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Big ask... Nebraska Pine Ridge

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megalomaniac

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Joined
Oct 28, 2005
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15,896
Location
Mississippi
I know this is a big ask, but I'm going in blind solo May 8 thru May 15th. I'm not looking for a handout or a honeyhole, I've done as much research as I can from MS, and I'm to the point where I need to find a place to stay.... flying into Rapid City and renting a 4wd...

I dont want to stay in Chadron SP, and find out I'm spending most of my time hunting Ponderosa or Ft Robinson making the 20 to 25 min drive over that way....

Conversely, I dont want to stay toward Crawford, and end up doing most of my hunting back around 385 or Table road or Chadron creek WMA south of Chadron.

I'd love some boots on the ground advice whether to start on the west side or east side of the Pine Ridge area. Also if anyone has hit Metcalf WMA, id love to know if that is worth a little extra drive.

If anyone is going out there after May 15th, I'd be happy to send pins of birds that whooped me.

If I can get a couple birds early, I will hunt black hills in SD for kicks before heading home. Feel free to PM me if you are generous and want to help a brother out! :)
 
Oh, and I know this year is going to be a zoo out there... I had planned the trip last year... but Covid... im sure there are a LOT of folks that did the same, and its probably going to be packed out there this year. But I'm not getting any younger, and I NEED a white tipped fan for my office :)
 
If you are wanting a couple birds early...My advice, go earlier! That place gets raped now. Still birds, but nothing like it used to be. A decade ago you could of gotten your 3 in a couple days during that time frame. But now over half of em will already be dead. Fortunately, they are Merriams/hybrids so they will still gobble at about anything.
 
Tks for the info guys!

As far as going early.... I'd rather take my chances with pressured and fewer birds than roll the dice with the mid April weather. Id hate to show up April18th and find a half a foot of snow!
 
megalomaniac said:
Tks for the info guys!

As far as going early.... I'd rather take my chances with pressured and fewer birds than roll the dice with the mid April weather. Id hate to show up April18th and find a half a foot of snow!
Click to expand...
Was out there last year on May 10, it snowed all 4'days
 

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Jeez, Spoon, that is gonna suck if it happens this year while I'm out there. Planning on primitive camping. I guess the birds worked fine in the light snow? I've heard it usually takes the 6in + snows to shut them down completely.
 
Yes, they will work fine in the light snow. I've chased Merriam's/hybrids in snow several times. Only time it had any effect was the first day of 6-8" snow. Birds got quite that first day and access was horrible to find more. But they fired back up some on day 2 and when the snow was half finished melting, it was ON.
 
megalomaniac said:
Jeez, Spoon, that is gonna suck if it happens this year while I'm out there. Planning on primitive camping. I guess the birds worked fine in the light snow? I've heard it usually takes the 6in + snows to shut them down completely.
Click to expand...
Motel in Chadron 35 a night, clean. A lady from North Dakota owns it. She talks just like in the movie Fargo
 
Oh, I listened!

But I'm debating about primitive camping 300y from the birds... early bird gets the worm! I may need to get a hotel or state park cabin for 1 night mid week. I have a hard time going more than 4 days without a shower. I've gone 9 before in the backcountry, but I swear even a turkey could smell me and spook after that length of time without bathing.
 
megalomaniac said:
Oh, I listened!

But I'm debating about primitive camping 300y from the birds... early bird gets the worm! I may need to get a hotel or state park cabin for 1 night mid week. I have a hard time going more than 4 days without a shower. I've gone 9 before in the backcountry, but I swear even a turkey could smell me and spook after that length of time without bathing.
Click to expand...
I'd highly suggest camping by any birds you are able to roost. Which by the way, roosting is is a key component on pounding them out there. You can roost em about every evening, oftentimes from a road. If I don't lay my head down without having one roosted, I ain't happy!
 
Oh, I will be afield from 330am till 9pm hunting. If I'm solo, I am singularly focused on being on birds and nothing else. Not to say I won't take a nap in the woods mid day if I hit a lull, though.

I'd really like to tag my 3 birds early in the week to have a few days to get another in the Black Hills of SD. And if I get that one with a day to spare, I'll drive over to Wyoming and try to get another.
 
I seen more Elk in that area than turkeys last time I was out, lol. But you'll have a good hunt.


Per SD, do you still have to go to Pierre to buy your tag?
 
You have to apply/ buy your tag in advance for SD (unlimited NR tags for black hills unit), but can be delivered in the mail if you do it early enough.
 
Gotcha. I thought you meant you would wait to purchase your tag, which would have been a long drive back East.

I camped at Ft Robinson. Got a night at a random hotel in Crawford when a tornado was coming through so that made us head South.
I cannot offer much other than safe travels and good luck! Wish I was going out to the Hills this Spring too.
 
megalomaniac said:
I know this is a big ask, but I'm going in blind solo May 8 thru May 15th. I'm not looking for a handout or a honeyhole, I've done as much research as I can from MS, and I'm to the point where I need to find a place to stay.... flying into Rapid City and renting a 4wd...

I dont want to stay in Chadron SP, and find out I'm spending most of my time hunting Ponderosa or Ft Robinson making the 20 to 25 min drive over that way....

Conversely, I dont want to stay toward Crawford, and end up doing most of my hunting back around 385 or Table road or Chadron creek WMA south of Chadron.

I'd love some boots on the ground advice whether to start on the west side or east side of the Pine Ridge area. Also if anyone has hit Metcalf WMA, id love to know if that is worth a little extra drive.

If anyone is going out there after May 15th, I'd be happy to send pins of birds that whooped me.

If I can get a couple birds early, I will hunt black hills in SD for kicks before heading home. Feel free to PM me if you are generous and want to help a brother out! :)
Click to expand...
Wondering how your trip went in pine ridge, if you had any success bagging a bird.
 
dpeek7 said:
Wondering how your trip went in pine ridge, if you had any success bagging a bird.
Click to expand...
Had a great time, got on one or two gobbling birds every day on private, but that late in the season they knew the gig and would not cross the fence to public. Not many birds overall for sure.

Found 8 different kill sites where toms had been taken earlier in the year. Insane about of pressure, think I saw folks from at least 11 or 12 different states.

Pretty country, but not a place I would waste a week of valuable vacation time at again for sure. Think I did just under 80 miles hiking during the week. Heard 1 shot the entire week (and you can hear a LONG way out there), never met another hunter who was successful.

Rented a suburban and slept on an air mattress in the back. Folks aren't shy about parking behind you and walking in on you.
 
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