{"id":1512,"date":"2021-05-12T19:51:29","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T19:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/?p=1512&#038;fishpig=1620847508&#038;preview=true"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:37:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T11:37:22","slug":"turkey-hunting-south-dakota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/turkey-hunting-south-dakota\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey Hunting South Dakota"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\"><div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p><span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/turkey-hunting-south-dakota\/#Turkey_Hunting_South_Dakota\" >Turkey Hunting South Dakota<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/turkey-hunting-south-dakota\/#Lungs_and_Legs_Turkey_Hunting_South_Dakota\" >Lungs and Legs Turkey Hunting South Dakota<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/turkey-hunting-south-dakota\/#Camping_is_Super_Accessible\" >Camping is Super Accessible<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/turkey-hunting-south-dakota\/#Roost_Birds\" >Roost Birds<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/turkey-hunting-south-dakota\/#Pay_Attention_to_Calling_Patterns\" >Pay Attention to Calling Patterns<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/turkey-hunting-south-dakota\/#Hunt_at_High_Elevation\" >Hunt at High Elevation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/turkey-hunting-south-dakota\/#Take_a_Fly_Rod\" >Take a Fly Rod<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/turkey-hunting-south-dakota\/#Colorado_Merriams_Turkey_Hunt\" >Colorado Merriam\u2019s Turkey Hunt<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Turkey_Hunting_South_Dakota\"><\/span>Turkey Hunting South Dakota<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Turkey <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/finding-a-hunting-lease\/\">Hunting<\/a> South Dakota the Black Hills, home to the Merriam\u2019s, can be as frustrating as it is rewarding.<\/strong><\/p><figure id=\"attachment_1513\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1513\" style=\"width: 512px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1513 size-full\" title=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed.jpg\" alt=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed.jpg 512w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-150x113.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1513\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/binoculars-for-turkey-hunting\/\">Turkey Hunting<\/a> South Dakota<\/figcaption><\/figure><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I set out from my Colorado home, headed for the Black Hills of South Dakota, with high hopes that I\u2019d at least encounter my first Merriam\u2019s turkey. The Upper Midwest had been getting hammered with snow and freezing temperatures. And with a warm snap ahead, I assumed the timing would be right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But as recent studies have shown, temperature doesn\u2019t always have so much to do with getting birds hot. Rather, it\u2019s barometric pressure that has more of an impact on gobbling. Of course other factors like hunting pressure and nesting activity play a pivotal role as well. So I guess you could say I was heading into a new area relatively blind. For many hunters, however, that\u2019s part of the adventure, what makes each hunt so unique.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Let me go ahead and say that not a shot was fired during my five days <a title=\"Binoculars for Turkey Hunting\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/binoculars-for-turkey-hunting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turkey hunting<\/a> South Dakota. In fact, I heard little gobbling and saw even fewer turkeys. I did learn a few things though, which helped me on a successful Merriam\u2019s hunt three days after my return to Colorado. Hopefully my takeaways can help you on your next <a title=\"18 Turkey Hunting Gear Essentials\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/18-turkey-hunting-gear-essentials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turkey hunt<\/a> whether you\u2019re in the high hills of the Midwest or hardwoods of the Southeast.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here is what I learned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h2 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lungs_and_Legs_Turkey_Hunting_South_Dakota\"><\/span><b>Lungs and Legs Turkey Hunting South Dakota<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Black Hills is well, hilly. Mountainous, really. Between camp and the highest ridges, the elevation fluctuated between 4,750 and 6,600 feet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I ran into a lot of other hunters too. So in order to overcome the altitude and get away from hunting pressure, you ought to be in decent shape. You\u2019ll find many Forest Service roads that lead into areas that offer good habitat are gated off during the spring to give <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/best-places-to-see-wildlife-in-the-usa-this-summer\/\">wildlife<\/a> a chance to complete their <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/how-to-keep-your-feet-warm-in-winter\/\">winter<\/a> patterns. This means you\u2019re out of the truck and on foot a lot. I probably walked 35-40 miles over the five days I hunted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><figure id=\"attachment_1514\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1514\" style=\"width: 709px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1514\" title=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_5706-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" width=\"709\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/IMG_5706-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/IMG_5706-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/IMG_5706-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/IMG_5706-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/IMG_5706-1-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/IMG_5706-1-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/IMG_5706-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 100vw, 709px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1514\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Between camp and the highest ridges, the elevation fluctuated between 4,750 and 6,600 feet.