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Nebraska South Dakota |
South Dakota Merriam Turkey Hunts
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DATES:
Spring Archery Turkey: April 7 thru May 8, 2018
Spring Turkey Prairie (Shotgun): April 14 thru May 8, 2018
PRICE:
3-day unguided Turkey hunts with no food or lodging for 1 Turkey...$650 per-person
3-day self-guided turkey hunts with Food & Lodging for 1 Turkey...$1000 per-person
3-day self-guided turkey hunt with Food & Lodging for 2 Turkeys...$1,300 per-person
3-day 2x1 fully guided merriam turkey hunts for 1 Turkey...$1,300 per-person (we guarantee a shot on the first bird on fully guided hunts)
3-day 2x1 fully guided merriam turkey hunt for 2 Turkeys...$1,650 per-person (we guarantee a shot on the first bird on fully guided hunts)
If you do not get a shot opportunity on
our fully guided spring turkey hunts you can come back the following
year and hunt "free" on a 1 turkey fully guided turkey hunt.
Fully Guided South Dakota Turkey Hunts include:
3 days hunting, up to 4 nights lodging, meals and snacks, guiding,
transportation, field bird processing, freezing, decoys, and blinds.
*Tipping is a way of saying thank you to those who made your turkey hunting trip enjoyable. The industry standard for a hunting trip Tip is 10-20%.
All Merriam Turkey licenses in South Dakota must be applied for. We will assist you in the applying process or obtaining the South Dakota Merriam Turkey shotgun or archery permits.
Archery tags are available with no quota and no deadline.
Non-resident Permit price:
- 1 turkey permit is $100 each
*Licenses can be applied for at the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks website, www.gfp.sd.gov/hunting/
*Between all drawings for South Dakota turkey hunts in the units we hunt, draw success is normally 100% between draws.
*Non-Residents must be at least 12 years of age. Hunters under age of 16 must be accompanied in field at all times by a parent, guardian or responsible adult who is at least 18 years of age.
HUNTER SAFETY REQUIREMENTS:
- All hunters under age of 16 need a hunter's safety card in South Dakota.
BOWHUNTER EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:
- All big game archery licensees under the age of 16 (11-15) must possess a National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) certificate or certification of completion from a bowhunter education course approved by any state or provincial government.Residents and nonresidents under age 16 must also successfully complete a hunter safety education course to obtain an archery license.
- All first-time archery big game licensees regardless of age must possess
a National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) certificate or
certificate of completion from a bowhunter education course approved by
any state or provincial government.
- Applicants who have held a big game archery license in the past may apply for deer and without completing an NBEF course. If they indicate on the application the year, state or province that a former archery license was obtained or help.
APPLICATION
DEADLINES:
First Deadline - Apply online by 8 a.m. CST Wednesday, Feb. 16.
Results available online by Feb. 21. One application may be submitted per
applicant. (both residents and nonresidents)
Second Deadline - Apply
online by 8 a.m. CDT Wednesday, Mar. 2. Results available online by Mar. 7.
Those who do not already have a license may submit one application. (Resident only Draw)
Third Deadline - After the second deadline drawing, licenses remaining
are pooled and available to both residents and nonresidents. Apply online by 8 a.m. CDT Wednesday, Mar. 16.
Results available online by Mar. 21. Residents and nonresidents may apply for
additional licenses (5 maximum for this season, including any license received
in the first or second draw).
Leftover Licenses - An individual may have an unlimited number of licenses
for this season in any unit or any combination of units. They will be issued
first-come, first-served either online or by mailing in an application. This
process will begin on Mar. 23.
Lodging (Hunts that included lodging & meals) with us at the Farmhouse is very clean and
comfortable with all the conveniences of home. A maximum of six hunters in
camp at any time allows for a home-style atmosphere and individual attention
for everyone.
Breakfasts are light and quick consisting of dry cereals, instant
oatmeal, pastries, toast, and fruit. There will also be assorted
juices and coffee.
Lunch, you will pack your own lunch of cold-cut sandwiches the
night before. Also, along with sandwiches there will be fruit, chips,
crackers, sweets, and water. There are plenty of choices to pick
from. We recommend you pack a hearty lunch then you are use to
this is to maximize hunting
time.
We have found the South Dakota fresh air always increases the
appetite.
Dinner, meals will consist of salad, casserole
dishes, meat dishes, or crock-pot meals, vegetables, rolls and
dessert. Meals are home-made and very delicious!
If you have meal concerns or special meal needs please bring it to our
attention when booking your hunt. Also you are more than welcome to provide your own snacks and soft drinks of your liking to take on the hunt.
We are known as one of top Outfitter and Guide Services in South Dakota for South Dakota archery turkey hunts and crossbow turkey hunting.
