Deer & Turkey are just some of the wildlife that is easily viewed in Custer State Park located in the southern part of the Black Hills of South Dakota.

We are camped near Custer State Park and the town of Custer in the southern part of the Black Hills at Custer's Gulch RV-Park. It is an OK commercial campground just like dozens of others in this area.

Wildlife in Custer State park: Black Hills of South Dakota

My grandson collects butterflies. I wonder if he could tell me the name of this one.

Deer in Custer State Park: Black Hills of South Dakota

Deer in the Black Hills are as thick as squirrels in the east. In some fields in the late afternoon we counted as many as 20 deer. We see a mix of white tails and mule deer.

Deer in Custer State Park: Black Hills of South Dakota

Deer in Custer State Park are a dime a dozen.

Turkey in Custer State Park: Black Hills of South Dakota

Turkey wading through tall grass in Custer State Park. It is difficult to get a good picture of them when the grass is so tall and lush.

Turkey just outside Custer State Park: Black Hills of South Dakota

This is another turkey wading through tall grass.

We saw many flocks of turkey but the largest groups seemed to be concentrated on Lower French Creek road not far from our RV park.

Turkey and Deer in Custer State Park: Black Hills of South Dakota

On several occasions we noticed deer and turkey foraging together. This deer was traveling with 10 to 12 adult turkey. I guess they depended on each other as early warning systems.

Turkey in Custer State Park: Black Hills of South Dakota

This is a group of fast moving turkey making their way through tall grass pecking grass hoppers and ripe grain at a fast pace.

Deer in Custer State Park: Black Hills of South Dakota

Deer, deer everywhere more deer. Custer State Park is full of deer. No wonder we are able to spot mountain lion in Custer State Park.

Ground squirrels can be spotted in most wooded areas: Black Hills of South Dakota

This is a small ground squirrel of some type.

Deer just outside Custer State Park on Lower French Creek Road: Black Hills of South Dakota

We saw herds of deer that numbered from 10 to 20 on several occasions. Groups of five or more were common. Our favorite drive for spotting deer was Lower French Creek Road which turns south of US-16A a few miles east of Custer. If you are in the area it is a good wildlife drive in the early evening. We saw numerous flocks of turkey, and large groups of deer and it is the road we saw one of the mountain lions on. If you are having trouble finding it look for Stockade Lake (Lower French Creek Road) is the road that goes south from the western end of Stockade Lake.