wunderground and type in your location and click on the calendar tab. Then enter the month and year you plan to go...

JMax78 · Apr 4, 2018

Thanks for the info. What changes are they making to the archery season?

Redman · Apr 4, 2018

Every time I have hunted that early it has been hot, I prefer the week or two prior to rifle season, bucks are on the prowl.

Muskeez · Apr 4, 2018

I would recommend you bring plenty of your own water. I have not been to that exact area but in general in NW SD there are very few streams that you can filter water from like you can in more mountainous areas.

Keeptrying · Apr 4, 2018

SDGFP is shaking up the whole system. Started the year with changing our resident elk draw to cubing, and are now running focus groups on changing the deer draw to choosing one season to apply for. Word is they are going to start limited draws for archery tags in the high volume areas like the National Forest in Harding County and the Black Hills. We shall see. People are on a warpath because their situation is being changed, and they see non-resident unlimited archery mule deer tags as a very unique thing, and don't understand why we are the only state to do it.

When the storm in the link above happened we were east or Rapid City out on the plains. It was bad. Really bad. Like, life-threatening bad. Make sure you have the shelter and supplies to care for yourself in case something like it were to happen again. If you've never been in a serious plains blizzard you can't imagine how bad it can be.

Keeptrying · Apr 5, 2018

OnX now has a SD phone app.

LCH · Apr 5, 2018

I considered hunting that area during rifle season this year, but plan on drawing in Colorado instead. I look forward to reading about how your hunt goes!

JMax78 · Apr 5, 2018

Keeptrying said:
OnX now has a SD phone app.

I never leave home without OnX Maps. KeepTrying. I read up on that storm that you had to go through. That had to take both courage and preparation to go through. Made me rethink my shelter. I saw some creeks on the map in the area I am planning on going to. Just need to call around and see if they are actually streams that hold water. I have had topo's lie before. Lol. Thanks again for the heads up. I know the time of year that I am going is not optimal. But my seniority level at work did not allow me to get any time off in Oct. Thanks again for the replies.

BlakeA · Apr 5, 2018

Streams to filter in NW SD?!!? Bring your own water. Filtering would be a pain in the A$$ in that country. This is not the mountains or anything remotely close to it. Any water you find will be heavily used by cattle or sheep. This is rolling hills along with a few breaks and big open prairie country. If you are thinking this is some type of mountain terrain with rivers and lush meadows it's the complete opposite. Good luck on your hunt!

sluggo6850 · Apr 5, 2018

Go to the SDGFP website and they have a map you can download onto a gps that will show all of the public land in the state. I would agree on bringing your own water.

west_tn_hunter · Apr 19, 2018

BlakeA said:
Streams to filter in NW SD?!!? Bring your own water. Filtering would be a pain in the A$$ in that country. This is not the mountains or anything remotely close to it. Any water you find will be heavily used by cattle or sheep. This is rolling hills along with a few breaks and big open prairie country. If you are thinking this is some type of mountain terrain with rivers and lush meadows it's the complete opposite. Good luck on your hunt!

Interesting, regarding the H20. How does one pack in enough water for 7,8,9 days?

Keeptrying · Apr 19, 2018

I use a water tank from an RV. When we need more we have a couple 5 gallon cans as well. Same for gasoline. Not really big enough areas to not be able to go back to the vehicle.

west_tn_hunter · Apr 19, 2018

Keeptrying said:
I use a water tank from an RV. When we need more we have a couple 5 gallon cans as well. Same for gasoline. Not really big enough areas to not be able to go back to the vehicle.

Yea that was kind of my thought. I'm in the beginning stages of a plan to hunt SD for Mule Deer in 2019 and H2O was definitely a point I was trying to better understand. I expect to solo camp, or it could possibly be 2 of us. I just didn't want to worry about having to go back to my truck.

Do they have designated camping spots in country or is it a camp anywhere type deal? Or does it depend on the area?

BlakeA · Apr 19, 2018

west_tn_hunter said:
Yea that was kind of my thought. I'm in the beginning stages of a plan to hunt SD for Mule Deer in 2019 and H2O was definitely a point I was trying to better understand. I expect to solo camp, or it could possibly be 2 of us. I just didn't want to worry about having to go back to my truck.

Do they have designated camping spots in country or is it a camp anywhere type deal? Or does it depend on the area?

Just out of curiosity, exactly how many miles are you expecting to "pack in to" in western South Dakota? Between talks of filtering water in streams and packing in for 9 days I'm wondering if I am thinking of the same South Dakota as you guys are?

dcreiss · Apr 19, 2018

KeepTrying's advice is sage regarding systematic changes coming to big game licensing structure in SD. We are looking at a complete overhaul moving from an open access state to a limited access state similar to the management systems used in other western states. First, the preference point system has already been changed to cube all points across all big game license types, not just resident elk. This while continuing the tiered license draw system which grants percentages of available tags to those with high preference points, lower preference points, and then those without preference points. GFP is installing limited archery access units and looking over several high demand rifle areas where mule deer are excessively targeted, namely in NW SD, the Missouri river breaks area along Lake Oahe, and SW SD. And finally there will be a change to the number of licenses which can be drawn and types of licenses drawn specifically for deer; likely a person can only choose to apply for East River, West River or Black Hills rifle tags through the first or second draw and all other types, or limiting it to one drawn deer tag through the first two draws across all seasons and hunts available. This is a huge change from current practice which allows someone to apply for each license and draw a deer tag for each application.

I personally am mixed on the changes as I love to hunt a couple of different seasons each year but I am glad GFP is working towards more intensive and scientific management of deer in particular similar to other western states.

west_tn_hunter · Apr 20, 2018

BlakeA said:
Just out of curiosity, exactly how many miles are you expecting to "pack in to" in western South Dakota? Between talks of filtering water in streams and packing in for 9 days I'm wondering if I am thinking of the same South Dakota as you guys are?

Well I never referenced trying to filter water from a stream nor did I suggest an expectation of endless mileage of country to dive into. I'll be coming from West Tennessee so I'm not necessarily looking for a 3 day turn around.

First trip out West to NW SD

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