South Dakota redemption

[Bolandstrutters]

Long read warning!!! After striking out last year on my first trip to South Dakota, i couldn't wait to head back west this year to get a little redemption.  The birds were few and far between again.  Ended up spending the first couple of days where I found a group of gobblers last season.  Decided to just pitch and tent and hammock this year to cut back on drive time and so I could be more mobile. There were 4-5 gobblers roosted on the exact same ridge as last year.  I had a better plan of attack this time around, but they still managed to give me the slip at every opportunity.  I had birds within 30 yards probably 5 times, yet never laid an eye on them.  The terrain in that particular spot was very difficult to set up on.  After three days I learned that they had opened up the trail system to all year use instead of seasonal.  Side by sides started showing up in groves so I went out in search for another spot.  Ended up running into an outfitter on the road and stopped and talked to him for a good hour or so.  Very nice guy.  He was nice enough to tell me about some of his spots that he hadn't touched yet. The one spot in particular looked promising from maps, but was extremely tough to get to.  I drove through hells canyon, into Wyoming and then back into South Dakota on about 50 miles of gravel roads.  Decided to give it a shot anyways.  Never got on birds in that area, but did get on elk and deer sheds.  Found three brown elk sheds and two nice Whitetail sheds.  So that made the drive worth while.  At this point I'm about five days in and getting pretty frustrated again, but I caught a second wind and a newfound determination to not go home empty handed.  I had another tag for a prairie unit that I randomly put in for so I decided to make the hour drive or so to check on some spots I had scouted on Google earth.  95% of this unit looked like the moon.  No trees, no water etc.  The promising looking public land ended up being land locked by private land and I was unable to gain permission from land owners to drive through their land to get into them.  There was one last spot that ended up being about 70 miles of gravel to get to.  When I finally got there I was pretty let down by the lack of roost worthy trees, but that changed pretty quickly when I saw two strutters from the road as well as a group of hens that crossed the road in front of me.  It was late in the afternoon at this point, but I grabbed my stuff and made a game plan to get on the two strutters I spotted.  Made a giant circle to get above them and in front of the direction it seemed they were heading.  This was even steeper terrain then the black hills.  It was take three steps and take a ten second break most of the time.  And I'm in good shape.  Finally got to where I wanted to be and it didn't take long to strike one of the gobblers.  He was below me quite a bit, but within striking distance.  Eventually he stepped out into a clearing and I watched him strut and gobble at about two hundred yards.  From my vantage point I could tell he wasn't going to come in by his body language.  He was fired up and alone, but didn't look like he wanted to climb the mountain up to me.  So I took off on a dead sprint to get way in front of him so I could drop down to his level.  Again, got to where I wanted to be but he went silent.  I chalked it up to him maybe spotting me.  I set up for about thirty minutes and didn't hear anything.  I decided to ease extremely slow to where I last laid eyes on him and ended up flushing him out of a ditch about 75 yards in front of where I was set up.  Don't know if he was coming in or not, but that's always a crappy feeling.  So I set off back to my truck in hopes to get something roosted for the following morning.  Didn't hear another bird that night, but was still hopeful for the next morning.  Being so far from anything I just crashed in my truck for the night and was back on the mountain well before a glimpse of daylight.  Right at first light the birds started hammering, but they were pretty far from my initial location.  I didn't really have a move on them so I waited for them to pitch down and then make a move based on the direction they were heading.  Luckily they kept gobbling hard and I was able to keep track of them.  Of course they headed right for the most rugged part of the state, but I was able to get in front of them and setup in a decent spot.  I've got two birds hammering in front of me, probably two hundred yards or so.  One sounds like he's fading off and the other sounds like he's staying in the same spot.  I get pretty aggressive with my calling and eventually the one sounds like he's finally going to come in.  As that bird closes the distance, I strike another bird directly behind me and he's even closer.  Unfortunately, my setup was terrible for the closer bird and it was too late to make a move.  The first bird is still hammering at about 75 yards and then I hear drumming directly behind me.  And close.  My hearing isnt the best so they've gotta be super close to hear them drumming.  I'm guessing he was within ten yards.  Facing towards the first bird in a skinny clearing, all I could do was wait and see what was going to unfold.  The closer bird continues to drum and is now probably ten feet over my left shoulder and getting close to being in front of me.  I continue to follow the drumming sound until its about 15 yards in front of me but still in the thick pines.  About ten seconds later he steps out at twenty yards, pops into strut and gobbles and I let him have it.  It was the most rewarding hunt I've ever been on by far.  To give an idea of how tough this country was.  I could see my truck from where I shot the bird, about 500 yards away.  It took me three hours and over three miles with elevation change to get back to it.  I'll post some pictures. 

[Bolandstrutters]

Few more to come

[Bolandstrutters]

Bonus sheds

[Roost 1]

Congrats.. way to stick with them. You most certainly earned that bird. Hard to imagine 70 miles of gravel road.

[codym]

Great job, beautiful bird.

[idgobble]

Great story!  Glad you were successful.  You earned it!

[tomstopper]

Congrats

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[WiLL B]

Congrats on a well earned gobbler! Way to stick with it!

[TRG3]

Being in my 7th decade of life, that sort of hunt is behind me now; however, I was living ever step of your hunt and thinking..."That was me some 50+ years ago!" Congratulations on sticking with it and relishing the success of your hard earned bird.

[buzzardroost]

Great story


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[Bolandstrutters]

Thanks for taking the time to read!

[daddyduke]

Congrats!

[wade]

Congratulations. I also struggled last year in SD and got my Merriam's this year. My hunt this spring was smooth and easy.