I'd like to start looking at plans and areas to go next year to get on a merriam and wondered which of the two places would be best bird number wise and scenery wise. I've heard the black hills are really awesome to hunt but I've always wanted to go to Wyoming as well. Also if y'all have any input on an outfitter or any public area that would be good to scout I'm up for doing the hunt either way. Thanks!
Hit both. Black hills on each side, plenty of birds more land than you could hunt in a month.
I'm sure there's Outfitters in both places but a little research and you'll be in good shape on your own.
Neal
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I haven't been to either,...yet,...but plan on it. I also plan on potentially hunting public land in both states when I go. After all, there are apparently good turkey hunting areas on either side of the two state's common border.
Here's my suggestion: Pick either SD or WY to start with. Hunt whichever until you kill a bird,...and then hop over the border, buy a license (I think they both have over-the-counter tags), and hunt the other if you have time to do so.
Regarding your "outfitter" question, here's my opinion on that: There is more public land than you can ever hunt in the western states,...and more turkeys than you can ever kill. If you pay an outfitter, you will cheat yourself out of a public-land hunting experience which will test your skills as a turkey hunter, but still provide an excellent chance of killing a gobbler or two.
On the other hand, if you go the outfitter route, you will most likely hunt a private property filled with lightly-hunted "barnyard" turkeys that you will probably easily kill,...and feel absolutely no reward in what you have accomplished.
Quote from: GobbleNut on May 03, 2020, 09:56:38 AM
I haven't been to either,...yet,...but plan on it. I also plan on potentially hunting public land in both states when I go. After all, there are apparently good turkey hunting areas on either side of the two state's common border.
Here's my suggestion: Pick either SD or WY to start with. Hunt whichever until you kill a bird,...and then hop over the border, buy a license (I think they both have over-the-counter tags), and hunt the other if you have time to do so.
Regarding your "outfitter" question, here's my opinion on that: There is more public land than you can ever hunt in the western states,...and more turkeys than you can ever kill. If you pay an outfitter, you will cheat yourself out of a public-land hunting experience which will test your skills as a turkey hunter, but still provide an excellent chance of killing a gobbler or two.
On the other hand, if you go the outfitter route, you will most likely hunt a private property filled with lightly-hunted "barnyard" turkeys that you will probably easily kill,...and feel absolutely no reward in what you have accomplished.
Agree with all of what you said. I really want to kill a merriam and my only thought of an outfitter would be to make the most of my time out there with limited time to be gone on a hunt but saying all that if the turkey numbers are pretty abundant out there and doesn't seem like I'll spend my whole trip chasing my tail searching for sparsely scattered birds then I would 100% go the public route as I see how much land is out there after looking at onX. So if high bird numbers I see plenty of reason to go that route
I have only hired the services of an outfitter once for a Merriams...as has been stated already, there is more country out there than you can hunt in a month or more. I will NEVER hire an outfitter for a Wyoming or SD turkey again after doing it myself a few times.
OnX maps is a must as there are pockets of public land scattered around that gets little to zero pressure. Get some good boots and start hiking...it's beautiful country with an abundance of turkeys. I hunted around the Custer, SD area last year but the snow was so bad the birds started flocking up again and did not gobble...I was able to get one prior to the heavy snow in the Black Hills of Wyoming last season so it was not a complete waste. Motels are pretty cheap or if you are driving, camping is allowed in the BHNF so you could really save some coin. Road systems are really good in the forest but be prepared to walk a long ways away from the main roads because of the lazy folks that just ride and call.
Best of luck!!
Go stay at Mallo Camp in WY. It is east of Four Corners, WY right on the SD border. The rooms are cheap, each with their own bathrooms. It has a couple of large community kitchens. I went out there and stayed 6 years in a row hunting public ground with great success. Get your SD tag first through the mail and then get your WY tag in Newcastle when you want too.
