SD West River Firearm Deer season (2020)

[Outdoors Junkie]

The 2020 South Dakota West River firearm deer season opened on November 14th and closed on November 29th. My two sons and daughter and I each drew an any deer tag and an antlerless tag. We hunt on public land and I didn't get out to hunt the West River season until Friday November 20th. We were hunting with my dad in MN Nov. 11th-16th.

I did have success in the afternoon on my first day and harvested a 6pt buck. I hunted with my oldest through the weekend. We then hunted again on Thanksgiving morning through Sunday and my other son and daughter joined us. We all were seeing deer, but we were focused more on filling our any deer (buck tags) since unfilled anterless tags actually open back up for ten days in December.

I had two small bucks walking around me for 20 minutes on Saturday morning but I let them pass since I already filled my buck tag. One was a six point and the other a spike buck. For about 15 minutes I was thinking the spike was a small doe until it came with 20 yards. I was sitting on the ground with my back to a pine tree in a make shift ground blind.

I had my daughter come sit with me on Saturday afternoon and the the spike came back to visit and my daughter harvested him with one nice clean shot to the vitals.

My boys (they are 24 and 21) are more selective and were holding out for big bucks. On Sunday morning we added a doe to our harvest and then spent the afternoon skinning, and butchering the three deer. It was a fun season and we all saw multiple deer.

[deadeye]

Sounds like a good time was had by all.  Nice going.

[Boar]

awesome!!

[Jerkbiat]

Awesome sauce!!! Now I see why you are wanting to learn to make sausage.