WORTH ME HIT N BLACK HILLS THIS SEASON?

[turkey junky]

hey guys was just wondering if anybody was out in SD black hills yet this season & how the birds were acting??? im really just rib n my buddy royce hope n i can get a turkey re-port B4 its to late for me to buy my SD tag... im also really think n on heading to the wyoming side of the black hills so if anybody hit that side of the hills yet this season let me know if you have seen more or less birds overall in your area i dont need ur secret honey hole just need to know if there are turkeys in them hills this season or not???

[Gopherlongbeards]

I have not been out there yet myself, not until May. The weather was terrible opening weekend, but my contacts out there had been seeing birds around as usual. They did say numbers seem to be a little down overall.

[turkey junky]

thanks for the info gopher i herd the same from a few articles i will have to talk to a local biologist B4 i make my mind up??? i'm think n WYOMING mite be in my future???

ill be out there in late may if i make it at all??? i sure wish i could by my SD tags over the counter after the WY hunt!!!

[Gopherlongbeards]

There will still be plenty of birds out there regardless. I actually like when bird numbers are supposedly down, usually less hunting pressure. If you tag out in SD and still have a day or two left, just jump across the border to WY. I'm almost positive turkey tags there are OTC. Technically, you can buy SD tags OTC, but you must do so at the Pierre GF&P office. Otherwise they have to mail them to you. Easy enough to stop in Pierre on your way out from MN, not so easy if you're planning on hitting WY first.

[turkey junky]

well looks like i dont have the balls again to head out to the SD black hills this season all i hear is low numbers no gobbleing & low success so far...???

i will have to talk to a local biologist & see what the deal is!!!??? i know there are birds up there but i like to hunt wear there are lots of birds to high numbers of birds in a give n area not just some birds live there some times depending i like hunting high denseity area & the SD black hills is just to big to narrow it down for my likeing!!! i tend to hate hunting big timber/woods & thats all the SD black hills is & its hard to locate turkeys in a area wear everything is the same like big timber/black hills!!!

also i do not dig having to drive over to pierre if i want to scout the SD black hills B4 i buy a tag & make sure birds are in the area then go & buy my tag OTC over the counter!!! id rather just drive over to wyoming 1st & scout out the area 1st & if i locate birds willing to play the game i can just head to town & buy my tag & head back & hopefully get back on the birds sometime in the next WK & tag one!!! that is how it should be there is no reason SD has to do things like they do with no OTC tag sales outside of the big office in pierre!!!

i will be hunting NE after the black hills hunt & to make up for the SD black hills trip cancel i will most likely hit another area in NE i have never hunted B4 i hope the birds are acting write out west NE has always treated us well in the past!!!


P.S. sorry royce id love to hoast you on a hunt in NE if u can fit it in & still want to...

[Gopherlongbeards]

I actually like when bird numbers are supposedly down, usually less hunting pressure
--Gopherlongbeards

See? more birds for me

I hear yah on getting discouraged over low numbers TJ, this has been a poor season for me as well. MN was terrible. This past weekend in sconnie was pretty good though, and has restored my faith in that fact that turkeys DO actually exist. Good luck in NE. Oh, I'd much rather hunt in big timber than in ag fields and woodlots. Yah it might be tougher to glass and locate birds, but its much more satisfying for me. Different strokes I guess.

[turkey junky]

yup my dad is a timber woods guy & feels naked in the wide open & dislikes hunting field edges & open country...

me on the other hand get much more out of pulling a gobbler across a 100-1000 yard field with nothing more then a strand of grass in between me & the gobbler at all times ive never had such a intense adrenaline rush as when i do such... i just like watching turkeys i guess... i can watch birds & then set up a ambush on field edges not so in big woods wear everything is the same as the next ...

i dont know whats with SE MN turkeys for me man i dont even like hunting them any more i guess im spoiled!!! on the other hand my dad uncle & brother all tagged mature 10 inch+ bearded 23+ pound 3/4 inch spured 2 yr olds in MN by the 2nd morning at 9:00 am they should of been done by 9:00 am opening morning this season!!!

i do like wisconsin im going back this morning with my dad & trying to fill his 1st tag & ill pick up another tag & try my luck again in cheese land i want to make sure it wasnt a fluke that on my 1st ever set up on WI public land i called in & killed a fat 2 yr old with a 11 inch beard!!!??? lol i walked around most of the 1st day trying to find spots i located on maps & after finding a pop up blind at spot 1 & a empty turkey load hull at the 2nd i roosted some birds at spot 3 & the 2nd morning after a rain storm i went out & set up on the gobbleing turkey & in less then 45 min i was on the 1.5 mile walk back to the vehicle!!! the walk out & back was longer then the actual hunt!!! it was great!!! but alot of walking for my dad & after doing a lil more research we are headed back to try & fill his tag!!!

we seen birds at every peace of public land we scouted & or hunted & left 4 mature gobblers strut n at 1 area they were just on private land & nobody answered the door when we stoped to ask for permission & there was 2 toms at another we almost were able to get but they to walked onto private land following hens!!! so my spirits are high!!! my dad is ify at best!!!??? hes had a long season & is a lil tired i think... me on the other hand im in full gear turkey kill mode & cant wait for the wyoming & nebraska trip i want to lay down a few more birds & end the seaon on a high note!!!

good luck if u hunt WI again... did you tag a bird yet this season???

[Gopherlongbeards]

I have not tagged a bird yet, 0 for 2 so far. Will be in WI again this weekend. These sconnie hunts are kinda half hearted affairs though. I had to work them into family visits so we only hunt a few hours on weekend mornings. I'm pretty confident if I could hunt the entire season I would have filled both my WI and MN tags.

[turkey junky]

after talking with a pair of WYOMING biologist today i dont think i will be hit n wyoming black hills either worst bird numbers since the other worst season ever 1999!
both the biologist said they live near huge ranches that always hold birds & either ranch could find turkeys over the winter or spring!!! same goes for the SD black hills!!! i will wait for another time to hit them regions...

i may still hit wyoming for a scouting trip & if there is vocal birds i will go buy a license but if its a dead zone im not going to try & make a trip out of it ill just head to nebraska & hit 2 regions on 1 trip instead of hit n 2 states on 1 trip i guess!!!???

the only good thing is that the biologist said this was the lowest hunter numbers that he has ever seen while living/working in the black hills of wyoming he said bad opening wk-end weather high gas prices & low low bird numbers & stories of no birds kept hunters out of the hills this season... so i hope there is still a few birds left out there in WY man same thing happened to us for a MT trip & my SD trip this season mother nature need to just take it EZ on them beautiful merriams out west damn it!!!