South Dakota information / help

[jore07]

I've bothered you guys for informations, tricks, techniques, etc. for months now. Well the time is near for me to head down there, finally, and I just wanted to hit you all up one last time.

Just incase someone hasn't seen my previous posts or forgot I'll be heading down to Mellette County (area 50) near Wood, SD for archery season. I'll be down there Oct. 20th - 29th or so.

Basically I just wanted to see how the deer activity has been? Any pre-rut / rut activity? What they may be tending to feed on most. Any basic information that may help me get ahead of the game.

Also any tips or techniques that may be working for you this year again would be appreciated.

Thanks again everyone for all the help and hopefully I'll be able to post some success pictures in the next couple weeks.

 

[WyOpitz]

It may be a little different in this area but 90% of the deer I have seen have still been in bachelor herds. I live in Hot Springs, SD. However, I was recently hunting back in WY (about 90 miles away) and most of the bucks I saw were with does with the exception of about 5-6 bucks. I thought this was really odd for this time of the year and couldn't believe it was so different for being fairly close regions. I suspect they will start grouping up with does here soon as we get a little closer to the rut. Hard to say though with how nice the weather has been this fall. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[DHaffner]

My expectation would be some forced movement the next two weeks from pheasant hunters, and moving from bedding areas to food sources. Pre rut activity should build through mid november with deer activity increasing as things get colder.

 

[jore07]

Thanks guys..I appreciate the info. I hit the road tomorrow night so I'm am excited. Can hardly get anything done at work.

 

[DHaffner]

I hope you get a big one! Let me know if you need help dragging him out.

 

[jore07]

Ha thanks DH I appreciate you being helpful during the past year. Where you located again..anywhere near the area?

 

[warmer]

I believe DH is located on the SE side of the state, over by me. 200 or so miles east of you.

 

[DHaffner]

Yeah, I live on the east side of the state in Sioux Falls, but I'll be spending a fair amount of time west river over the next few weeks. Hopefully I'll get to wrap a tag around one or two also! Keep us updated...

 

[jore07]

Yeah we left last night after work so we made it to Spearfish. Got a couple hours left and then time to do a little scouting and setting blinds and stands. I think besides make the shot my biggest challenge is going to be getting to know the area. Should be fun though for sure. Thanks again fothe help guys, I appreciate it. Good luck yourselves!

I might try to post some photos tonight of the area and if any are out and about that I can snap some photos of. I don't have a super zoom camera or anything so we'll see what happens.

 

[warmer]

Good luck!

 

[jore07]

Looks like this could be a little bit harder than I was hoping. There is a lot of ground with I'd bet over half being mostly pasture grounds. There are a few good drainages but a ton of cover for the deer to lie down and never be seen. Some stuff in the bottoms 5-6 ft. tall. No opportunity for a treestand and maybe a spot for a ground blind if I can figure out where they are coming and going from. Very wide open otherwise.

I did some scouting last night and this morning before and saw 6 does and 2 bucks. All the does were whitetail and the bucks I couldn't say for sure they were a ways off and I don't have the best optics. One of them for sure though I would shoot if I can get close enough. I'll try to post some photos of the terrain tonight if I remember.

 

[cornfed]

Hope you have a couple trail cams to aid in finding the right spot to sit.lots of big deer hitting the ground this week in Iowa with the colder weather.

 

[jore07]

No such luck on the trail cams. I have the land owners telling me where they think and I actually saw a few tonight. Just couldn't get close enough to close the deal. Mostly does and fawns but one buck and he is a freak horn. He had 4 on his left side and on one single spike on his right. It came out like normal then went out the right and then almost straight up...pretty different. Also I think he was chasing doe. He was going really nuts there at sundown chased one to about 100 yards, then they bolted off.

 

[jore07]

The HUNT...

Well I've seen my fair share of deer, just not able to get close enough to close the deal. It has been really hard to spot these deer as they are mostly bedding up in the bottoms and the grass/weeds are 5ft. or better. It is getting frustrating.

Two days I was 35 yards from 2 decent mule bucks unable to get a good shot; they ended up bounding off to 85 and then continuing on. This morning I got back on those same to bucks and they occupied themselves by fighting a little not too hard, but it gave me time to try to close the gap. I got to 100 yards and thought they would continue down the draw. Instead they went up and away from me. I then backed out, and went around the hill to try and catch up with them. I again got on them and with 65 yards. Way beyond my ability, and just couldn't close the gap. I tried a little bit by crawling, but I spooked 2 whitetail bucks that were probably 50 yards or so bedded in some tall weeds. I didn't even know they were there. So that kind of screwed up everything.

