SD vs ND non resident mule deer (archery)

[solemntactician]

Weather could be 100 or 5 out with snow rain or blistering sun. Its april and today it is 10 out and we are getting more snow on sunday it should be in the 50's. So its really hard to say but if you go of average your temps are probably close.

Wind is another it could be calm with bugs killing you or blowing 40 generally its blowing 40 which is a relatively light breeze for here haha.

cant help with the guide i know there are some good ones i just dont know who to recommend since living here i dont use them.

tips do alot of glassing be patient as i have watched guys walk yards from mulies as they laid in a creek and they blew past they will hide in places you dont thing a deer can. Our draws would be open places from what you are used to seeing.

gear would be easier if you list what you were bringing

hiking distance can also very from few hundred yards to miles but its no supper hard like in the mountains so if you can walk with out having a heart attack you will be fine.

Outstanding! Gear, well I was originally gearing up for a back country elk hunt. So basically that. Just didn't know if there was something specific. I think I've got it covered was just curious.

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[KurtR]

You should be fine than. If it is warm watch out for rattle snakes and you should be set. Are you staying in a hotel or cabin as you cant camp on alot of the public land here

 

[solemntactician]

You should be fine than. If it is warm watch out for rattle snakes and you should be set. Are you staying in a hotel or cabin as you cant camp on alot of the public land here

I believe we are figuring hotel currently, unless there is an advantage to the cabin or even a campground?

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[KurtR]

No i would go the hotel route or some times you can rent a house in the little towns you will be around

 

[Muleys32]

Looks like we will be going to the Badlands last week of Sept. So here are some questions..... again your choice of open forum or PM

Questions regarding a last week of September SD Badlands hunt:

• Typical weather (temps, rain, wind etc.) - research says fairly warm 50-75 degrees.

• In regards to wind should I be training crosswinds (I’m from IL so most hunting is in the woods with little to 0 cross winds) or will they be in draws and such vs open country?

• Guide suggestions

• Tips/tricks – NOT LOOKING for gimmes (Never hunted Mules)

• Books/videos/podcasts to look at

• Gear that I wouldn’t think of

• Typical hiking distances?

Have fun! As stated above the weather can vary greatly. Expect the mornings to be probably 50 and the days to get up to 90. But it can be very cold for sure.

The wind is very swirly in the different cuts and draws. You can use thermals to your advantage.

Robby Dennings book is a great read to help build your knowledge base.

A tripod for your binocs for morning and evening glassing sessions is almost a must have in my mind.

 

[KurtR]

Yep that tripod for the binocs is a game changer best thing i have done in the last few years

 

[MIedge]

PM sent

 

[Skyhigh]

You can send me a pm if you want some info about SD. I have worked/hunted in the NW corner of the state and know it pretty well.

 

[solemntactician]

You can send me a pm if you want some info about SD. I have worked/hunted in the NW corner of the state and know it pretty well.

I probably will once I wake up (night shifter)

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[Lawnboi]

Sd is a fun hunt. I may be out there again depending on how the draws pan out for me. Lots of pressure even during archery, so be prepared to see people.

Too late now, but next time apply for Montana, way more public country, way less pressure.


To answer your questions

Weather can be all over, usually windy, be prepared for anything. Iv had years of snow and 60mph winds, and years where it was 80 with sun and dead still.

Wind, yea, be prepared. I actually like hunting in heavy wind out there. The deer stay tucked in, and the noise covers you during the stalk.

Tips? Glass, spot, and stalk. It's just that simple. Get high early and glass. Walking aimlessly will only bust deer. Watch water if it's dry.

No guides for me can't help there

Gear: binos, spotter and good boots. No big ups and downs but some of that country is a pain to walk in. Don't forget the sunscreen and chap stick.

Hiking? Depends on what you find. Last few years sd has become more popular for bow hunting. Last year it took some serious walking to get away and find deer that were not being chased all over.



I'd pm you but looks like others are already on top of it. It's a fun hunt, there is a definite learning curve if youv never hunts out there.

