Tell me about the black hills

Boomerusaf said:

Great detailed advice, mehan! Also, great buck! The road warriors used to drive me nuts.

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Yeah. I've learned in my life that almost any public land is tricky business to stay away from the masses. But, if you're willing to work in the Hills, you can do it.

Next time any of you Hunttalkers are out here and you tag out. Come to Deadwood to the Social Club and send me a PM. I owe a lot of guys on this forum a beer...so I might as well owe all of you a beer!!!

I have three PPs for the hills. So, next year I'll have to take you up that!

I have 9 points for the hills. Might have to cash them in soon. Sounds like a great time and hunt.

Can't say how much I appreciate the feedback from everyone and I look forward to returning the favor to others on the board as I get more experience hunting out west.

I'd definitely be more in my element hunting ridges and woods in the northern part of the hills but after spending more time on onX today, the south looks really interesting me. I keep looking at that country and how different it is from anything I've ever hunted and find it intriguing. Is there a decent whitetail population like say, south of hot springs or would I be wasting my time looking down there?

Meehan, if we tag out early I'll make the drive to deadwood from wherever and drinks are on me.

Last year, my wife and I were out for Labor Day weekend, and we saw three bucks on the east side of the Hills that would all go 125 or better. I imagine being close to town(s) that area gets hit harder, but I never saw anything that big hunting in the more rural areas.

Great advice and a very nice Black Hills buck from our SD member!

I live in SD and hunt the hills almost every year with a WR archery license and find success often. For a whitetail only license I would hold off hunting until the second half of the month and be realistic about what your goals are; there are tons of whitetail deer in the hills and trophies are not likely without a good amount of scouting. I would stay towards the eastern half of the hills, there are more prolific whitetail deer numbers on that side and it is possible to hike away from roads to an extent. Enjoy the mini-mountains and get some hiking in, it is an incredibly beautiful and accessible place. Good Luck!

I wish I still lived out there. It's truly a hidden gem.

gutshootem said:

Can't say how much I appreciate the feedback from everyone and I look forward to returning the favor to others on the board as I get more experience hunting out west.

I'd definitely be more in my element hunting ridges and woods in the northern part of the hills but after spending more time on onX today, the south looks really interesting me. I keep looking at that country and how different it is from anything I've ever hunted and find it intriguing. Is there a decent whitetail population like say, south of hot springs or would I be wasting my time looking down there?

Meehan, if we tag out early I'll make the drive to deadwood from wherever and drinks are on me.

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I believe south of hot springs can be good. But I think you're running out of real estate there.

I don't think the pressure is too much if you get off the roads. Of course when lived there, it was over-the-counter and decorated with blue-plates. Much better experience today.

Here is the last one I shot a couple years ago. Shot nothing last year. Lots of bucks, just nothing I had to bring home.

that is one of the bigger whitetails i have seen from the hills. or you are a camera magician because it doesn't look like it is way out in front of you like every other picture of (insert animal or fish here)...

dcreiss said:

I live in SD and hunt the hills almost every year with a WR archery license and find success often. For a whitetail only license I would hold off hunting until the second half of the month and be realistic about what your goals are; there are tons of whitetail deer in the hills and trophies are not likely without a good amount of scouting. I would stay towards the eastern half of the hills, there are more prolific whitetail deer numbers on that side and it is possible to hike away from roads to an extent. Enjoy the mini-mountains and get some hiking in, it is an incredibly beautiful and accessible place. Good Luck!

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Thanks for the advice. I'd much rather be out there later on after things settle down a little bit but work commitments limit what I had to choose from.


Great buck mtmiller!

I have hunted the Black Hills for over 20 years and my father has for over 50 years as he lives in Sturgis and I live in Wyoming. I hunt there every chance i get except when i draw a West River tag then i buy a point. So i'm sitting on 3 Hills points and gonna cash them out next year. From what me and my father have noticed over the years just like alot of people already said, the bigger bucks will start cruising more after the 15th of Nov. If at all possible i would plan on coming then til later in the month. i've shot most of my deer from the 20-26th. I may be a little pickier than most but i hold out for a big 4 point or a 5 point. There are hundreds of deer like everyone says so dont get antsy and shoot too early unless its something you really want, cause ive seen this happen and then drive a mile down the road and a bigger buck is standing there looking around. There are old logging roads blocked off and overgrown with grass and usually have deer trails down them, walk them first thing in the morning when its quiet. I always like still hunting this way, be ready cause shots will be fast and close. I agree a spotter is not needed, but bring it just incase you do go to burn areas and can see across canyons. The farthest shot i have ever had was 140 yards, the closest was 43 yards all with a rifle. You would be hard pressed to shoot over 200 yards in the hills, just too thick. During the mid day slump me and dad always go sit in the truck and have lunch and watch old clear cuts or burns, bucks will be cruising and always seem to pass through these areas alot. Just make sure you get up higher than the damn jack pines. They really block the views. There are alot of road hunters like mentioned but don't be discouraged, they keep the deer moving for the most part. If you are driving around which can work well at times, go SLOW and look into the trees like your trying to look 100 yards into them. Most people get dizzy because of the close hardwoods going by next to the truck, just let them blur out and look past them. Those deer just stand back in the trees and watch people drive by because they are used to that. Me and my father have shot alot of good bucks just off the roads because they assume we will drive by like all the other hunters do. And heres a good tip if you hunt from mid season on. If you see a doe standing there or running around and think she is alone, just wait and watch. There Is a buck with her 90% of the time. he might be behind a bush or tree, but he is there. Seen it alot, just as the doe leaves a buck comes out and runs with her and its too late to get a shot through the thick brush. Just be on your toes. You will have no problem and will enjoy it as most of us do. Good luck.