I just got back from South Dakota this weekend. The birds were still henned up bad. We managed to kill our bird each but it took more time then we thought. Lots of walking and be prepared for the weather. We saw rain, sleet, snow, 45 mph winds and 80plus degree sunny days. Like others have said, don't be afraid to walk far. Take a good pair of binoculars and hiking boots. Expect to have others walk up on you...either hunters, hikers, mountain bikers if you stick to the trails and roads. We saw all 3 out on the trails. Only issues we had were with a local guy 2 different times. 1 was road hunting from his truck with a pistol and the other was when he walked into me set up off the trails with a bird gobbling 2 times.
Hunt public land right on the border and enjoy the best of both states. I've bought a WY license and tag and harvested a SD turkey that came over to WY to my call. Turkeys are smart but I don't think they're aware of which state they're in when they're crossing the border. ;)
Man this is sounded like a really fun trip. Definitely going to try to put it in the works for next year. Is it camp sites set up all throughout or best to just get hotels somewhere close to the state lines?
We're leaving for SD and WY next week
Quote from: Gooserbat on May 04, 2020, 11:57:16 PM
We're leaving for SD and WY next week
Are y'all camping or hotels?
Im heading to the Black Hills this Saturday. Most campgrounds in the Black Hills are still closed but I'll be doing the dispersed camping via tent or my truck whereever i find birds. Should be fun!
Quote from: Gooserbat on May 05, 2020, 03:42:10 PM
Quote from: RiverRoost on May 05, 2020, 08:31:43 AM
Quote from: Gooserbat on May 04, 2020, 11:57:16 PM
We're leaving for SD and WY next week
Are y'all camping or hotels?
We're staying in Alabama
Nice! Everybody needs a little morning commute to enjoy their coffee on and wake up
Quote from: RiverRoost on May 05, 2020, 08:39:11 PM
Quote from: Gooserbat on May 05, 2020, 03:42:10 PM
Quote from: RiverRoost on May 05, 2020, 08:31:43 AM
Quote from: Gooserbat on May 04, 2020, 11:57:16 PM
We're leaving for SD and WY next week
Are y'all camping or hotels?
We're staying in Alabama
Nice! Everybody needs a little morning commute to enjoy their coffee on and wake up
Alabama is the name of our turkey trailer. Sweet home Alabama.
If you're going, why not do both?
Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.
Quote from: Gooserbat on May 05, 2020, 10:19:23 PM
Quote from: RiverRoost on May 05, 2020, 08:39:11 PM
Quote from: Gooserbat on May 05, 2020, 03:42:10 PM
Quote from: RiverRoost on May 05, 2020, 08:31:43 AM
Quote from: Gooserbat on May 04, 2020, 11:57:16 PM
We're leaving for SD and WY next week
Are y'all camping or hotels?
We're staying in Alabama
Nice! Everybody needs a little morning commute to enjoy their coffee on and wake up
Alabama is the name of our turkey trailer. Sweet home Alabama.
Ahhh I got ya. Hahaha. Good luck!
Quote from: RutnNStrutn on May 05, 2020, 11:00:30 PM
If you're going, why not do both?
Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.
I'd like to do both but now I'm kinda thinking that being from Mississippi and with the time I'd have to make the trip that driving to be able to haul tents, etc is going to tie up too much time and flying may be the best route which would push me toward the hotel category
I plan to also hunt WY if things happen to go swimmingly in SD. Certainly not counting on it. WY still has the 14 self quarantine thing though
This will for sure be a 2021 trip for me just trying to get some info and have a plan laid out for next season. Pregnant wife due in two weeks and Covid don't line up for a trip this year
Well I'm not going this Saturday any longer after checking the forecast! Rain or snow forecasted everyday next week depending on where you look. Being it's the black hills it means between 1-99" of snow will fall. Stinks I'll have to try next year
As stated before, get a tag for 1 and plan to hunt both. Me and my cousin drove up from Louisiana in 2017. 22 hour drive straight through. We set camp (tent) and headed out that afternoon to scout and try to find a roost. I had my SD black hills tag filled in the first hour of being in the forest. The plan was to hit WY after my cousin got his but we had a blizzard blow in that shut us down for 2 days and then a couple of missed opportunities because we were mistaking merriams for having eastern behaviors. Not the case!! My advice would be to try and go the week leading up to May 15th. This is when the forest roads open and you will have road hunting pressure. before the 15th the gates are closed and you have miles to roam without vehicle traffic. We hunted for a week and never saw another hunter. I'd really like to go back next year. Saw tons of deer and had a heard of elk walk up on us one evening. So many deer that we had actual deer tracks in the snow under our tent canopy when we got back from hunting one day. Prepare for extreme weather from both ends of the spectrum and prepare for long days. As they will gobble very early and fly up very late. It was truly an awesome experience.
