I'm looking at a DIY Merriam's hunt in south dakota and am wondering which of these two options is the better way to go. From what I've read, it's not difficult to get either tag. In the Black Hills, the birds would probably be a little more pressured, but I wouldn't have to worry about accidentally hunting on private property. Is it true that there is poorly-marked private property on the reservations? Is there still plenty of huntable land on the reservations? any other tips or advice would be greatly appreciated
Poorly posted reservation land I've seen on several reservations where you can't tell private from the reservation be very careful that is my advice. The Black Hills 10's of 1000's of acres to run around on.
Good luck!
Neal
If your concern is the possibility of trespassing, then by all means go to the Black Hills. I've deer hunted and turkey hunted the Cheyenne River I.R. (no guide needed) and the boundary maps leave a lot to the imagination. Private ground in the Black Hills is well marked. There are plenty of turkeys in both areas. Good luck and be safe!
:smiley-patriotic-flagwaver-an
The indian reservation I hunted you had to pay a tribe member to "guide" you, to ensure you were on tribal land. Either way there should be plenty of huntable birds.
I went with Standing Rock Reservation and they have land in both North and South Dakota. I had a tribal map, a state map, and a little google earth before. We spoke to the ranger and he told us what colors were game on the map. He was even willing to direct us to ranchers that needed help with keeping the birds in check. No problems at all. I only spotted one other turkey hunter on private land and it was pretty easy to tell it was private. We didn't need a 'guide'. I can't speak for experiences at other Reservation lands. Some I did call, such as Oglala Sioux and Rosebud, to inquire. I told them my wife has family land and I would hunt with her uncle's. I was still told I would need a guide on her family land. At Oglala Sioux I asked for a list of the 'guide's' and was gave maybe one or two numbers. I also asked for a map and was told that is what the guide is for. I called a few of them and was quoted some outrageous price (for me anyway) and was told 'I'll guarantee you'll tag out'. My reply was 'what do I need to pay 3 days for then?' I was a little hesitant to use a guide that I had no information for from people's past experiences. Standing Rock did not require a guide. We were on birds the first morning. I tagged out. My buddy not so lucky. It wasn't for a lack of opportunity though.
Hunted a reservation once...had to have an Indian guide with us.
I've been to Standing Rock; borders and boundaries are vague and hunters were on top of us worse than my other public land hunts. You are not required to have a guide but leaving a vehicle w/o paying a tresspass fee to the landowner could be detrimental to your vehicle. Another group of hunters wandered into an area that was designated as hunt-able, only to have a local shoot at them for trespassing. Tribal police were called and they ended their hunt early eventhough they were not in the wrong. My advice is to be careful.