Black Hills, South Dakota coyote vacation!!!

J

John Leslie

New member
My family insisted we go somewhere with real snow this year for our annual vacation. We don't see much of the white stuff here in Louisiana, so I've got airplane tickets and rental cabins booked for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Boy, have I earned some brownie points!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My son (12 yrs. old) and I are planning several days of coyote calling while we're there, and my wife says she might even go on a couple hunts with us. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

We'll be within driving distance of Buffalo Gap and Thunder Basin (Wyoming) Grasslands, and I have copies of the excellent property boundary maps that the Forest Service sells for these areas. However, these are huge acreages that could take weeks to scout, so I'd appreciate some of you guys out there getting me started in the right direction.

Our cabin is at Terry Peak northwest of Rapid City. How's the calling in the Black Hills National Forest itself? I know there's a mountain lion population there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I've been in the Black Hills several times on summer vacations, and I really like this big, remote country. But I slso realize that winter weather out there can turn vicious and deadly, so I won't be taking any foolish chances.

I'd really like to meet and hunt with some of you guys from the area. If you'd be willing to trade calling secrets with a Southerner, I'll show you my techniques if you'll show me yours. And you know, my wife might even cook you a Cajun gumbo or some jambalaya. Don't worry, the coyotes we shoot won't end up in the stewpot, despite the Cajun reputation of eating everything we kill.

Send me a PM if you've got some advice, or if you'd like to share a hunt with my son and I.
 
John, I hope you and your family have a great trip. If you do hunt Wyoming, please realize that some parcels of the Thunder Basin Nat'l Grassland are located on private property. It would be easy to get the impression (looking on a map) that it's all public land. I don't know about SoDak, but in Wyoming, you won't need a license to pursue coyotes
 
Thanks, WyoYote,

The Forest Service map of Thunder Basin NG seems to be very accurate and easy to read, with boundary lines identifiable down to 1/16 section (40 acres). Property ownership is also color coded, green for NG, purple for state lands, and orange for BLM lands.

I've used these maps for lots of years when I hunted various NG. They're actually some of the best publicly available maps I've ever used. Access roads are easy to follow, also. Some parcels of the NG may be surrounded by private land with no public access, but there's more acreage than I'll ever be able to hunt. Are there obvious and recognizable property fences out there?

I'll need a Predator License in SD, and none in WY.

Thanks,

John
 
You do get around, John. I'm glad you're able to go to SD this year. The coyote numbers have gone way down here. I spoke with the gov't aerial gunners today. An area SW of here that usually produces 100+ coyotes only had 30 today. A couple of those had mange. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I hope you have a great trip. Let us know how it goes. tt
 
Hey tt,
Yep, this has been a great year for me calling coyotes in other states! Arizona in January, Nevada/Oregon in March, now SD/Wyo in December/Jan.

My son and I got skunked on our 3-day AZ hunt despite being guided by an AZ coyote hunter from another well-known web site. Maybe I can call a SD coyote for him on this trip /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.

cb375hh,
Yes, non-residents must buy either a $40 predator/varmint license or some other type of non-resident hunting license. The resident predator/varmint license is $5, according to the SD web page.

John
 
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