Good luck, it's a fun hunt, but can be tough. On an unlimited tag is assume you don't get too much info, Atleast I wouldn't expect it. A scouting trip, even for a weekend out there would tell you a lot about what's going on.

 

[Trial153]

I have bowhunted deer in western SD four times so far. Have had some very good experiences. The last time it seemed deer numbers were down quite a bit then in the past however it was a still a good hunt. Hard horned mule deer in that country is challenging bowhunt. I like breaking it from my usual high county early season hunts and late season tags I try to pull.

 

[solemntactician]

From all the info in this thread + the info via PMs you gents are wonderful! That was the knowledge I was after but my googlefu was weak and couldn't find a "reliable" source. Again thank you all who have commented and messaged me privately tons of info!

 

[wrkn2hunt]

I decided to chime in here. I hunt western ND quite a bit and scout it more. Can't help much for SD other than I travel it a lot for work and see some damn nice deer. Western ND I spend as much time as I can but with kids traveling gets tougher. The last 2 years we have scouted a ton of bucks and some damn nice ones. Rifle tag in 2016 for 3 of us and everybody shot great bucks. Fall of 2017 I had a 14 year old daughter with a badlands tag and she brought home a dandy also. I have heard from guys saying they are not seeing much but personally I thinks its better than it has been for a long time. Oil field traffic has pushed em farther from the roads and we average 10 miles a day out there but if you work it to me is one of the best tags to have. I will be out there for archery opener this year again to chase them in velvet which is my favorite time of year to hunt them.

 

[Inconstancy]

Wrkn2hunt, mind if I pm you for info on ND?

 

[DJM]

I have hunted South Dakota archery once in 2016 it was crowded but saw a good amount of deer fun hunt wound not be scared to go again

 

[Inconstancy]

I'm sure much can change in 4 years. Care to mention what area you were in? The preliminary research I've done says sd might be hard to "camp and pack in" as a result of few camp grounds. Seems many people hunt out of a hotel or some other arrangement. Was this your experience?

 

[DJM]

We were close to buffalo. U have to apply for a archery tag by April 1st it is the first year there is a deadline so that might help with the pressure. There is a camp ground close to buffalo also . We camped in the National forest. I think u might have to draw to hunt the National Forest know not sure . And there was only one motel in buffalo and it is tiny so make reservations far out if u stay there

 

[bjfoxhoven]

I'm sure much can change in 4 years. Care to mention what area you were in? The preliminary research I've done says sd might be hard to "camp and pack in" as a result of few camp grounds. Seems many people hunt out of a hotel or some other arrangement. Was this your experience?

There is some federal ground you can backpack hunt on in some areas. You will need to use some kind of map service to show you where that is. West river rifle kicks the heck out of the deer, however I’ve never really Run into excessive pressure from archery hunters. Make sure you look at regulations as to when out of state hunters can start hunting, I believe lAst year they changed it so you cannot hunt until October maybe?? I could be wrong on the date. Two years ago we found some dead Mule deer bucks in of the spots we go to, they were within 100 yards of each other down in a draw by water... I did t think blue tongue affected them as much, but it sure looked like that was it. Sounds like numbers aren’t what they used to be 5+ years ago, but you will find deer... and some nice ones if you are lucky.

 

[Boxerboxer]

Like mentioned the deadline to apply for a non res bow tag in ND is in March. There are some decent whitetails here also. If you were interested in hunting whitetails instead I could help you out with a few areas that hold decent bucks.

As for muleys I did not see the quality of bucks this last year that I have seen in years past. I was actually disappointed. Still a good amount of deer though. Hopefully it was just me and not an age issue. 400+ rifle muley buck tags per unit during the rut definitely makes it a little harder for the bucks to grow up. And with as wide open as the grasslands are it makes it even harder for the bucks to escape during rifle season.

This WAS true as recently as last year but for some reason the application window runs 3/15-4/15 this year per NDGF.

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[dirtytough]

This WAS true as recently as last year but for some reason the application window runs 3/15-4/15 this year per NDGF.

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Hopefully when people are looking at these old threads they realize things can change in a few years and do their due diligence especially when it comes to rules and regulations.