I drew a 35L any deer tag for South Dakota been applying for 13 years finally hoping for some helpful information it opens November 16 I’m old but can still get out and hike looking for a nice whitetail or Mule deer would it be best to be there on the opening or later in November any information would help never posted on a site before hope I did it right thanks
West river 35l
- Thread starter Grandpa8
- Start date
Keeptrying
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2016
- Messages
- 678
@Dakota79 That is like calling member Dakota79 to this thread.
Later can be colder with a solid rut happening and less people. You risk running into significant weather.
Later can be colder with a solid rut happening and less people. You risk running into significant weather.
Thanks for the reply I’ll be driving in from Utah about 15 hours from what I’ve researched it seems like a good area can’t wait to see Mt Rushmore it’s a special place you are lucky to have it in your state.would you say I have a better chance at a good whitetail or mule deer ?
If it were me I would definitely go later in the season and preferably the middle of the week to avoid some of the pressure. If you hit it right you should be able to see the bucks with their heads down chasing does in daylight. Make damn sure you know where you are as far as the boundaries of the unit because it can get a little trick for some.Should be a good time.
D
Deleted member 38069
Guest
WTs in the river bottoms but mainly mulies. There is a reason it is a hard to draw tag, you should have fun!
You're not going to find any river bottom in this unit. I see some really nice ones of both species in their but it's not a give me for sure. More than likely you'll see or have a chance at several smaller ones, a handful of representative for this area and just a couple of nice big deer.
D
Deleted member 38069
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Just east of that, in unit 53c, that was my strategy. If I saw green trees or grass, I usually saw WTs.
bjochem
Member
Hopefully the WTs make a comeback. We have been archery hunting 35 for several years and noticed in 2018 and 2019 a significant decrease in mature WT bucks. Does and little bucks seemed plentiful but we typically always saw 1 or more studs. Not the case the past 2 years. Good luck out there, wish I had a gun tag this year!
Chad Gus
Well-known member
There's some really nice bull elk in that area too.
Do you see nice mule deer or are there numbers low as well?
What part of the county are you hunting? On the land I hunt there sure doesn't seem to be any shortage of Whitetail's of all ages and sizes. I admit this is on private land I'm talking though.
I know 35 L has 3 areas do they have equal amounts of mule deer and whitetail in each area or does one area hold more mule deer than the other, that’s the first I hear whitetail numbers may be down
warmer
Well-known member
" Make damn sure you know where you are as far as the boundaries of the unit because it can get a little trick for some"
By this he means if you cross on to private land the Game Warden will be talking to you within minutes. Land owners watch everyone very closely and don't want any non-paying hunters shooting "their" deer.
D
Deleted member 38069
Guest
This was the same same for 15A and 53C the two previous times. They, the GFP, are over protecting the Mulies and diminishing the age class of WTs.
D
Deleted member 38069
Guest
Personally, I love chasing mature WTs through the prairie. They are not as forgiving when putting on a stalk!
I think all things considering you're going to find each section of it holds about the same ratio of each.
Thanks Dakota79 Good to know is the key to the hunt, deer crossing from private to public and watching fence lines or walking way out in public away from roads to find nice bucks
I would not be too tight to the fence lines of private and public myself and like to go out in the middle of nowhere. Just me.
