Just back from the Black Hills setting up cams and a blind on a spring area. Waiting on some bull pics to pick what area to hunt the first week I have a few ground hunting spots to hunt until they start bugling so I’m covered, here are a water tank and stock dam and a big wallow they like to uses. Buddy put 3 cell cams out in 3 different areas and I put out 3 chip cams in travel areas I wanted to monitor for movements. Did not take a pic of the 3rd area we set up first that was a mile and half walk in to set a cam, lots of elk on cams last year.

Stock tank on left, dam grade straight ahead ground blind to the right off camera



Blind tucked away I hope the cows don’t mess with it.



Big wallow had a good bull working it last year its lower than last year but the other water dips are dry this year there was numerous wet areas last year making the wallows not as valuable to sit by.

Looks fun. Good luck

wws

Buddy just sent this from one of the cams we put out today. A good deer for the Black Hills. Many are small basket racks.

Looks like great elk country. Thanks and keep your journey coming, love an adventure.

When its time to butcher I will help if I can stay for supper?

Private I am guessing?

That "wallow" looks more like a pond

Hope you get you one

That’s a chunk of National Forest the Black Hills is limited draw for elk in SD it takes years to draw a tag often it took about 27 years to draw a tag the area is limited to 30 bull tags and 10 archery elk tags. I picked up an archery deer tag incase a nice one comes by but the areas not known for big deer.

The grass is thick out there this year the most we’ve ever seen with the rains we have been getting at the right times it’s starting to dry up some now.

Looks like a Blast

Couple Pa. Elk on trail cam

i wish i lived out west sometimes... or atleast closer.
that 26 hour drive to hunt elk gets old haha. but another couple weeks and we will be there.

Aren’t there Elk a lot closer, lol?

The elk have not moved into the area we are in now they should show up by the end of the month or any day now. Lots of cattle leases in the national forest but with the abundance of grass I’m not sure when they will round up the cattle or if the FS I a stickler on removal dates. Not much for deer or elk dropping in 2 of the three place that were loaded with elk last year.

Hooked up with a local guy thats a great resource on elk habits he said they will move into these areas soon like the turkey dispersal I’m thinking.

When we were in the Black Hills turkey hunting the ranchers had the cattle pulled out of the NF. The elk were really using salt licks at the time. I’m guessing if you put a camera on salt licks you are just getting a lot of cattle pictures?

if you referring to me yes there are elk alot closer lol. a bunch of em about 3 hours away at our camp actually... but have fun gettin a PA tag. Have been tryin for a KY tag as well but the chances are even less.
we go to over the counter tag states, CO and Utah were our go to's. CO is out after this year though, no more non res OTC elk tags the way i understand it.
Hate the drive like crazy but man those bugling bulls sure get ya goin.

so short answer, yes there are closer elk... just not closer huntable elk haha.

No salt licks there some down the road, the water and wallows are the critter draws even if they drain the water tanks the springs still run and the stock dams still hold water. We will get tons of cattle pics at the tanks until they get pulled but not as many cattle at the wallows. That one wallow pic is a “Lake” but it’s inches deep.

Seems to be more cattle on the leases this year but more grass this year then they can eat they are not eating it down so they might of added more cattle as they can’t do it any harm.

Good grass will hold big game they will be where there is the best grass.

Had the rancher on a cam today and a bunch of cattle yesterday on it.

First elk on cam so they must be around. This was on the wallow lake just a cow but her daddy’s somewhere.