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Custer State Park is an outstanding wildlife park. The mix of
prairie, ponderosa woodlands and rocky outcroppings create a world
class wildlife area. Here, bighorn sheep scale the cliffs while
golden eagles soar overhead. Pronghorn still speed out along the
prairie and bison thump around in dust pits.
In fact, the wildlife viewing at Custer State Park is so good
that they even have a road devoted to it called "Wildlife
Drive". It's a 14 mile section that flanges the east side
of the park, going through scenic prairie lands, hills and stands
of pine that comes eerily close to the fell of Yellowstone in
some areas. Of course, you can see wildlife in other areas of
the park, not just the Wildlife Drive.
Pronghorn: 200 or so in park. Eastern half of park, especially
in meadows along wildlife drive.
Mule deer: 250 in park. All over Custer State Park. Focus
on areas where ponderosa pine meets natural openings. Early morning
is best for the big bucks.
Golden Eagles: You can sometimes find golden eagles at
prairie dog towns, in rocky areas with large trees(the border
of Wind Cave and Custer State Park), and out along the Wildlife
Drive road scanning for food.
Red Tailed Hawk: Common in Custer State Park. They thrive
in the area, feeding on snakes, rabbit, prairie dogs and other
birds.
Prairie Falcon: Uncommon in the park, but it listed as
a permanent resident.
Great Horned Owl: Uncommon in the park. Focus on areas
where large stands of ponderosa pine border meadows.
Bighorn: Only 35 left in park after an illness infected
the herd when they got to close to domestic sheep. This event
killed at least 150 bighorns. Rocky areas of park with good feeding
grounds nearby. The Legion Lake area is always a good bet. Lets
hope this bighorn herd hangs on.
Bison: 1300 in the park.The Wildlife Drive road. Sometimes
they will be in the upper elevations of the park, but the main
Wildlife Drive is your best bet.
Elk: 500 in the park. Elk can be seen, but are very skittish
due to South Dakota allowing a hunt. Check out Barnes Canyon and
the Hay Flats area near Wind Cave National Park. The best time
to view elk is from sunrise to nine AM.
Coyote: All over the park and common, best seen early in
the morning and sunset.
Mountain lion: Known to occur in the park, but rarely seen.
I'm surprised there aren't more of them. The habitat seems perfect.
Badger: Prairie dog towns along Wildlife Drive.
Yellow Belly Marmot: Look in rocky sections of the park,
slopes.
Porcupine: Common, but not easily observed.
Whitetail deer: 800 in the park. Common . Check river bottoms
on the Wildlife Road. Be careful because they literally will sit
right on the road.
Feral buros: 40 in the park. Wildlife drive. They will
block traffic and try to get into your car. No joke. If you don't
like having a giant wild buro in your car, roll up your windows.
Prairie Dogs: Wildlife Drive and border area with Wind
Cave.
Black- Footed Ferret: No longer in the park. This was an
animal that helped keep prairie dog populations in check before
they were poisoned and trapped off the landscape. Custer would
be a great place to reintroduce them, like Wind Cave did in 2007.
These ferrets are largely nocturnal.
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