jkirton1

I am thinking about making a trip out to the black hills this spring and am wondering ifpeople could help answer a couple of questions I have about hunting out there.

1. When is a good time to go? I know the season is from April 9th - May 15th, but I have heard contradicting stories on when is the best time to go. I have heard that later is better becasue the hens are nesting, but I have heard that ealier is better too becasue the gobblers haven't been pressured the whole season.

2. Where is a good place to stay? I think I would prefer a motel room over camping just becasue I'm going to need a shower at some point on a week and a half trip? I have heard Hill City is a good palce to stay?

3. I go this wonderful map of the black Hills National Forest, but the area is huge and I have only been there once when I was pretty young. Do you have any tips on where to start looking for birds?

Thank You

Adrian J Hare

answers :

1/ You have hit the number one question that everyone has a hard time with.

Weather is the main factor in the Black hills. The start of the season can be stormy and snow storms are not uncommon. But if all goes right , you could be into very good hunting. April 9th is a late season date as it does open earler some years. I can tell you that I hit a snow storm one year on the 10th and it shut us down for a day and a half. Most times at this time of year the weather can change from snow one minute to sunny hot weather the next.

As far as hens , that is wish wash , every state no matter where you plan on hunting is going to have hens , learn to over come the hen stories. You can still kill birds early as I have drove 31 hours and the hunt was over for the two of us in a few hours. I would still be in the black hills for the first week of hunting no problem. The thing is you'll never see anyone anyway because there is so much land to hunt. First or second week should be ok and snow storms always add to stories...

2/ Depending on the time of the season you plan on hunting is where you want to stay.
I learned that these Merriams tend to migrate in this Black Hills settings. In the Fall the birds move to the lower part of the hills. If you plan on hunting early then plan your trip to stay low Hot Springs or Custard. Later in the season move up and spend your time in Hills City or even Rapid City. With gas prices you want to save your money on travel be where the highest population of birds are....

3/ As the comments above state , stay Low , use your time to work the areas between Hot Springs and as high as Hills City. For a little advice work areas on the left of the hyway. Travel the back roads and use loud locators to start , something that will send out sound across the land. Be in shape and plan to move fast if you have a responds. These birds like to travel and can make some very fast movement in a short period of time...BT