Thank you for the info, very informative.

mtmiller said:

Here is the last one I shot a couple years ago. Shot nothing last year. Lots of bucks, just nothing I had to bring home.

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That's a stud for the hills! Awesome buck!

Thanks. About a mile in and never saw another hunter.

Boomerusaf said:

I believe south of hot springs can be good. But I think you're running out of real estate there.

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Yes, I have passed many groups of mule deer driving 385 between Hot Springs and Chadron. And on a positive note the country roads down in that area are beautiful, best gravel roads I have ever driven around BLM. Lots of whitetail down around Angostora.

Just a matter of catching them moving between the ag fields where they feed and the areas they bed.

PrairieHunter said:

Yes, I have passed many groups of mule deer driving 385 between Hot Springs and Chadron. And on a positive note the country roads down in that area are beautiful, best gravel roads I have ever driven around BLM. Lots of whitetail down around Angostora.

Just a matter of catching them moving between the ag fields where they feed and the areas they bed.

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I used to see nice bucks on the way to Angostura walleye fishing!

mmeehan97 said:

That's a stud for the hills! Awesome buck!

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You said a mouthful there pardner and I'll certainly second that as one great buck from the hills!

Finally have a few minutes and thought I'd resurrect this thread to give an update on my trip. I read a lot of threads with people asking for advise and they're usually never updated. I don't want to be one of those guys, so here ya go.
My brother and I had a great time. He lives across the country from me now and I don't get to see him very often so this was a very memorable trip. I'd also like to say thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread.

I ended up flying into Rapid City and was picked up at the airport by my brother in his F-250 bro dozer. We grabbed some supplies that I ordered online and had set for in-store pickup at Walmart before heading out to our rental in Hill City. After checking in and unpacking we just took a drive around to get a feeling for what we had been looking at for months on google earth. My memory isn't good enough to give daily rundowns, but we were seeing animals every day. We hiked a lot more than either of us were accustomed to, but it was great country. My brother ended up shooting a buck the 3rd or 4th day. I saw a ton of deer, but only two that I would have hung a tag on. Unfortunately, neither opportunity materialized.

His buck


I offered to show him the gutless method but he's hardheaded and wanted to drag it almost 2 miles back to the truck. He dropped his deer off at Freedom Wild in Box Elder SD for processing. It's not the easiest place to find but Rich is a great guy. He had the deer ready exactly as requested the very next day. I've never taken a deer to a processor as I have everything I need to do most anything myself, but I'd have no problem giving mine to Rich, especially being so far from home.

We were seeing a lot of deer in the southern section of the unit but nothing that I was interested in. My brother on the other hand, doesn't get to hunt as much so he was content and having a blast. After he tug out I convinced him to take a drive up into a spot I had marked that was a pretty decent ride from where we were staying. It was snowing pretty good when I left the truck to hike to an area I wanted to check out. about a mile or so in I bumped two deer from their beds. One looked like a really great buck but I only caught a quick glimpse of him. The deer were about 70-80yds away, but they managed to use the few smaller pine trees on the edge of a clear cut to conceal themselves pretty well. One of the deer, which seemed to be pretty big bodied had his entire head and neck behind one of these pines. I looked the deer over through my scope several times trying to make out if it was the buck or doe but I just couldn't. He stayed there still as a statue for probably a good minute or two. Directly in front of the deer was great opening, so I decided to just be patient for a change and wait for it to clear the pine to confirm it was the buck. As my luck would have it, when he finally decided to move, it was at full speed and I watched what was probably the biggest buck I'd ever seen run out of site. I'm still tortured by the site of that buck bounding through that clearing. After thinking about it I realized that I had an any whitetail tag, which made me even more sick. I basically had a 50-50 shot at shooting a giant or hanging my tag on a doe. I wasn't there to shoot a doe but I wouldn't have been pissed about it either as my brother really wanted venison to take home. Afterwards, I ended up seeing a few other deer but nothing worth shooting while checking out some other areas I had marked on my On-X map. On the hike back out I watched a decent sized mule deer chasing a handful of doe around. I wasn't able to get a great pic but here you go.


The next day we checkout out another area. No shooters, but I did see three bull elk. Again the pics aren't great because of the snow. They were right at 300 yds in this pic. I was able to get within about 85 yds as I worked my way past them.


On the last day I headed back to the clear cut where I saw the big buck. I saw a few smaller deer that morning and a really nice mule deer buck. The buck came by me at 40 yds. I've never killed a muley, what do you guys think he'd score?



I ended up taking up a nice spot overlooking the clear cut from a rock perch on the opposite side because the wind shifted on me. Had three more bull elk walk by at a distance that my unathletic azz could have hit them with rocks. About 20 mins before the end of legal shooting time I spotted a really nice buck dogging 2 doe through the middle of the clear cut I was watching. About 200 yds out they dropped down into a little low spot. I watched the doe come out and work their way a few hundred yards down the mountain, across the FS road and out of sight. I have no idea where that buck went. It was like he vanished in a little blind spot in the middle of an area where I could see several hundred yards in three directions. The only thing I can think of is that he changed directions while I was looking through the scope waiting for him to enter one of the clearings the doe came through. Why he left those doe, or where he went I'll never know.

At the end of it, I didn't fill my tag but we had a great time. I'm on the fence about whether or not I'd return. Sounds like the SDGF may make my mind up for me anyway, as the new draw proposals don't seem very kind to non-res from what I can understand. I just hope I'm able to cash in my W River points for a MD tag in the future.