Check out website sdgfp.info. Lots of goats in NW SD like Harding, Meade counties. Lots of public land up there too. Some Ranchers will let you on for archery. Antelope are hard on their fences out there. Good spot to sit and try your luck is where the goats have a tunnel under a fence. They all go through the tunnel and once on the other side they stop for a second offering a shot. Just some tips. Website has a lot of info and they will send you free public land booklets and maps if you request. Good luck.

I rifle hunt for goats in NW SD. Lots of goats, and they are a problem in that area. If you can get on private land, that would be best. Some will charge, some will not. Finding out who the actual land owner is out there can be a issue as well. You'll probably have to hunt public to start out with, and then do some door knocking to get into a private spot for future years, or later in the hunt.

I hunt in northwestern Butte County during the rifle season, but would imagine that public land would produce some results. Check in the latest edition of the B&C Club Record Book. There's been two bucks taken in Butte, one or two in Harding and two in Meade. All of those bucks were at least 82 B&C points. If you can find a new public land atlas, look in north northwestern Butte county. There is a large expanse of public land right off of Highway 85, I imagine that that would be a good bet on a decent buck. However, I wouldn't go until mid-late September which is the peak of the pronghorn rut. With a good decoy and call, you'll have the best chance of luring a rut crazed speed goat into range of your bow. Good Luck!

Dakota

Hi guys, new to the site. I'm also heading to SD for my first goat hunt. I'm runnig solo unguided in zone 53, that is Perkins County north of Route 20.

There seems to be a lot of public lands in that area based on the maps I've looked at so far. Any ldea of what I can expect to find in that area as far as number of other hunters and numbers of pronghorns?

Augie - (Eastern who loves to travel west to hunt.)

In the future you guys may think about trying Harding and Butte Countys. Lots of goats, and most people around here are happy to get ride of them.

Sorry

I may just do that. I choose the Perkins area because of the amount of Public Hunting areas, National Grass lands. This was my first goat hunt. I had a blast, It was cool being able to walk around and look for game instead of posting in a tree and waiting for a whitetail to walk by.

I did shoot one small buck, had chances to shoot another small one, let him walk, and had several larger bucks in my scope at 400-600 yards, but held fire. I only feel good out to around 250 yards.

I was a little disapointed in the lack of pronghorns I did see, but in all was a good trip. Would be interrested in hunting Harding County, if I knew where to hunt.

Every year the SD Dept of Game, Fish & Parks publishs a Walk In Atlas. I generally pick mine up at the local Convience Store, but am thinking if you write to the SD Dept of Game, Fish & Parks they'll send you one out free of charge.

These atlas' not only show lands signed up under the Walk In Program, but also State Game Production Areas as well as other areas open to public hunting.

I didn't get out Hunting Pronghorns this year, but hope to next year.

Larry

Augie- When did you go out? Was it two weekends ago when the weather was shitty? That may be why you didn't see much.

RD

Yep, I was out there when the freezing rain was falling. Oct 10 to 16. Not so bad though. I was staying in Lemmon SD.

I shot my 1st pronghorn on school lands and hunted several walk in areas. Cool that there is that much area open to public hunting, but do have to say that most of the goats I did see where in Alfalfa fields on private lands.

Is there much public hunting areas in Harding County?

Augie