# mulies in sd



## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

My friends and I wanted to go Co to hunt elk, but I think that is gonna fall through. Can anybody give some advice on where and how to do a self-guided mulie hunt in Sd. We have chosen Sd becuase it is a reasonable drive from Mi, and has unlimited tags. All that we have hunted are whitetails so we don't know how to hunt mulies. Any advice would be extremely appreciated. Are snakes a problem in late september? Are the badlands any good for Mulie huntin?

Thanks in advance


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## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

i understand if nobody wants to tell their secret spots i prolly wouldnt want to either, but can anyone give advice on how to hunt them. is spot and stalk the best, or is it better to set-up a blind, would it be worth takin a climbing treestand or would it be better to take a pop-up blind? Are there many snakes out in late sept?

Thansk


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## Ande8183 (Sep 18, 2005)

I have never hunted for muley's in SD, but bowhunt them every fall in ND. We do a lot of our hunting near the badlands so the deer travel out to the agriculture fields to feed at night, but we have also hunted in the heart of the badlands and there it is a lot tougher to estimate their movement.

So as to your question about treestands and groundblinds, that will be determined by your location. We have spent several years watching deer movement in our area, so we have a decent idea on their movement patterns. Within the last few years, we have started using ground blinds with fair success.

If your party will only be out there for a few days you might want to stick to spot and stalk hunting, but still bring some ground blinds or tree stands in case the opportunity arises.

Are you planning on hunting public land? If you haven't yet, contact the U.S. Forest Service office in that area and purchase a map. This will help you determine what is and what is not government land.

Hope this helps.


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## Ande8183 (Sep 18, 2005)

I forgot to mention two things:

You will be better off with ground blinds, since there might not be enough trees big enough for a tree stand.

As for the rattle snakes, be careful and watch your step. We have come across a couple while out hunting in Sept. They will usually warn you first, and if you hear the rattle, back up and walk around them. I have never hunted in the SD badlands, so I do not know much about their population, but they will still be active in Sept.


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## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

thanks i was thinkin id get some snake gaiters just for insurance, is a spotting scope neccessary or is a pair of good binocs enough, ive heard mulies are easier to stalk than whitetails is that true? thanks


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## Ande8183 (Sep 18, 2005)

A spotting scope is not a necessity, but is nice to have. You will need a good pair of binoculars that work well under low light conditions.

I do not think that the mulies are any easier to stalk than the whitetails, but you can use the terrain to your advantage. I have tried to stalk mule deer in fairly flat terrain, and it is extremely difficult. The biggest problem while stalking mule deer in the badlands is that the wind is extremely variable. You have to play extremely close attention to the wind when you are stalking through the draws and valleys.

Snake gators would not be a bad idea to have, but I would still be careful while stalking on the deer. There was once when I was walking on a cattle trai through the bushes and had a snake sunning itself on a branch about eye level. We were actually hunting sharp-tailed grouse, and wounded one that ran into the brush. I do not know how common that is, but I was surprised to see a snake off of the ground. Chances are you will probably not come across one while out there, but just be aware of their presence.


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## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

would it be better to have chaps than gaiters or would they make too much noise
thanks


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## Ande8183 (Sep 18, 2005)

I have never used either, so I have no idea. If one is quieter than the other, then that would be the one I would buy. I have been on several stalks where I will even take my boots off to cut down on noise. I was a little hesistant the first time I tried it, but it really cuts down on the extra noise. Although you have to be careful where you step if you choose to try it, because there are two types of cacti in the badlands. There is the prickly pear cacti, which is about the size of a pear, then there is a smaller "ball" shaped cacti that grows in clusters on the ground. I have been priviledged enough to be stuck by both kinds and it is not fun. I would also suggest a good pair of leather gloves, both for crawling and for removing said cacti.


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## wolf (Jan 6, 2008)

I have a bit of experience to share.We use both ground blinds and tree stands.Double Bull 360 are the best placed in a field next to hay bales the deer pay attention to them but then ignore them.The mule deer I have hunted are tougher to hunt than whitetails any noise and they are gone .Just moving your foot or the click of the release on the string. Hunting out of a blind is exciting gets you out of the wind which always blows .The deer we hunt stay away from the trees unless they are going thru a funnel .Muledeer seem tougher than whitetails wait for a perfect shot they go up them hills like nothing and can go forever. Hard to find a good tree in the right place trees are small and twisted have a good saw.Good binos are enough.We hunt private land in the Badlands (haybales) in alfalfa fields,but also hunt the hills.No luck spot and stalk they always see me first.Its is so quiet and they always are up high looking down. I always hunted whitetail sitting for days in a treestand seeing no deer in ILL or WI killed some good bucks.Hunting Muledeer ,seeing deer all day on the ground in solitude .Wouldnt miss it.Great adventure .Ed


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## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

thanks, will a blind that is about waist high work?


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## wolf (Jan 6, 2008)

I never used one.The enclosed blind hides your movement.Have made ground blinds out of brush sat on stool this works well.The Muledeer we hunt are on there toes all the time,have had them booger three ridges over or just getting out of truck.We treestand in the morning and ground blind evenings.Ground blind great with kids they move alot .ED


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## joseph (Feb 22, 2008)

I have hunt mule deer over by buffalo and they are everywhere.....we normally go down there for whitetails but we always see mulies so we bought some tags and we got almost all of our mules.......they are also some in the blacks hills.......Zeebak county is good for antelope and they are a few mules too...... :bartime:


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