South Dakota Unit 3

[BrettKoenecke]

Hi, i'm a new poster and a new elk hunter and could use some help.

Has anyone got any insight on Unit 3 in South Dakota's Black Hills? South of Hwy 16, down to the Cheyenne River and from the parks west to the border. There are big burns, both old and new, there's public and private, it's a big mixed unit and hard to decipher still. I've been putting in for 14 years and this was the year.

I've called the CO and the biologist. I've talked to the Forest Ranger.
I've made a couple of scouting trips already, and I think I'm generally headed in the right direction.

Part of the planning is to find out from other hunters what they've experienced in that area and so am looking here for help if anyone has any to offer me. I'm a long time subscriber but this is going to be my first elk hunting experience of any size. I've hunted all my life, shot alot of stuff, been on big game hunting trips (moose mostly) so I'm not a total newbie.

Thanks in advance for any info you can give me. I'll look forward to posting some pictures when it's all said and done.

 

[velvetfvr]

Welcome to the forum!!!!! 23


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[tdcour]

Welcome to the forum! I haven't had the chance to hunt elk in SD yet and by the looks of it won't ever get to. Some of my buddies have been out to the hills before, but I'm not sure what unit they hunted. From what I have heard, you have to get off the road a few miles before getting into the elk. Other than that I'm not sure. I've seen some big ones come out of the hills the past few years though! Good luck!

 

[jl937]

I should have started putting in preference points a long time ago. Best of luck! The hills definitely have a healthy elk herd now

 

[SDARCHER]

My neighbor and his buddy shot there bulls back in 2000 west of Pringle he wasn't sure of the area but there is plenty of public in the area.

 

[Doe Nob]

SD public hunting atlas will help you out with who owns what:

http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/areas/maps/default.aspx


Probably want to buy forest service maps also, and they will have to publish a motor vehicle use map you can get for free, pick that one up too.

 

[SDARCHER]

I stopped and talk to my taxidermist he has had your tag for both archery and rifle he told me he has better luck towards the Wyoming border around the elk mountain look out area and south he shot his archery bull in the Twin Buttes area Best of luck to you.

 

[BrettKoenecke]

SdArcher, thanks for the hand up. i have been over in that Elk Mountain country. Ill give it another look.

 

[BrettKoenecke]

It's October 15 and all is now said and done.

On Sunday afternoon, I was on the edge of a cliff overlooking a deep canyon and poking along stillhunting the edge, looking down for elk. When I got to the forest service fence I walked out to the edge one last time and found a 6 point bull in a meadow below me, about 30' on my side of the fence.

He was 249 yards away, feeding and never took another step. It took me plenty of steps to get to that place after six days. I have a limited knowledge of measuring and taped him at 282.

Thanks are still being given to all who helped me. Good hunting.

 

[tdcour]

Congrats on the nice bull! How many years did it take you to draw that tag anyway? I never put in when I was in sd because it seemed like it was 10 years or so to get a tag.

 

[Musket Man]

Thats a nice bull! Congrats!

 

[BrettKoenecke]

Thank you both. I sure think he's a nice bull. The job to get him out of there was tremendous.
To answer the other question, I had 13 years of points so this was the 14th year. To be fair, I only put in for points about half of the years.

 

[Red Raider]

Congrats Brett. That's a nice bull.

 

[Huntingfool13]

Brett I drew the unit 3 tag this year, just wondering if you have any info to help me out.

 

[marcusvdk]

Welcome to the forum

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[Huntingfool13]

Brett here is the elk I got in Unit 3 this year with some help from the info you gave me! Thank you so much again for the help! Saw 50+ elk opening morning with 15+ bulls almost had a chance at a 360+ bull but a cow blew our wind at 10 yards and he was behind a hill at 400 so no shot but got this weird looking 6x7 and 380 yards that we had seen the night before season.

 

[Retterath]

Congrats on a great sd bull. Hope someday I can draw my tag in the hills

 

[Mr.G]

Nice bull there! Any info on where you were hunting that you could share with a guy that's got a unit 3 tag this year too? Hunted 4 days saw 0 bulls, 4 cows before the season and that was the extent of elk. Saw more bighorn sheep than we did elk. Hunting the elk mountain area.

 

[BrettKoenecke]

Dude, you did great! Nice work. You're welcome

 

[BrettKoenecke]

Did you find one MrG?