Turkey Hunt, SD, NE, or KS?

[buckvelvet]

A buddy and I are considering a black hills turkey hunt in SD, as well as anywhere public access hunt in KS or NE. Looking to go after Mariam or Rio for another species as we only have easterns in W MI. License fees aren't to much different between the 3 states, all are over the counter available for these states. We looked at Spring Prairie in SD but the app deadline is 2/16 and its unit specific, I'm not sure that is in our best interest.

Just a DIY run and gun type as I'm not sure other options to try. We hunted OK a few years ago, it was very tough and unsuccessful but we learned a lot.

Anyone from these states or have experience doing so care to share thoughts or opinions?

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

The black hills in SD is good for Merriam's and so is NW Nebraska. I've had good luck turkey hunting on public land in both states. I've found the turkey population in the black hills can have huge swings depending on winter severity but that doesn't seem to be as common in NW Nebraska. The public land hunting is pretty challenging, but the further you get from a road the better off you are. There are logging roads in both areas that you can use to walk back a mile or two to get away from the majority of other hunters.

 

[buckvelvet]

Thanks @Ben.MN/WI good info to have, much appreciated!

 

[bwoods11]

Gregory County South Dakota is great, and lots of public land

 

[buckvelvet]

Gregory County South Dakota is great, and lots of public land

Thanks @bwoods11 the only downside is there is only 56 non resident tags available, not sure how many put in for Gregory County.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

The birds in both spots tend to group up in huge numbers around private ranches in winter. They spread out to the large wooded public areas to nest and spend the rest of the year, but if you have a really late winter the birds may still be on private properties rather than on the public ground. We've seen that a couple times hunting the Nebraska early archery season there. A private ranch with a feedlot will have 300 birds on it, but there won't be a single bird on the adjacent public forest. A week later the birds are on the public ground.

We haven't had any issues with that during the shotgun seasons though, but it's something to think about if the winter is running late.

 

[ksgobbler]

Pressure here in KS is really heavy anymore and bird numbers are down. When I bought this place I had 66% more birds than I currently do.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Most of ours are hybrids merriams and rio crosses. Our bird numbers are down as well, still plenty to hunt. However just a few years ago they were thicker than fleas.

 

[Jeff23]

If you're not married to the idea of the Black Hills (which is a beautiful area), the Rosebud reservation is a good option; you buy your tags right there. There are some drawbacks, but there are plenty of birds to hunt. Never hunted NE, but there is plenty of Walk In hunting in KS. Study some aerial photos in a region you are interested in and that should get you started. My experience there: if it looks like there should be turkeys there, there probably are turkeys there.

 

[buckvelvet]

Thanks guys, all of that stuff is helpful! Looking forward to the adventure.

@Jeff23, you sure rosebud is for Non Res? It looked like as far as public access goes it was only black hills or spring prairie for SD?

 

[Jeff23]

It's been a few years since we hunted it, but I think you would still be good. Try this: http://www.rstgfp.net/2016-season/ It is not overseen by the state at all- the tribe is independent. Some spots are similar to prairie hunting, while other areas have some sizable wooded draws.
Here's the caveat: non-tribal members are required to hire a guide ( I think this is still the rule). We hired the best there is, but I don't think he guides anymore. We didn't want a "hand-holder", so we came up with an agreement with him: He did what he needed to do to earn his pay, but he hung back and let us hunt as much as possible. If you get one who goes on a bender, you may be stuck between a rock and a hard spot. That happened to a friend, and he just said screw it and hunted anyway without the AWOL guide. Part of the deal on the reservation, so we were told. There are plenty of birds, but the non-tribal member thing is not exactly ideal. We (4 of us) limited out quickly, so we went touring and fishing in the Black Hills, and did some prairie dog shooting. The prairie dog hunting is out of this world if you get on a good town.