Quote from: Tomfoolery on May 08, 2020, 08:46:16 AM
As stated before, get a tag for 1 and plan to hunt both. Me and my cousin drove up from Louisiana in 2017. 22 hour drive straight through. We set camp (tent) and headed out that afternoon to scout and try to find a roost. I had my SD black hills tag filled in the first hour of being in the forest. The plan was to hit WY after my cousin got his but we had a blizzard blow in that shut us down for 2 days and then a couple of missed opportunities because we were mistaking merriams for having eastern behaviors. Not the case!! My advice would be to try and go the week leading up to May 15th. This is when the forest roads open and you will have road hunting pressure. before the 15th the gates are closed and you have miles to roam without vehicle traffic. We hunted for a week and never saw another hunter. I'd really like to go back next year. Saw tons of deer and had a heard of elk walk up on us one evening. So many deer that we had actual deer tracks in the snow under our tent canopy when we got back from hunting one day. Prepare for extreme weather from both ends of the spectrum and prepare for long days. As they will gobble very early and fly up very late. It was truly an awesome experience.
Good stuff. The black hills had had some nasty winters and springs since 2017 though that have really knocked down the population so it certainly isnt a given you are going to just walk out and be on birds. This is based on what the SD biologist told me. I was planning on camping this week but the temps are supposed to be in the 20's everynight and rain/snow pretty much everyday. I hate to even look at the forecast as they are wrong 90% of the time but I dont want to drive 10 hours out there and be wet and miserable everyday.
Quote from: Tomfoolery on May 08, 2020, 08:46:16 AM
As stated before, get a tag for 1 and plan to hunt both. Me and my cousin drove up from Louisiana in 2017. 22 hour drive straight through. We set camp (tent) and headed out that afternoon to scout and try to find a roost. I had my SD black hills tag filled in the first hour of being in the forest. The plan was to hit WY after my cousin got his but we had a blizzard blow in that shut us down for 2 days and then a couple of missed opportunities because we were mistaking merriams for having eastern behaviors. Not the case!! My advice would be to try and go the week leading up to May 15th. This is when the forest roads open and you will have road hunting pressure. before the 15th the gates are closed and you have miles to roam without vehicle traffic. We hunted for a week and never saw another hunter. I'd really like to go back next year. Saw tons of deer and had a heard of elk walk up on us one evening. So many deer that we had actual deer tracks in the snow under our tent canopy when we got back from hunting one day. Prepare for extreme weather from both ends of the spectrum and prepare for long days. As they will gobble very early and fly up very late. It was truly an awesome experience.
Where did you get the May15th number for forest road openings? SD biologist I talked to three weeks ago said nearly all of them were open at that point
Back when I went that was the date they gave me and also saw that through other research I did before going. I want to say I saw some gates that said open may 15th but can't say for sure thats fact. Maybe they changed it. I want to say when I went 15th was the earliest and a chance it could be later deoending on weather conditions. I hope they didn't change it, because that will definitely discourage me from going back.
Quote from: Tomfoolery on May 08, 2020, 03:36:25 PM
Back when I went that was the date they gave me and also saw that through other research I did before going. I want to say I saw some gates that said open may 15th but can't say for sure thats fact. Maybe they changed it. I want to say when I went 15th was the earliest and a chance it could be later deoending on weather conditions. I hope they didn't change it, because that will definitely discourage me from going back.
Biologist told me they open them depending on weather so some years they are all open for the opener of turkey in early April. Maybe someone that has been out there already this spring can confirm if that is actually the case
Well that sucks. Maybe they were just giving me a general date as to when they usually open. I do know that when I went (last week of April) they were all closed.