Eaton Ranch is a 920-acre DIY trophy mule deer and whitetail hunting property near Dupree, South Dakota, in Ziebach County and West River deer Unit 64A.

The ranch is mixed-grass prairie at roughly 2,400 feet, cut by a network of draws and creek bottoms and topped with eroded breaks and natural buttes. Two water features, including a 2-acre lake, give wildlife dependable water all season. For a bowhunter, this is ideal ground: glass from a butte at first light, pick out a bedded buck in the breaks, then use the draws to close the distance out of sight.

This is an exclusive 5-day hunt. One party of up to two hunters has the entire ranch, with no other hunters on the property. Park at the stock area 1.2 miles off Iron Lightning Road and use the ranch's two-track roads to retrieve game by vehicle. Portable tree stands and ground blinds are welcome, so you can set up on water or a well-used draw crossing.

The hunt runs during South Dakota archery season, and residents holding a muzzleloader buck license can also hunt it during muzzleloader season. It is for mule deer bucks scoring 161" or better and whitetail bucks scoring 141" or better. Nonresidents can buy a private-land archery buck license over the counter from SD Game, Fish and Parks, so no draw is needed.

Mule deer are the predominant species on Eaton Ranch, with whitetails using the same ground. Mule deer bed in the breaks around the buttes, where they can watch the country below. The creek bottoms and draws hold deer through the day and give them protected travel lanes between bedding cover, feed on the open prairie, and water.

The two water features, including a 2-acre lake, are the anchor of the ranch for deer. Stands or blinds on water, or along the draws leading to it, put you where deer have to go. The buttes and high points make excellent glassing stations for spot-and-stalk hunting, and the rolling terrain lets a careful bowhunter stay hidden on the approach.

Pressure is minimal. With a single party on 920 acres, deer keep their natural routines, which is what gives a trophy hunt like this its edge.

Reservation fees are due at the time of booking and are non-refundable. 50% of the outdoorsman fee will process 2 weeks after the draw results in this state are posted, or immediately upon booking if the reservation is made after draw results post. All OTC hunts will also process 50% of the outdoorsman fee at the time of booking. The remaining 50% will process 1 month prior to the hunt.

For big game adventures, cancellations made prior to placing a deposit will be handled immediately with no penalty. If a cancellation is requested after a deposit has been placed, Infinite Outdoors will make every effort to reschedule the hunt for a different season or a future year. Refunds are not guaranteed once a deposit has been placed.

If there is a lapse in availability, please do not be discouraged to reach out to IO. All calendars are set and managed by landowners, and unavailability is set by them. However, IO is willing to reach out on your behalf, to check on available dates. Other reasons for unavailable dates include biologist recommended hunter/harvest quotas that landowners implement, as well as state season dates not being released.

You are not legally allowed to access the property, for any adventure, prior to your selected access day. If you try to access the property at all before your selected date(s), without prior approval from IO, you will be subject to trespassing and punishments therein

This hunt is for mule deer bucks scoring 161" or greater and whitetail bucks scoring 141" or greater.

5-Day Hunt. By booking the first day of your hunt, you are automatically booked for the following 4 days as well.

Archery: South Dakota archery deer licenses are currently "Any Buck" licenses, valid for one whitetail or mule deer buck. Residents can purchase an archery license over the counter.
Nonresidents do not need to draw for this hunt. The Nonresident Private Land Only Archery license (Any Buck, $375) is sold over the counter in unlimited numbers through the end of archery season and is valid on private land like Eaton Ranch. Note that a nonresident may hold only one statewide Any Buck archery license per year.

Muzzleloader: The Muzzleloader Any Buck license is a drawn license currently available to South Dakota residents only, through the SD GFP combined deer draw. Residents who hold one may use it on this hunt during muzzleloader season. Telescopic sights are prohibited, and muzzleloader rifles must shoot a .44 caliber or larger bullet.
Purchase licenses at gfp.sd.gov or through Go Outdoors South Dakota.

This hunt is available during South Dakota archery season and muzzleloader season. Season dates are set each year by SD Game, Fish and Parks.
Check current season dates and regulations at gfp.sd.gov before your hunt.

After your hunt, you will be sent an automated Harvest Report. To assist Infinite Outdoors in maintaining the quality of properties, and to continue to put conservation at the forefront, we require that the harvest report be completely filled out and returned. Failure to fill out the harvest report within 2 weeks of the hunt taking place will result in a $25 fine. If you are unsuccessful in filling your tag, Infinite Outdoors still needs to have that information provided to them. This is how we make changes to future years' harvest quotas and continue to be the most well managed access and conservation platform in the country.