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Camping_is_Super_Accessible\"><\/span><b>Camping is Super Accessible<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was a great part about <a title=\"Why Turkey Hunting with Binoculars Works for Me\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/why-turkey-hunting-with-binoculars-works-for-me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turkey hunting<\/a> South Dakota in the Black Hills. Camp is where you make it essentially. That is, dispersed camping. While there are many campgrounds and cabins for rent throughout the Black Hills, dispersed camping is allowed just about everywhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I chose this latter option in hopes I\u2019d stay close to turkeys and not have to drive too far each morning. Plus, most of the campgrounds don\u2019t open until Memorial Day Weekend. If you\u2019re unsure, check with the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/detail\/blackhills\/about-forest\/offices\/?cid=stelprdb5110299\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forest Service office<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. One thing to note is that <\/span><b>open campfires are not allowed in the Black Hills of South Dakota.\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><figure id=\"attachment_1515\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1515\" style=\"width: 706px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1515\" title=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_5684-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" width=\"706\" height=\"530\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1515\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This was a great part about turkey hunting South Dakota in the Black Hills &#8211; camp is where you make it.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Roost_Birds\"><\/span><b>Roost Birds<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first evening I roosted two birds. The one I thought would be the most killable due to his proximity to my camp and the geography around his roost, was also unbeknownst to me being targeted by another group of hunters. On the first morning I parked about 500 yards from where I heard him gobbling on the limb only to have this other group drive by me and park in a field 100 yards from where he was gobbling. Needless to say, that tom survived for at least those few days I was in the area.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seek out high ground and Forest Service roads in the late evening that give you good <a title=\"Glassing For Elk \u2013 High Vantage Points\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/glassing-for-elk-high-vantage-points\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vantage points to glass<\/a> and listen. From what I\u2019ve read and from talking to other hunters who have tagged out in the Black Hills, roosting turkeys then setting up close the following morning was key to their success. Be as aggressive as you can when you can. This tip would ultimately help me back in Colorado.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><figure id=\"attachment_1516\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1516\" style=\"width: 512px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1516 size-full\" title=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-1.jpg 512w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-1-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-1-150x113.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1516\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Turkey Hunting South Dakota<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pay_Attention_to_Calling_Patterns\"><\/span><b>Pay Attention to Calling Patterns<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I honestly believe the birds were call shy during the period of time I hunted them. On the last morning, I located two toms that were already on the ground. The first time I set up on them a pack of coyotes started up in between me and the turkeys, so naturally they headed in the other direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There was a parcel of private property in the direction they headed so I had to hike back out to my truck and drive around to try and cut them off. The second time I sat down and began calling, another hunter echoed my yelps. The birds were within 200 yards but quickly went back onto the private.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perhaps I should have been more aggressive with these birds the second time I was on them. But then again, there\u2019s a good chance the other hunter was there first. Mornings were rather calm though the wind picked up significantly during the afternoons, making locating birds pretty difficult. With the power of hindsight, I think a good tactic for call-shy birds would have been to find roosting and scratching areas during the day and set up and wait. Then again, I like turkey <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/planning-a-caribou-hunt\/\" title=\"Planning a Caribou Hunt\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"757\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hunting<\/a> for the freedom of movement it allows.