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South dakota big bucks
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Over the past few falls, I have hunted South Dakota primarily for whitetails. I have taken nice deer, missed nice deer, and seen some real whoppers. I have also seen some really good mule deer and been in camp when mulie hunters brought in some giants, so last year when I drew a West River Special Buck tag, I knew I wanted to use it for a mule deer hunt.
I told Tom I drew my tag, so we scheduled a hunt for mid-November. Black Mountain hunts on a number of private properties just west and northwest of Pierre, and their hunters have killed a number of mulie bucks over the past 5 years in the range.
My goal was to find an old mature buck that would break the mark, or if I saw a giant whitetail, I would consider using my tag for that.
Winter had already hit South Dakota, and there was plenty of snow on the ground, and temperatures for the whole week were predicted to be bitterly cold. On opening morning, we were driving a back road on our way to a ranch that Tom leases, when we saw a nice whitetail buck chasing a doe. We watched from the truck as he dogged her for yards, and then they crossed the road and onto the ranch we could hunt.
When they disappeared over a hill, we all discussed the situation, and I told Tom I thought the deer was a good solid point that would score around We all agreed that we should probably try to give him a look, so we geared up and headed out for a stalk. After a few hundred yards, we were able to peak over in a canyon, and we saw the deer about yards out.
We backed off, high tailed it down the rim, and when we peaked over again, they were at less than yards. Casey got on his shooting sticks, and quickly made a great shot on the buck. He only went about 50 yards and piled up. It was the first hour of the rifle season, and Casey already had a great buck on the ground. You talk about taking the pressure off!
After photos and taking care of the whitetail, we began looking for mulies. Normally, Tom likes to hike ridges glassing down into canyons, but with sub-zero temperatures and lots of snow cover, we opted to glass as much as possible from the truck.
For two days, we looked over a number of mule deer bucks with groups of does. The rut was certainly heating up as almost every small group of does had at least one buck with them or following them. On day 3, Tom told me we were going north to a ranch that had some big deer on it, but it also had a lot of cover for them to hide in.
We were also keeping an eye out for a giant inch 8-point whitetail that the ranched had seen for 3 days in a row. At lunch, we all met back at the ranch house to have some lunch and warm up it was degrees with the wind chill at noon , and we learned that the other hunters had seen a giant mulie and watched him for over an hour earlier in the morning. The guys had to drive about 10 miles by ATV to get to where they saw him, but they told us the way the land laid, he actually was less than a mile from where we had been.
After lunch, they made the obvious decision to try to find him, and we went on to our end of the ranch in the direction they said they had last seen him. We thought there was a good chance it was the same deer the guys had seen in the morning, but it was moving away from them and toward us, so off we went. We began moving down a draw to try to cut him off if he did cross onto our side, and the snow under the ridge was knee deep.
When we peaked out of the cedars we were using for cover, we could see the big mulie on our side of the fence and on a track that would put him straight across the main canyon from us.
Beadle pulled himself together, found his anchor point, and leaned around the tree. But not this time. The rack is a 12 by 14 frame with double drop tines and sticker points going everywhere, says Beadle. Some of the mass and tines are easy to overlook because the buck has about feet of wire wrapped around its antlers.
As best as Beadle can figure, the deer somehow got tangled up in it while cruising the South Dakota farm country. Beadle and his good friend Jim MacDougal green-scored the buck. Beadle had been hunting this stand in a small cattail slough near a shelter belt and corn fields since the South Dakota season opened on Sept.
He owns a lawn and tree spraying business, which is about an hour drive from his hunting spot. Using trail cameras, he patterned the giant buck leading up to the few weeks prior to the South Dakota opening day of bow deer season on Sept. He placed a double-wide tree stand in a slough where the buck used in its travels, though the deer was mostly nocturnal. Finally, on Sept. He went to church the following morning, again not hunting the stand.
Beadle carefully went through his scent-control routine of showering and spraying down his camo before heading out. He was in his stand by p. It was full dark when Beadle started trailing the buck, which left a good blood trail. The deer traveled only about yards before falling.
– South Dakota: A Sleeper State for Big Bucks – Worldwide Trophy Adventures
When we think of big whitetails, places like Iowa, Illinois, fair share of great deer, but is almost always overlooked, is South Dakota. SD BIG Bucks was created in Nov. to showcase the quality of bucks we have in the state! Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Speed Goats or even elk. White-tailed deer and mule deer are the most highly sought after big game species in South Dakota and throughout North America. Hunting remains the number.
South dakota big bucks. Current Waffle! Porter Olson
My first shot took it through both shoulders, and I actually think my second shot hit it on the way to the ground. Then I looked back and saw Carly yards away coming behind me, so I went back and got her. The buck has been scored by three people who all got scores within a half inch of inches as a non-typical.
See more big buck photos and the latest outdoor news. Your email address will not be published. Then I looked back and saw Carly yards away coming behind me, so I went back and got her. Three people scored the buck, all reaching scores within a half-inch of as a non-typical. It may be awhile before this deer hunting family tops the events of that day. Have a big-buck story you want to share? E-mail us at [email protected]. Realtree is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience to everyone, including those with disabilities.
All rights reserved. Site by Gray Loon. Skip to main content. We began moving down a draw to try to cut him off if he did cross onto our side, and the snow under the ridge was knee deep. When we peaked out of the cedars we were using for cover, we could see the big mulie on our side of the fence and on a track that would put him straight across the main canyon from us. It appeared that he was scent checking each little cedar choked draw looking for a hot doe, so when he went out of sight in the next patch of trees, we scrambled down the hill a bit further to cut the distance of a possible shot.
He slowly walked out in a snowy opening, and I was ready and on my shooting sticks. I was shooting a TC Venture in. I ranged the deer at yards, and upon checking my BDC sticker on my scope, I saw that my first circle under the crosshair was yards. When I came out of the recoil, I saw the buck lurch up on his hind legs, flip backward and slide down the hill 20 yards where he came to rest under a clump of cedars. I honestly was a bit surprised that I had made the shot in a strong 25mph cross wind, but I have made a number of such shots over the past few years utilizing the BDC.
It truly makes an average shot like me much more accurate. We quickly made our way down to the fallen monarch, and Tom and I were both very surprised. After a very cold photo session we headed back up the canyon, and it was almost 10 p.
He certainly fooled all of us, but in a very good way! You can bet I will be putting in for that tag again next year, and if I draw it, I will be right back with Tom looking for another amazing South Dakota buck. Want a better tags application strategy, let our TAGS division help you.
Book Your Adventure March 9, Canyon shot? Day 3… On day 3, Tom told me we were going north to a ranch that had some big deer on it, but it also had a lot of cover for them to hide in. Readying the shot… He slowly walked out in a snowy opening, and I was ready and on my shooting sticks.