South Dakota Public Mule Deer Hunt

[MGustin23]

Hey all. Me and a buddy are planning a South Dakota Mule Deer hunt for next October (Assuming we get drawn. Haha).

I'm just hitting up some of these forums for some tips and tricks to make our hunt more successful. Perhaps anywhere in the state you guys have had success or know of any hot spots to check for muleys? We will be there for seven days and will have the ability to drive around to different public ground. Planning to camp/stay at the truck overnight so no need for hotels or anything of that sort. Camp grounds or camping accessible parking areas would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[Gun&BowSD]

Just joined, got 2 posts on one of multiple forums and asking for hot spots. Ballsy move, sir. I'm gunna be real honest you may get somebody to give you something but I wouldn't count on it. Lot of people join this forum to do that and people just don't really play that game. I will say SD has alot of ground, and they are out there somewhere. Good luck. And welcome to the forum

 

[KurtR]

I would get a hotel room leave the camping gear at home. Be mobile and scout from the North Dakota line to Nebraska and western 2/3rds of the state. If your hunting October it’s archery you will be dealing with bird hunters and depending the week rifle goat hunters. Could be snow asshole deep to a giraffe or like this year 90’s

 

[Dakota_Rookie]

Expect strong, warm south winds. Expect the next day to be cold and breezy. You could get every weather pattern in that same week.

Mule Deer are from the black hills to the river and from North Dakota border to Nebraska border. Small pockets on east side of river.

Camping won’t be required but is cheaper than hotels. If you can keep camp as mobile as possible that’ll be best. Can’t camp on Walk in or state land.


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[MGustin23]

Expect strong, warm south winds. Expect the next day to be cold and breezy. You could get every weather pattern in that same week.

Mule Deer are from the black hills to the river and from North Dakota border to Nebraska border. Small pockets on east side of river.

Camping won’t be required but is cheaper than hotels. If you can keep camp as mobile as possible that’ll be best. Can’t camp on Walk in or state land.


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Really appreciate it. These are some of the exact details I've been looking for!

 

[MGustin23]

Just joined, got 2 posts on one of multiple forums and asking for hot spots. Ballsy move, sir. I'm gunna be real honest you may get somebody to give you something but I wouldn't count on it. Lot of people join this forum to do that and people just don't really play that game. I will say SD has alot of ground, and they are out there somewhere. Good luck. And welcome to the forum

Not that deep my man. Just looking to start getting into Western Hunting and we found that a lot of guys like hunting Mule Deer in South Dakota. We're from Indiana so it's not all that easy to just drive out west and start flinging arrows. We don't want to go in blind and have no idea what to expect or where to go. Just starting a gear list and making sure we have a good experience. Perhaps I should have worded it differently when asking for tips/tricks.

I'm not asking for everyone to tell me their top secret honey hole. Just looking for some ideas on where might be some good places to start up and the best ways to go about hunting these things along with associated gear needed. We're just trying to get the best experience for the time and money we're putting into this trip. I thought I could come on here to get help from others more experienced than myself but I guess that's a big no no. Thanks for the heads up though!

 

[Gun&BowSD]

I get it.
Have good glass

 

[KurtR]

Not that deep my man. Just looking to start getting into Western Hunting and we found that a lot of guys like hunting Mule Deer in South Dakota. We're from Indiana so it's not all that easy to just drive out west and start flinging arrows. We don't want to go in blind and have no idea what to expect or where to go. Just starting a gear list and making sure we have a good experience. Perhaps I should have worded it differently when asking for tips/tricks.

I'm not asking for everyone to tell me their top secret honey hole. Just looking for some ideas on where might be some good places to start up and the best ways to go about hunting these things along with associated gear needed. We're just trying to get the best experience for the time and money we're putting into this trip. I thought I could come on here to get help from others more experienced than myself but I guess that's a big no no. Thanks for the heads up though!

You should look when rifle goat season is and if you are coming over that time i would bring orange with and only take it off if going on a stalk and even then i might still wear it.

 

[HornPorn]

Not that deep my man. Just looking to start getting into Western Hunting and we found that a lot of guys like hunting Mule Deer in South Dakota. We're from Indiana so it's not all that easy to just drive out west and start flinging arrows. We don't want to go in blind and have no idea what to expect or where to go. Just starting a gear list and making sure we have a good experience. Perhaps I should have worded it differently when asking for tips/tricks.

I'm not asking for everyone to tell me their top secret honey hole. Just looking for some ideas on where might be some good places to start up and the best ways to go about hunting these things along with associated gear needed. We're just trying to get the best experience for the time and money we're putting into this trip. I thought I could come on here to get help from others more experienced than myself but I guess that's a big no no. Thanks for the heads up though!

Dont post a grip and grin to Instagram saying DIY, cause you didnt do it yourself. You are asking to be guided, without paying for it.

 

[AHorst]

I just got back from a trip in SD, it's a lot of fun but hard work be prepared to put on miles and a lot of hours looking through glass. Nice glass will defiantly help, there were times we were looking further than a mile. I will say a sturdy tripod that has a good panning head on it is very nice. The more you can reduce the wobble the better chance at seeing deer.

For the weather the only thing that didn't happen was snow. Be prepared for it all, rain gear is really nice for blocking the wind on those windy days even if its a little warmer out. The one thing I wish I had were puffy pants, it would have reduced the number of layers I had to carry with me and kept me a little warmer.

There is a lot of land to hunt and after a few days you'll start to figure out what they like to hang out in. We saw deer in a lot of different types of habitat. Like Dakota_Rookie said black hills to the river and from North Dakota border to Nebraska border. There is a lot to explore. When you find bucks don't necessarily leave buck's to find more. We made that mistake and lost a few days at our main spot that could have lead to more opportunity.

It sounds like you're a newbie to western hunting and that you're mainly a whitetail hunter like me. After this trip I now understand why people say bow hunting mule deer is one of the hardest things a hunter can do. It's not easy getting close and its not easy finishing your stalk but it's doable. I listened to a lot of podcasts and read a lot of people doing stalks and how to go about it. It defiantly helped but doing it yourself is the best way to learn.

 

[Coyote Commander]

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