Yet some more SD archery questions

I'd like to do my first hunt for something other than whitetails in 20 years by heading west to SD. I'd like to hunt mulies with my bow. I've read about all the threads here and a few other sites, and clearly the top spot for archery mulies is in the NW part of the state in the Custer NF plots up there, as well as the rest of the public land around Buffalo.

I also read that this area is, comparatively, overrun with hunters, both NR and resident, even in archery. So I've also read that there are good pockets of mulies elsewhere. Basically, any of us only need one deer. And I'm realistic, I know I'm not gonna roll out and pick up a 180" mulie in a few days. So I keep seeing that although the Black Hills are clearly a fantastic whitetail area, the further south you get, the more mulies there are. I'm somewhat intrigued about heading down that way.

One thing I haven't seen is timing. I know that the hills rifle season starts about two weeks earlier than the NW corner. I don't know if I would archery hunt the southern hills or just below that unit. But...this would be a spot and stalk. As such, I'm not sure how important the timing is. Is the first week of September or the last week of October better? Does it generally matter? Is water a factor maybe in early September but not later in October? Do the deer move in area/elevation due to moving food sources? I have a few potential areas picked out already but that all could change obviously depending on guidance.

Anyway, anyone who's on the ground there and has some insight, I'd love to hear from you. I've seen in the other threads there seem to be several knowledgeable posters on here from the area so hopefully they will chime in or PM.

I should have posted in my original post they I've been a long time off and on lurker here. A few years ago I realized that in my early 50s I was wasting a lot of good hunting years. I'm from PA but I've hunted IA for whitetails several times over the past 20 years, archery only. I've also been one successful DIY AZ archery elk hunt back in 1999. I'm a little worse for wear since then as I have a knee that is up and down. I've got three points each for elk and deer in WY. I plan on entering the draw in AZ this year for elk and deer, buying points again for WY, and failing hitting the lottery in AZ, I've decided to skip IA this year and try for a SD muile.

The terrain, elevation, access, weather, etc. and some unfinished business with an AZ mulie from 20 years ago lead me to SD and a chance to chase a modern day mule deer. I've read a lot about SD over the last few years, but I've only gotten serious about it in the past few months. I'm also aware of all the stuff flying around in the politics of SD deer. That said, I'm planning like the last proposal will stick and I will be able to get an OTC archery tag.

So anyone who can add some insight I'd love to hear it. This would also be the least expensive, closest, and least gear intensive hunt I could probably take on for a mulie. So it makes a lot of sense from that perspective too. I don't know how I will do with mulies, so the fact that I could fall back to a whitetail if I stumbled into a nice one is also a bonus.

3darcher2 said:

I should have posted in my original post they I've been a long time off and on lurker here. A few years ago I realized that in my early 50s I was wasting a lot of good hunting years. I'm from PA but I've hunted IA for whitetails several times over the past 20 years, archery only. I've also been one successful DIY AZ archery elk hunt back in 1999. I'm a little worse for wear since then as I have a knee that is up and down. I've got three points each for elk and deer in WY. I plan on entering the draw in AZ this year for elk and deer, buying points again for WY, and failing hitting the lottery in AZ, I've decided to skip IA this year and try for a SD muile.

The terrain, elevation, access, weather, etc. and some unfinished business with an AZ mulie from 20 years ago lead me to SD and a chance to chase a modern day mule deer. I've read a lot about SD over the last few years, but I've only gotten serious about it in the past few months. I'm also aware of all the stuff flying around in the politics of SD deer. That said, I'm planning like the last proposal will stick and I will be able to get an OTC archery tag.

So anyone who can add some insight I'd love to hear it. This would also be the least expensive, closest, and least gear intensive hunt I could probably take on for a mulie. So it makes a lot of sense from that perspective too. I don't know how I will do with mulies, so the fact that I could fall back to a whitetail if I stumbled into a nice one is also a bonus.

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The politics of SD deer indicate that archery will remain unlimited, (send in your money, get your tag). Good luck.

Thanks warmer, that certainly looks like the new odds on outcome. I know it’s been a contentious issue in SD, the whole licensing procedure.

I think there’s a 80% chance I will wind up in SD. The main question is whether it’s September or October. And where I’m going, either southern BHNF or up in CNF/NW SD.

Personally, I think the southern hills would be quite difficult and disheartening for MD with a bow

Dogger, I know it isn't the first choice. I don't know if I read on another thread on this site or another that once you get south of 16 down by Edgemont/Hot Springs that MD start to outnumber WT. I've looked at some Google earth type stuff down there and it looks like a lot of what I see up in the NW part of the state. Maybe that was old info.

