Rocky Mountain Elk - South Dakota Style

When we hear of elk successes, we normally think of the western states of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho or Colorado. ­­­David Frank of Aberdeen, SD tells us his story on how he took advantage of a South Dakota elk tag in the beautiful Black Hills.

Here is David’s story:

After 12 years of applying for a tag, I was fortunate enough to draw an any-elk tag in unit H2 of the Black Hills. I had spent two weekends scouting, and had located a good area with a few nice bulls.

My dad and I headed out on Thursday, and started hunting on Friday morning. We didn't see or hear an elk on Friday; on Saturday we saw 2 small bulls, as well as what appeared to be a fairly nice bull through the timber. He was in a spot that was too thick to tell how big, let alone present a shot opportunity. Since there were quite a few other hunters in the area, so we decided to give it one more morning before moving to a new location.

After no elk sightings on Sunday morning, we decided to try a completely new area that others had recommended. After studying the area on the map, we started to cover some ground looking for elk sign. We came across a couple of areas with good sign and found one location that had significantly more trees that had been rubbed by bulls. We entered a waypoint on the GPS so we could return to this area. Later that evening, we returned and were fortunate to cross paths with a 7 x 7 and about 15 cows.

This was definitely the herd bull and as he crossed a clearing at 250 yards, I squeezed of the shot. We saw the bull bolted, run about 30 yards and go down.


I was able to fight off buck fever until after the shot, but once I saw him go down, I don't think I can ever remember my hands shaking so uncontrollably with excitement! Dad and I shared high fives, and rushed over to take a closer look.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this bull has a crown point on each side starting at the main beam near the royal point. This non-typical point makes him a very beautiful, symmetrical 7 x 7. The taxidermist rough scored him at 288 inches.



I couldn't be happier with my first elk hunt. I ended up with a nice bull, and the best part of the story is that I got to share the entire experience with my dad.

A big thanks to everyone who helped me prepare for this hunt with much appreciated advice. My chances of success would have been far less without the help!

David Frank




'Thanks Dad!'