Many believe archery turkey hunting is one of the toughest hunts a hunter can do.
On our merriam turkey bow hunts. We have found over the years Primos Double Bull Blinds works well.
A critical factor, turkey bow hunter shoot a fast shooting bow such as a Hoyt, BowTech, PSE or Mathews bows or use TenPoint and Stryker 380 crossbow. On crossbows, overall weight, speed, and having a light crisp trigger pull are critical. Bows need to fit you and be at daily normal draw weight.
Note: Do not reduce your bow poundage for archery turkey hunting.
Pin point accuracy, and broadhead performance are critical.
Turkeys have an extremely small vital kill zone, so we recommend using 3D targets before your hunt that mark the body kill zone to practice with daily before your hunt.
*Other archery turkey hunting gear items you might want to consider for your archery turkey hunt is a Primos Bow Sling, GoPro, or Roscoby Riser Cam.
Our shotgun South Dakota Merriam turkey hunts are considered as one of the best that South Dakota Turkey Outfitters and Guides have to offer.
We recommend shooting a fitted semiautomatic camo 12 gauge 3 1/2" magnum shotgun with a premium turkey choke that we recommend, shooting hard hitting Hevi-Shot turkey loads.
We hunt near the town of Gregory South Dakota.
Note: Our cell phone reception is minimal in these areas.
We expect you to drive to us:
For driving directions to Gregory South Dakota click on the city name in blue, then put in your zip code.
If flying and hunting near Gregory South Dakota you will fly into:
When flying with the airlines you will need to follow regulations for guns and ammunition, ask the airlines for information if unsure.
You will need to call Don on his Cell phone 2 hours prior to arrival, he will discuss with you where to meet.
You need to plan to arrive into camp after 12:00 pm during the daylight the day before your hunt start. After arriving you will get your gear unpacked, and ready, shoot your gun for zero as needed, hunt orientation, and safety brief.
A problem that faces a turkey hunter who has just driven, or flown across the country to go on a turkey hunt is how to get there turkey/meat safely home. Please read below on what we have learned and know:
Transporting your trophy turkey home to taxidermist. On fully Guided hunts we help you with the below steps and on Self-guided it is up to you. We recommend the following before freezing for transport:
Most taxidermist's prefer the turkey not gutted. Check with yours before the trip. You can get the meat after you take it to the Taxidermist being it is frozen.
Treat the turkey very carefully to keep the turkey feathers from getting damaged, only lay on turkey's stomach/breast, and keep all blood off of feathers.
To help with blood, put paper towel or cotton balls in turkeys mouth, next wrap turkey head with paper towels and tape or rubber band in place, next tuck wrapped head under the wing.
Next, put your turkey head first in the leg of a pair of queen size panty hose. Then pull up around entire turkey to include the turkey tail, then tie the open end of the panty hose in a knot, then freeze. This will protect the turkey feathers holding them securely in place.
After it is frozen, take out of freezer, then wrap entire bird completely in Aluminum Foil, then wrap entire bird in bubble wrap, then put head first in a large plastic bag and roll gently squeezing the air out of the bag and securely tape bag in place before putting it in the cooler for transport.
This is the best method we have found to date to get your trophy home to mount.
You should use coolers for transporting your meat and turkey.
Flying: duct tape the coolers shut after you get to the airport in case they need to open and pack them as tightly as possible.
Driving: use duct tape to hold the lids tightly shut. This keeps out air, even when the truck is on rough roads, and hits bumps.
If you fly, once meat and turkey is processed and frozen, it can be boxed and checked as excess baggage. Meat/trophy bird should be frozen as dry ice is not allowed on airplanes.
US Mail, UPS, or FedEx, we have had hunters use all with good success. To make this work best with
perishable items. They need to be shipped out at a office by the main
airport you fly into. Reason, where we are located in Nebraska we are
far away from the interstates and major airports so everything is Ground
shipment first, then overnight so "overnight" actually turns into 2-3
days. Note:
if shipping nonperishable where time isn't a factor. We have a Post
office's and drop boxes for UPS and FedEx in our local areas.
Note: Our hunters are telling us it is best "to drive when you can".
They say with a partner and rotating driving, you can get anywhere
within the states in a days travel, which is what you are burning up
flying anyway, along with renting a car and driving to us. This way you
get to bring all your gear and take everything back and use a meat
processor close to home.
Most important it is a must to plan ahead in this area and determine before the hunt how you want to handle your meat and trophy turkey.
Hunting out of state is expensive, with life being unpredictable and
the unexpected does happen to everyone and for this reason D & E
Outfitters highly recommends buying Travel Guard's Sportsman's Travel Protection Plan Insurance.