[omcjf]

Here is my deer from my annual Wyoming trip. I held out all week for a wallhanger but never got a good shot at one. I shot this one on the last day. He's not a mounter but I was still pretty happy with it.

[3pairs12]

Nice buck omcjf. Congrats

[30-06 lover]

Maybe not a monster, but a fine animal. I would love to have antlers on the wall from this year, but my luck was not as good as yours. Congrats and enjoy the meat!

[sagebrushjim]

Nice Deer ...

[joebogey]

Ain't nuthin wrong with that buck. Wish I'd gotten one that nice this year.....(sigh)

[alsaqr]

Congrats on a nice buck.

[omcjf]

Thanks, I was holding out for a wallhanger Mule deer to go along with this whitetail that I shot in Minnesota 2 years ago. He was about 325 LBS. dressed out. Not the biggest rack I've ever seen but he was, by far, the biggest bodied deer I've ever encountered.

[S&WKING]

that minnesota deer is very nice and nothing wrong with the wyoming deer either also were you hunting at in WY?

[omcjf]

We hunt just east of Huelett, WY, right on the edge of the the Black Hills National Forest.

[Poper]

Gotta love the Devil's Tower vicinity!
We hunt about six miles or so east of the Fort along Lytell Creek. The Wyoming Black Hills is some of the most beautiful land under the sun!

Poper

Nice buck, by the way. :D

[K3]

Thanks, I was holding out for a wallhanger Mule deer to go along with this whitetail that I shot in Minnesota 2 years ago. He was about 325 LBS. dressed out. Not the biggest rack I've ever seen but he was, by far, the biggest bodied deer I've ever encountered.

Those northern deer are huge. It would take 2 of the bucks that we usually get to make a Minnesota buck!

[omcjf]

I agree that this is one of the most beautiful spots on earth. There is nothing cooler that climing to the top of those ridges in the dark and then sitting down and watching the sun shine up onto Devi's Tower. It's one of the few places I've been in this world where I wish I never had to leave.

[T.R.]

That's a dandy buck you've taken.

I've hunted elk within the Bear Lodge Mts. many times. Rutting bulls like to make mud wallows near the Belle Fourche River. But his river is a magnet for whitetails as well.

Thank you for sharing the photos.

TR

[omcjf]

T.R. -

I see that you are from Spearfish. I love that town. We always stay at the Days Inn in Spearfish the night before we start hunting. I never get used to seeing mule deer feeding on the main drag there after dark. I'm very jealous of the part of the country you get to live.

[T.R.]

Ellsworth USAF Base is just east of Rapid City. The USAF is hiring 500 people to fill new (civilian) positions. If interested in living in Black Hills region, this could be your chance.

Most employers in western SD are genuine cheapskates. They pay less than half of union wages for skilled trades but charge their customers full rate. For example, I know licensed electrician's that only make $11.50 an hour! Yet typical customer pays $60. per hour for that electrician's labor. Crazy but true.

The winters here are not for the timid. Every year a couple dozen summer tourists fall in live with the Black Hills and buy homes. After a couple winters they're headed back to Ohio, or Calif., or wherever.

I was born and raised in rural Park County, Wyoming but departed for a number of reasons. Western SD has alot to offer. But when I hit retirement age, I'm headed to easier winters with affordable utilities and safe roads. Parts of New Mexico and Texas look pretty good to me. You betcha!

TR

[bofe954]

omcjf- Do you just hunt on public land out in SD? I am in St. Paul but I go out to SD a time or 2 a year. Mainly I ride motorcycle off road on all the forest trails and just relax.

I have been thinking about doing some hunting out there (deer or maybe varmint) but I don't know anyone with land out there.

How do you go about it?

[omcjf]

bofe954 -

We have a 1 week lease on a 2600 acre ranch. 6 of us have it all to ourselves for the week and we stay at the ranch house attached to the property. I know that every week is filled at that place. In fact our group has been going out there for 13 years now and we are about the newest group that books it. Most others have been going there 20 plus years.

I'm not really sure how you'd go about finding a place. I guess I'd start with an internet search. Or maybe you could ask around when you're out there on your motorcycle. I'm betting you'll have an easier and cheaper time finding land to varmit hunt on than you will deer. But if you get the chance to deer hunt there, take it. Minnesota deer hunting is really good but not like this. Sorry I can't help you out more than this.

[bofe954]

Any info is helpful. I will get out there to hunt some time. I may end up doing one of the big guided hunts one of these days but I am looking for cheaper alternatives.

My brother actually owns 10 acres out by Hill City. We've talked about putting stands up out there and hunting Minnesota style, but I'd like to do a big acreage stalking type of hunt.

There was a thread on here a while back about varmint hunting on public (maybe forest?) land so I was wondering if that was what you were doing.

[omcjf]

I never have but I'd love to do it out there. Prarie dog hunting looks like it would be a lot of fun.

If you can find access to the Black Hills National Forest I think you can hunt that land. And if you want to do it for very little money and don't care about antlers you can buy doe tags over the counter for ( I think ) $29. Read the regulations well, though. There are a lot of different rules from MN hunting.

For another $60 you can buy a turkey tag as well. Those are a lot of fun to hunt. And they are Merriam's, not the easterns that we are used to in Minnesota. They are a very beautiful bird.

[S&WKING]

that is probably one of the most beautiful place on earth. i grew up in the black hills and just went prarie dog hunting out by huelett in july it was awsome.

TR how do you like it during sturgis ill be up in august

bofe954 we went to this place it was neet little place and we are going back in the summer prarie dog and alot more http://wyomingedgeoutfitters.com/