My South Dakota Merriam Archery Hunt

Well….. I’m back from my trip in South Dakota. My time out there entailed a smorgasbord of activities that ranged from helping Stacie’s Dad with his farm duties, to visiting with Stacie’s family, branding the new calves, showing off our latest addition to our family and trying to harvest my first Merriam Turkey with a bow. After a very long car ride with a new born across the states of MN and SD we finally arrived at Stacie’s parents house late Wednesday evening in SW South Dakota. I got up and away fairly early the following morning and went on a scouting mission. I chose to scout a big field adjacent to a river bottom and I soon heard what I was looking for. Gobble after Gobble echoed through the canyon floor. Wanting to see how many birds were actually there, I started my sneak and got within 200 yards of the 12 strutting Toms that would not leave the security of the wooded river bottom. That was all I need to see and knew this would be the location I would set up the first opportunity I had to hunt in the morning.

That first evening I was able to sneak away and set up on a hay field that I have seen Turkeys in many times before and close to a well used roosting area. I was attempting to intercept a willing Tom on his way back to roost. I set up my Covert blind on the edge of the hay field where they commonly entered the field. I set up 4 decoys within 10 yards of my blind. My decoy spread included my new strutting Killer B and a hen out one side and a Jake and hen out the other direction. I got settled in and set up the camera gear. After I let things settle down for awhile I started to call on my new friction call and I heard a gobble come from across the road. 10-15 minutes later I called again, and heard a gobble very close in the ravine below me. I grabbed my bow, turned the camera on and put my mouth call in. I looked to the left and saw him step out from the brush as he was about 25 yards from the blind. I got the camera on him as he starts walking out into the field strutting and just skirting my decoys. So I let out another call with my mouth call and jus t about peed my pants when another Gobbler that had to be within 10 yards of my blind sounded off with a thunderous gobble. The first Tom got awful quiet but was still going in and out of strut. I could hear the mystery gobbler drumming right outside my blind but he still remained out of sight. I then noticed a big group of hens enter the field about 50 yards down and they now had the attention of the first Tom as he increased his distance from my set up. The mystery Tom finally stepped into view exactly where the first one came out. I swung the camera on him and he too comes out and just skirts the decoys at 25-30 yards. I would barely squeak out a note with my mouth call and he would be gobbling. He was fired up but also caught sight of the group of 12 hens and decided to head their way also, leaving me high and dry. Oh well, that is hunting and this was only the first evening.

The next morning I had Stacie’s brother Tyler filming me and we got set up a little late on the group of birds that I scouted the morning before but it did not take long and the parade was on as bird after bird started to work our way from the river bottom. The same issue that plagued me the night before plagued me again as the Toms had so many hens it was tough to pull them away from the real deal. When I mentioned parade I meant it as we easily saw 60 birds that morning and they would gobble to our call but not come in and leave their hens. Finally I was able to convince a Tom to break away from a group of stutters that were easily 200 yards plus away. He was coming in on a string from a far and answering my call all the way in. He suddenly got hung up at 35 yards and circled the blind and disappeared behind us. I sat there a little frustrated as for the rest of the morning Tyler and I just watched all the birds and could not believe how many we were seeing.

After those two hunts I decided to put the strutting decoy away and figured I would have a better chance with just two hens and a Jake. I also decided to become more call shy and call less when I had one in view. My next hunt would have to wait awhile as branding day was here and a lot of work to do in order to get ready for the festivities. The morning after branding I made my way out back to where I had seen all the birds the couple mornings earlier and had a close encounter with that Tom. I repositioned my Covert blind a little to maximize my chances but only saw one group of birds that morning as a single Tom had a group of about 15 hens. The hens were closing the distance but at the last moment decided to go around the back of the blind and all I could do is watch as the Tom followed suit. I stayed with my game plan and did not call much to that Tom but, I don’t think it would have mattered either way. He walked within 10 yards of the back of my blind and all I could do is watch him out my mostly zipped up back window.

The last morning I set up in the same place as I did the first night as I saw a few lone strutters the day before around 9 am, real close to this location while I was working. As I pulled up on the 4 wheeler within 250 yards of my blind that I set up the night before. I already heard gobbling @ 5:10 am. As I quietly snuck into the blind and got the camera set up, there were birds gobbling on both sides of the field. I located the group of birds in the roost across the field as I watched them roost the night before. I started to do my hen call and try to let the birds know where I was. As daylight started to break I could see the flock starting to pitch down from the roost with my Nikons. As my lack of luck would hold true, the hens started to work away from me and the 3 Toms followed them. I still had Toms across the road sounding off but could never pull in anything. Then about 8 am I saw movement at top of the field. I glass the bird with my binocs and notice a Jake looking at my 2 hens and Jake decoy. So I start calling to him and he begins to come in for a closer look. It took a while but that Jake came within 20 yards of my decoys but still felt a lil weary as he sat on the field edge within range of my Mathews bow. As he was coming in, I had already made up my mind that I would pass on him as this was not the bird I wanted to harvest on my SD hunt. So I let the Jake walk and see another day.

As my hunt started to come to a close, I begun to tear down my camera gear and pack things up when I caught movement up on the road. I watched a Muley doe and her two yearlings want to come into the field I was on and walk within very close proximity to my blind as I watched and filmed them from 40 yards away enter the field and look at my decoys. Just the reason why I love hunting out there so much, so much game so little time. During my hunt out there the birds really seemed “henned” up and could care less about your calls and decoys while I was out there for the most part. I ended up not harvesting a South Dakota Merriam with my bow, even though I had numerous close encounters with some beautiful mature birds that just would not commit to the decoys but were well within shotgun range. Some may say that I came away from that hunt empty handed , but I know better, and truth be told that statement could not be any farther from the truth. The encounters, the scenery (unreal), the times shared with family and the fun I had out there on my trip to western South Dakota was exactly what it is every time I go out there. It was exciting, fun filled , an adventure and hunt that I will always remember. Hopefully someday our lil boy Gage can experience similar hunts and fun times out there on the edge of the Black Hills at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I have said it before and I will say it again, “ I ‘m one lucky man!” I’m not sure of my next outing, but I cannot wait to get back in the woods chasing some turkeys. Until next time, Lip is outie!

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