Right now I am just taking a break as it’s already getting warm. It has been in the 70's the past few days and close to that again today. I've mostly been trying spot and stalk, but I thinking I may try to set a groudn blind and see if I can get anything to cross my path. We’ll see, just been too damn dry to sneak up on anything at all

 

[CABugle]

Hang in there, it can be very rewarding in the end.

CABugle

 

[jore07]

Well after yesterday it was hard to drag my ass out this morning. I had started out in my blind and really didn't see anything until about an hour into sunlight. Then a decent mule walks out about 90 yards away and continues up a draw and beds down. I waited about an hour then crawled out of the blind and slowly made my way up the draw. I spotted him bedded against some brush and crawl to about 75 yards. He then gets up, spins around feeds for a minute then lies down again. I am just sitting watching the whole thing. Finally he gets up and feeds for awhile and works his way toward me across the little draw. He starts across kind of looking at me every other step. Finally he is straight away in the open. I ranged him at 45 and as he continued to walk I didn't really notice he was walking a bit towards me rather than flat. So I drew and settled my 40yd. pin on him thinking he hadn't come in more than that and let it fly. The arrow, clear as day, sailed about 2 inches over his back. I was sick, I watched as he bounded off and gave me that look back to rub it in. After he took off over the hill I ranged where he was standing. It came up as 29 yards. So just to verify I went over saw where he had kicked up dirt and ranged again where I was sitting (I had left my pack to range) again 28-29 yds. So I blew it. I didn’t think he had come in towards me that far and I didn’t have time to re-range him before I shot as I had to draw very slowly so he wouldn’t spook.

As for this morning’s adventures only one little buck (maybe 1.5 yr old) and one doe. Pretty slow considering how things have been. We’ll see tonight then probably time to start packing up.

If I don’t knock one down tonight or maybe tomorrow morning I am going to have to wait to try and get my first big game animal with a bow until next year. I can tell you it hasn’t been for lack of effort or critters, just a bad shot and a few other untimely things keeping me at bay. Man it is fun but damn can it be frustrating. I just look at it as good practice and honing my skills for rifle season and the next archery season. You gotta love the outdoors.

 

[cornfed]

Good luck were pulling for you.

 

[jore07]

The final day of my hunt has concluded and though I wasn’t lucky enough (or skilled enough) to take an animal I did have a great time in South Dakota. Before anything I want to thank you guys for your advice and help. It defiantly came in handy when I got into the hunt.

As for my final days after the miss I went out and sat for the evening in on a hillside. I spotted a couple bucks that almost instantly ran off they were both whitetails. I couldn’t figure out why because I knew did not spook them at all. They were at least 300 yards off and didn’t even look in my direction as I was just sitting at this point. So after watching them run forever, I spotted a young buck and then another came in that was a 4x1 whitey. I watch them for awhile and then moved down hill and cross a little draw then up on another side hill to close the distance about 100 yards or so.

As I came to my next point to stop and glass another larger buck (another whitey) poked his head up. I immediately froze and glassed him. He was a dandy, no record breaker but a nice tall 4x4 with good mass. I watched him bed down again and played the waiting game. Finally after about 30 minutes he stood up and started to chase a doe for about 2-3 minutes. When he had apparently had his fun he fed on the opposing hillside of the draw. I had ranged him at 275 yards at this point. He fed for probably 15 minutes and I had no way of closing the gap so I was content to watch. Then all of a sudden I hear a ruckus on top of the hill behind me. I look to my left and see a doe pop out on the hill probably about 75 yards away. Behind her that 4x1 is chasing her around pretty hard. I look at the 4x4 across the draw and he is on a dead sprint down the hill, I think he’s heading towards me but lose sight of him half way down because of the terrain. Then literally less than 5 seconds from that I hear him blowing through the tall grass to my right at full speed. I start to draw and get my eye to my peep and he comes to a dead stop right in front of me at max 15 ft. Problem is he is just showing his head and neck and about as fast as he appears he stomps, snorts and jets off the other direction. As fast as he had arrived he was gone. It was then way to dark to attempt another stalk or anything so I continued out of the area.

It was by far the coolest and craziest encounter I have had with a deer. I predict that the reason the first two bucks I saw run off were running because they had got run off by this buck. He had covered almost 300 yards in less than 10 seconds to fight off and run that 4x1 out of his area. It was a hell of a way to end a trip and I wish it would have been with success but the learning experience and the memories of that my miss, that encounter, and the trip overall at success enough for me.

Again thank you all for the help and advice. I wish I could have put it to better use and posted some pictures of me posing with a big deer but it just wasn’t meant to be this time around. I will definitely be back though if the opportunity presents.

 

[jore07]

I have a few pics of the land I was hunting but not a ton. I'll try to get them posted when I get home. Then off Tuesday to start an elk hunt in the breaks with my dad. He drew a cow tag this year so its time to switch gears and help him out. Who knows maybe we'll both try to knock a decent deer down as well.