Hi all,
I would like to head to Black Hills of South Dakota for a do it yourself hunt. Any advice on general locations, time of year, etc.?
ive never been to the black hills before but i do know that the farther north you go the earlier the transition...for example, i live in kentucky and the third transition starts around mid april which is the bet transition to hunt them... but up in the black hills they are probably only in their first or second transition....the opposite for farther south... so personally if i was gonna pick a time to go to the black hills i would probably go the second or third week in may, if it lasts that long up there. (im pretty sure it does)
I hunted there 2 years ago with my son. We stayed in Hill City. We both killed turkeys within the first 2 days. I can put you on turkeys if you are going to hunt that area. Send me a PM if your interested.
TRKYHTR
First and foremost, get in shape. You may luck out, plop down in one spot and kill a bird, but most likely you will need to do some climbing. The birds here have a sick sense of humor, they like to gobble at you to get you to climb from one ridge to the next, then answer back another ridge over. You can do a lot of walking.
Two things to bring, GPS with topo map and a good box call. A box call is my go to weapon for mid day locating. These birds have a lot of country to travel during the day and they can be anywhere. We have a good population of hens lately, so you can strike several birds who gobble and go before you hit that one that is on his own and hot for a companion.
Come prepared for snow no matter what time of the season you come. We have had measurable snow into June here, although rare. But if coming in April you may be greeted with knee deep snow.
Study up early. When you decide an area to hunt, use Google earth and a topo program to search out likely looking spots. Most areas are accesible on a Forest Service road, but many are closed to motorized travel Dec 15 to May 15. They do make for easy walking and locating birds.
I hunted the Hill City area a few years ago and was successful also. Box calls are a good idea due to the open terrain and windy environment. Showing up a few days before May 15th helped in my opinion due to having more territory with less pressured birds. A good map, compass, a a pair of well broken in boots were necessities for my hunt. A coyote howler for a locator also worked well.
If you do go and stay in Hill City, don't forget to stop in the Mangy Moose for a cold one. Tell them the PA boys sent ya.......LOL :morning:
Seriously though, we usually go out there every year so PM me for some info.
One more thing, if your traveling that far you might want to look into hunting the Wyoming Black Hills also.
Went there with Bosstom3 last year. I love hunting turkey anywhere and everywhere but South Dakota Black Hills is a favorite of mine. I would go there and Wyoming every year if I could! You will love it! Wish you the best of luck!
Also headed to the hills for opening weekend. Hunted near hill city last year with zero success primarily due to the weather over opening weekend. Would love some insight from anyone out there willing to help. I'm taking my fiance and am hoping to get her on a merriams!
Bump... Any help appreciated. Message me! Thanks guys.