I'm certainly up for any more recent updates. I'd like to find somewhere off the beaten path is all, and I always look at things as I only need one. If I found a couple pockets with a half dozen MD bucks in it, I'd be set, even thought the numbers up north are clearly higher.

If you’re talking about the area south or east of Hot Springs, might be worth it. I had a Hills tag this year and it wasn’t valid that far south. I was quite a ways south of 16 a few times (and even north of Hill City) and I only saw one mule deer which was actually closer to Hill City. Had him at 20 yards in the woods.

I know where there was another MD population in the southern Hills, but I really wouldn’t venture there targeting them. It’d be a disappointment, IMO.

I’d be thinking about the plains if I were to go down that far southwest.

Yes, I was thinking down that far. I do think that what I looked at was actually out of the BH unit. It's tantalizing because there are enough pics of mulies up in the Hills proper like the other thread here now that make want to think it could happen. The realist says I should just play the odds.

One thing, I know everyone has different ideas of pressure. I'm from PA - we have 350,000 bowhunters in 44,000 square miles. Most likely I can find somewhere that I think isn't too crowded, at least for me. Pretty much anywhere in SD, even the BHs will seem like low pressure to me.

There are a lot of mule deer in the southern black hills especially in the burn areas. West of Custer is one such area (Jasper fire). Good glassing areas. Some of the plains about 30 miles south of Hot Springs are also good.

You mentioned your knees, take note that the Custer NF can be pretty rugged but most of it is very similar to the Black Hills. When I venture to several areas of the NF up there, I find them in some pretty nasty stuff. Also found them in the plains around Buffalo as you also noted.

I don't personally hunt early Sept as I have no interest in velvet. I have hunted October plenty in 90 degree weather and 10 degree weather.

If you had access to a boat I would suggest along the Missouri river. There is a lot of land that can be accessed by water and not hunted as hard as other areas with vehicle access. Good luck

sluggo6850 said:

If you had access to a boat I would suggest along the Missouri river. There is a lot of land that can be accessed by water and not hunted as hard as other areas with vehicle access. Good luck

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that is a good suggestion. Ever try that on Cheyenne river?

btweedy said:

There are a lot of mule deer in the southern black hills especially in the burn areas. West of Custer is one such area (Jasper fire). Good glassing areas. Some of the plains about 30 miles south of Hot Springs are also good.

You mentioned your knees, take note that the Custer NF can be pretty rugged but most of it is very similar to the Black Hills. When I venture to several areas of the NF up there, I find them in some pretty nasty stuff. Also found them in the plains around Buffalo as you also noted.

I don't personally hunt early Sept as I have no interest in velvet. I have hunted October plenty in 90 degree weather and 10 degree weather.

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Good stuff. My knees are still ok for most things, but my lack of running definitely affects my overall fitness. I’ve only recently started hiking around the steepest, nastiest stuff I can find around here, which isn’t great but it’s not Florida. It is only 1000’ elevation.

I’m not throwing in the towel yet on that whole Custer/Hot Springs to the WY border corridor. Still some research to be done.

sluggo6850 said:

If you had access to a boat I would suggest along the Missouri river. There is a lot of land that can be accessed by water and not hunted as hard as other areas with vehicle access. Good luck

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No boat, but great idea!

btweedy said:

that is a good suggestion. Ever try that on Cheyenne river?

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I haven't but I would guess that would be a good area. Also north of Pierre there are a lot of draws that run down to the river.

https://www.southdakotamagazine.com/paddling-the-cheyenne

I just ran across this topic, and I was kindof looking at the same areas next year. Since you mentioned the Cheyenne river and getting close to the Wyoming border, I think the closer to the Wyoming side of the river, the less navigable to not at all in the fall. It picks up a lot more water as it gets further into South Dakota I think. I just thought of it because on the Wyoming side its barely registering a flow right now if I read that right https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?m=pa01d&r=wy&w=map. Spring it can get kindof high, but I don't know much about the South Dakota side of the river. Walking the flood plains along the little drainages that feed the Cheyenne River on the Wyoming side does turn up deer for me just so I can try and be somewhat useful.

I wondered about boat travel as well at one point. It looked like a great idea on paper,but, I have been around the Cheyenne river in WY and western SD in the fall the last couple years and there simply has not been enough water to float a boat and sometimes not enough for a kayak. I believe the closer you get to the MO river the more that idea would be an option. Best wishes on your hunt!