Preparing for Hunting Season: How to Store Your Gear in Southeast South Dakota

Southeast South Dakota is some of the best hunting country in the Midwest. Pheasant, deer, waterfowl, turkey — it’s all here. But between seasons, all that gear has to go somewhere. Here’s how to store your hunting equipment properly so it’s ready when you are.

The Gear Problem Every Hunter Knows

If you hunt seriously in the Yankton or Bon Homme County area, you know the gear situation gets out of hand fast. It starts with a rifle and a pair of boots. Then you add a bow, a tree stand, a dozen decoys, waders, calls, blinds, trail cameras, and — if you’re really in deep — an ATV or UTV for getting to your spots.

Now multiply that by the number of seasons you hunt. Pheasant season gear is different from deer season gear, which is different from spring turkey gear, which is different from waterfowl gear. Each one has its own clothing, equipment, and setup.

Your garage fills up. Your spouse starts making comments. Your truck bed becomes a permanent storage unit. Sound familiar?

Dedicated hunting gear storage in South Dakota isn’t a luxury — it’s how you keep your gear organized, protected, and ready for opening day instead of scattered across three rooms and a shed.

What Hunting Gear Actually Needs Storage

Let’s break this down by category, because each type of gear has different storage requirements.

Firearms and Ammunition

This is the most important one to get right. If you own multiple rifles, shotguns, or bows, proper storage between seasons matters for both safety and condition.

What to do: - Clean every firearm thoroughly before storage. Run patches through the barrel, wipe down all metal surfaces with a light coat of gun oil, and make sure the action is clean. - Store firearms in a gun safe or locking cabinet. This isn’t optional — it’s basic safety and often a legal requirement if minors have access to your home. - If you’re storing a gun safe in a self-storage unit, choose a unit with a concrete floor. A 500-pound safe on a wooden floor is asking for trouble. - Keep ammunition separate from firearms and in a cool, dry location. Extreme heat degrades powder and primers. Extreme cold is less of a concern, but repeated freeze-thaw cycles aren’t great either. - Silica gel packets inside your gun safe absorb moisture and prevent rust. Replace them every few months or get rechargeable ones.

Storage tip: A 5x10 or 10x10 unit gives you plenty of room for a gun safe plus all your ancillary gear. If you’re only storing firearms and ammo, a 5x5 with a quality safe might be enough.

ATVs and UTVs

ATV storage near Yankton, SD is one of the most common requests we see at Lock N’ Leave It Storage. Hunters use ATVs and side-by-sides to access land, haul deer, set up blinds, and maintain food plots. But they sit idle for months between seasons.

Before you store your ATV or UTV: 1. Wash it thoroughly — mud and debris trap moisture and cause corrosion 2. Change the oil and filter (dirty oil sitting for months creates acids that eat engine internals) 3. Fill the gas tank and add fuel stabilizer, then run the engine for 5-10 minutes to circulate 4. Remove the battery and store it on a trickle charger in a temperature-stable location 5. Check tire pressure — tires develop flat spots if they sit underinflated for months 6. Lubricate all cables, pivot points, and suspension components 7. Cover with a breathable cover (not a plastic tarp — that traps moisture)

What size unit? Most ATVs fit in a 10x10 with room to spare for other gear. Side-by-sides and UTVs typically need a 10x15 or 10x20, depending on the model. Measure your machine with any accessories (plows, racks, winches) before committing to a unit size.

Tree Stands and Blinds

Tree stands take a beating from weather when left in the field year-round. Straps weaken, metal rusts, cables corrode, and platforms develop stress fractures you can’t see — until you’re 20 feet up on opening morning.

Best practice: Pull your stands at the end of each season. Inspect every strap, cable, and connection point. Replace anything questionable. Store them in a dry location off the ground.

Ground blinds should be dried completely before storage. Fold them loosely — tight folds create permanent creases and weak points in the fabric. A touch of mildew treatment on the fabric before storing prevents that musty smell that spooks deer.

Decoys and Calls

Waterfowl hunters accumulate decoys like nobody’s business. A dozen becomes three dozen becomes a trailer full. Between seasons, they need to be stored where they won’t get crushed, sun-faded, or chewed on by mice.

Storage tips: - Stack decoys in slotted bags or on decoy racks — don’t just throw them in a pile - Touch up paint before storing so they’re ready to deploy next season - Store calls in a dry container. Wooden calls especially need to avoid extreme humidity changes - If you use motion decoys (spinning wings, swimmers), remove batteries and store electronics separately

Clothing and Boots

Hunting clothing is an investment. Quality insulated boots, base layers, outer shells, and gloves can easily run $1,000+ per season.

• Wash all clothing according to manufacturer instructions before storage (scent-free detergent for deer hunting gear)
• Store in sealed plastic bins, not cardboard boxes (mice love cardboard)
• Cedar blocks or scent-eliminator products keep things fresh
• Stuff boots with newspaper to absorb residual moisture and maintain shape
• Never store wet or damp gear — it will mold

Seasonal Rotation: The Smart Approach

The most organized hunters treat their gear storage like a seasonal rotation. Here’s what that looks like in southeast South Dakota:

September–October: Pull out archery deer gear. Store summer recreational equipment.

October–November: Transition to pheasant season gear. Add blaze orange, shotguns, and dog supplies. Start prepping waterfowl decoys and layout blinds.

November–December: Rifle deer season. Swap in rifle, heavier clothing, tree stands or ground blinds for late-season sits.

January–March: Everything comes in for off-season storage. Clean, maintain, organize. This is when a storage unit earns its money — everything has a place, and you’re not tripping over decoy bags in your garage until September.

April–May: Spring turkey. Pull out turkey decoys, calls, and camo. Everything else stays stored.

A 10x10 or 10x15 unit handles this rotation beautifully. Set up shelving along the walls, label your bins by season, and you’ll spend five minutes pulling what you need instead of an hour digging through a pile.

Security Matters for Hunting Gear

Let’s be real — hunting equipment is expensive and targeted by thieves. A decent rifle is worth $500-2,000. A quality bow setup runs $1,000+. An ATV is $5,000-15,000. Trail cameras, optics, range finders — it adds up fast.

When choosing a storage facility for hunting gear, look for:

• Gated access with unique entry codes
• Security cameras on the property
• Well-lit facility — thieves prefer dark corners
• Quality locks — use a disc lock or shrouded padlock, not a hardware store combination lock that can be cut in seconds
• Insurance — check if your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance covers items in storage, or if the facility offers a protection plan

At Lock N’ Leave It Storage, all of our facilities in Tyndall, Springfield, and Freeman feature gated access and security measures designed to protect your valuable equipment.

Why Local Storage Beats Your Garage

Your garage seems like the obvious choice, but here’s the thing: garages in South Dakota aren’t climate-stable. They’re not secure. And they fill up fast.

A dedicated storage unit means: - Your gear is organized and accessible year-round - Your garage goes back to holding vehicles (revolutionary concept) - Temperature and humidity are more stable than a detached garage - Your spouse stops threatening to donate your decoy collection

For hunters across Bon Homme County, Yankton County, and the surrounding area, having a centralized storage location between your home and your hunting land makes the seasonal shuffle painless.

Ready to Get Your Gear Organized?

Lock N’ Leave It Storage has facilities in Tyndall, Springfield, and Freeman — right in the heart of southeast South Dakota’s best hunting country. We offer unit sizes from 5x5 to 10x30, perfect for everything from a gun safe and a few bins to an ATV and a full season’s worth of equipment.

Stop tripping over tree stands in your garage. Contact us today or check unit availability at the location nearest to your hunting grounds. Your gear deserves better — and so does your garage.