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 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.