Unit 38A

The most useful landmarks are the reservoirs and lakes scattered throughout: Lake Douglas, Lake Boehm, and Chapelle Lake provide obvious orientation points and reliable water. Baloun Creek and Medicine Creek mark significant drainages worth investigating for deer movement. Bald Hills offers a modest geographic high point useful for perspective, though calling it a mountain would overstate it.

Marshy Lake, Thomas Lake, and Rice Lake round out the water features that structure the unit. These lakes and creeks serve dual purposes—navigation aids and attractants for deer, especially during dry periods.

Elevation varies modestly across the unit, but the topography is uniformly low and open. You're looking at rolling prairie grassland as the dominant habitat, with grasses and native vegetation covering nearly all terrain. Timber is extremely sparse—mostly confined to creek bottoms and occasional shelterbelts around homesteads.

Ponderosa pines and cottonwoods appear sporadically in drainages and along water sources, but this is fundamentally treeless country. The lack of elevation change means no distinct habitat zones; instead, the landscape transitions subtly from slightly higher prairie ridges to shallow valley bottoms where water collects.

The road network is fairly connected with 1.23 miles of road per square mile—enough to reach most areas via vehicle. However, with 95% private land ownership, practical access is limited to public roads and permission-based hunting. Small towns like Highmore and Holabird serve as logical staging areas.

The straightforward terrain and open country mean most hunters concentrate along roads and near visible water features; navigating away from roads often requires private permission. Pressure is moderate but concentrated—the ease of accessing roads works against finding untouched country. Best strategy involves checking less obvious areas away from the main lakes and established routes.

Unit 38A covers 866 square miles of central South Dakota prairie, anchored by the small communities of Highmore and Holabird. The unit lies entirely within low-elevation plains country, ranging from roughly 1,400 to 2,200 feet. The landscape is predominantly open grassland with minimal timber—essentially classic northern Great Plains terrain.

With 95% private ownership, access is limited to roads, established routes, and permission-based hunting. The region has a straightforward geography typical of the Dakotas, with gentle rolling terrain and scattered water features defining the hunting landscape.

Water is moderately available and plays an outsized role in this open country. Multiple reservoirs—Lake Douglas, Lake Boehm, Chapelle Lake—provide reliable water sources. Several lakes including Marshy Lake, Thomas Lake, Rice Lake, Mitchell Lake, and Lake Ambrose dot the unit.

Baloun Creek and Medicine Creek are the primary drainages, creating shallow valleys where vegetation and wildlife concentrate. In dry years, these creeks and reservoirs become critical for deer; in wet years, standing water is common. The relatively abundant water sources make this unit more huntable than drier prairie country, but water management still influences where deer congregate.

Unit 38A holds white-tailed and mule deer across its grassland habitat. White-tails favor the creek bottoms and scattered timber; mule deer use the more open ridges and plateaus. Early season hunting focuses on riparian areas—cottonwood thickets along Baloun and Medicine Creeks hold deer during hot weather.

As temperatures drop, deer expand their range but remain tied to water. The lack of elevation means no migratory patterns; instead, concentrate on creek corridors and lake margins where cover and water intersect. Glassing is productive given the open terrain—use elevated terrain and ridge tops to scan for feeding deer.

Road hunting can be effective, but expect pressure there; walking through grassland away from roads often yields better encounters, weather and access permitting.