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hunt_at_High_Elevation\"><\/span><b>Hunt at High Elevation<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The birds I just mentioned were at around 6,500 feet. This was the last morning and the highest elevation I\u2019d <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/all-about-hog-hunting\/\" title=\"All About Hog Hunting\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"682\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hunted<\/a>. Several other hunters I talked to were having the most action in the higher country. One guy I talked to, from Minnesota, mentioned a group of friends who\u2019d been out the week prior, hunting through a week of snowstorms. The entire group of six tagged out and each bird was killed around 6,600 feet, which seemed to be the magic number.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><figure id=\"attachment_1517\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1517\" style=\"width: 651px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1517\" title=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_3930-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" width=\"651\" height=\"488\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1517\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Turkey <a title=\"Best Binoculars for Hunting Out West\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/best-binoculars-for-hunting-out-west\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hunting the Black Hills requires a good binocular<\/a>, preferably 10x.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Take_a_Fly_Rod\"><\/span><b>Take a Fly Rod<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">During a midday lull I happened on a creek where I sat and watched trout rise. During the next day\u2019s lull (seemed to be a lot of these) I returned to the creek with my fly rod and had quite the day, catching brook, brown, and rainbow trout for my first-ever trifecta. I attempted another river near Lake Pactola but it was baby poop brown, the recent warm temperatures having melted a lot of snow in the high country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1518 aligncenter\" title=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_5734-1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Turkey Hunting South Dakota\" width=\"658\" height=\"658\" \/><\/p><h3 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Colorado_Merriams_Turkey_Hunt\"><\/span><b>Colorado Merriam\u2019s Turkey Hunt<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A few days after getting back to Colorado, catching up with work and the wife, I hit the turkey woods again with a friend. We arrived at a high point well before first light to listen. It would have been nice to scout the location, but time didn\u2019t permit.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the dark sky turned gray, I let out a hoot owl call and a gobble immediately returned some 400 yards from where we stood. We were able to cut the distance in half and set up in a small cottonwood grove at the edge of a meadow. Over the next 40 minutes that bird must have gobbled a hundred times. I responded pretty regularly with soft tree yelps, cuts, and purrs. And when he flew, \u201cso did I.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite having hens with him, I was able to call the gobbler right into our setup. My buddy shot him at 15 steps. When I heard the first yelp from his harem, I really laid on the calling, knowing if I could draw in a hen or two the tom would follow. That\u2019s the \u201caggressiveness\u201d tactic I learned can work well with the Merriam\u2019s. I didn\u2019t expect him to be the first one to arrive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1519 aligncenter\" title=\"Rifle Marksmanship: Key Elements of Good Shooting Positions\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-2.jpg\" alt=\"Rifle Marksmanship: Key Elements of Good Shooting Positions\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-2.jpg 512w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-2-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/unnamed-2-150x113.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s hard to say that a hunting trip is \u201cunsuccessful.\u201d It was a week of freedom from work. Most areas allowed no cell phone service. And it was a time to really slow down and enjoy the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/avoiding-ticks-while-hunting\/\">outdoors<\/a>. I think there is always something to learn. I\u2019ll take this trip and the knowledge I acquired and put it towards Black Hills <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/binoculars-for-turkey-hunting\/\" title=\"Binoculars for Turkey Hunting\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"681\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turkey hunting<\/a> trips for many years to come.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1344 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/TRACT_BRAND_728X90.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"728\" height=\"90\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/TRACT_BRAND_728X90.jpg 728w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/TRACT_BRAND_728X90-300x37.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/TRACT_BRAND_728X90-600x74.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/TRACT_BRAND_728X90-150x19.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Turkey Hunting South Dakota | TRACT design and engineer performance-grade optics without the added retail costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2258,1],"tags":[2291,2541,2677,2797,2812,2813,2844,2845,2846,2847,2848,2849,2852,2958,3314,3316],"class_list":["post-1512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hunting","category-uncategorized","tag-10x-binoculars","tag-can-be-as-frustrating-as-it-is-rewarding","tag-home-to-the-merriams","tag-hunting","tag-hunting-calibers","tag-hunting-calibers-for-deer","tag-hunting-rifle-caliber","tag-hunting-rifle-caliber-chart","tag-hunting-rifle-caliber-for-deer","tag-hunting-rifle-calibers","tag-hunting-rifle-calibers-by-size","tag-hunting-rifle-rounds","tag-hunting-rifle-sizes","tag-optics","tag-turkey-hunting","tag-turkey-hunting-south-dakota-the-black-hills"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1512"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11444,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512\/revisions\/11444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}