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S Dakota praire gobblers

I'm thinking of hunting a prairie unit in S Dakota for gobblers. After looking at the atlas and google earth it appears that most units have very little public land that has decent turkey habitat. I was curious if anyone happens to know any units that may have decent turkey numbers where they can be hunted on public land. I'm aware there are thousands of acres in the Black Hills but would like to concentrate on a decent prairie unit. You can pm me if you'd prefer to keep your suggestions private.

I know there are quite a few turkeys in Harding county in Custer National Forest. I'd also look at the counties along the Missouri River, there's a fair amount of public land and good numbers of turkeys in the breaks.

Over by Reva in Hardin County on the Custer Forest might be a place to look at.

Are any of the Indian Res worth self-guided hunting? Some of them look like they only offer guided hunts. Do any of them offer quality public land where you don't have to pound on doors to gain access? Some of the res websites are a bit confusing. I would be curious how hunting pressure and number of birds would compare to hunting the Blackhills or prairie units? If you want to pm me I'd be interested discussing strategies!

JimS, Pine Ridge and Rosebud have great turkey hunting but you will need to find a guide. Some are pretty reasonable though if you look into it. Lower Brule didn't require a guide the last time I checked, perhaps look into them. Not sure if Cheyenne River has many turkey or not. Keep researching and you'll find something. Some ranchers I know really hate turkeys so you may get lucky with enough effort.

I'm likely going to give it a go somewhere in S Dak this spring. I may just make a trip and make the best of it. I've looked at quite a few walk in areas so that may be a starting point. I can always knock on some doors and maybe luck out.

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