South Dakota Game,
Fish and Parks News
S.D. Waterfowl Hunters Need to be Aware of Baited
Fields
PIERRE, S.D.—
With South Dakota’s primary waterfowl seasons set to open,
migratory game bird hunters need to make sure
they aren't set up and hunting unknowingly in a baited field.
That's the word in this drought year from the S.D. Game, Fish
and Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Because of the drought conditions, many farmers'
fields, especially in central South Dakota, yielded
drought-stressed crops that weren't harvested. Dale Gates, GFP
regional law enforcement specialist said,
“If the farmer
doesn’t harvest a crop, the field may be disced, tilled, or
something of that nature. Such a situation makes a field baited
because it was never harvested.”
Manipulating a field, without harvesting the
grain, increases loose grain availability on the ground,
creating an unfair advantage to the hunter, Gates said.
Agricultural crops include corn, soybeans, wheat, millet, milo,
oats, and other similar crops. Common agricultural manipulation
practices can be discing, mowing, brush-hogging, or other
similar actions, Gates said.
Species
covered by the baiting regulations are all migratory waterfowl
such as ducks, geese, cranes, swans and coots. Resident game
birds, such as pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse or Hungarian
partridges, are not affected by baiting, Gates said. Wheat, corn
and soybeans were especially affected by the drought conditions
in central South Dakota.
Hunters need to inspect any field they intend to
hunt to ensure that it has been harvested rather than just
disced or just knocked down. If after inspection hunters are
still not sure, the best advice is to contact the landowner or
whomever has control over that land and ask, “Did you
harvest that crop?” “If hunters do a little
investigation prior to taking to the field," Gates said, "a lot
of concerns can be avoided."
Gates describes the normal agricultural cycle as
consisting of three parts: "First there's normal agriculture
planting, followed by the normal agriculture harvest at the
right time of year, with the right type of machinery to remove
grain from the field. Finally, there's the normal post-harvest
manipulation." The baiting situation occurs when
the second part of the cycle is omitted because the harvest
didn’t happen. South Dakota waterfowl hunters need to keep that
three-part cycle in mind.
An
informational pamphlet on waterfowl hunting and baiting
regulations is available at most Game, Fish and Parks Offices.
Start of
Antelope Season Significant for West River Deer Hunters, Too
PIERRE,
S.D.—Hunters with antlerless West River deer tags are reminded
that the start of the prairie antelope season on Sept. 30 is a
significant date for them, too.
“Antlerless
West River deer tags are valid in their respective units during
the prairie antelope season,” said Game, Fish and Parks License
Office Supervisor Scott Simpson. “Hunters with West River
antlerless tags will be able to hunt for deer during the Sept.
30 to Oct. 15 antelope season.” Buck deer are not allowed to be
harvested during this extension and antlerless deer cannot be
harvested using an “any deer” tag.
The regular
West River deer season starts on Nov. 11 in most units.
According to
Simpson, there are leftover West River deer tags remaining for
the 2006 hunting season. The leftover tags will be issued on a
first-come, first-served basis either through the department’s
Web site or via a paper application sent in through the mail.
“Applications
are processed as they are received,” Simpson said, “but
applicants should allow adequate time for mailing.” To apply
online, hunters should go to the GFP Web site,
www.sdgfp.info, and on the home page under the heading
“Licenses and Reservations” they should click on “Leftover
Hunting Licenses.”
Hunters are
also reminded that West River antlerless deer licenses qualify
for the Sportsmen Against Hunger Processing Certificate program.
This program provides a $30 certificate good toward helping with
the cost of processing the antlerless deer before its donation
to a community food bank. Interested hunters can learn more
about the program at the GFP Web site home page where the
heading “Get Involved” will lead them to a link to “Sportsmen
Against Hunger.”
HuntSAFE
replacement cards available online
PIERRE,
S.D.—One of the most important pieces of paperwork for young
people ages 12 to 15 is their card certifying the completion of
the South Dakota Hunter Safety and Firearms Education Course.
Also known as
the HuntSAFE course, the card that allows youngsters to hunt is
a prized possession, and sometimes a missing possession. Until
recently, a missing card meant a call to the S.D. Game, Fish and
Parks office in Pierre which would issue a new card.
Replacements
can now be accessed online, according to HuntSAFE coordinator
Curt Robertson. “Just go to the GFP Web site at www.sdgfp.info,
click on “Outdoor Education,” then click on “HuntSAFE” and then
click on “Replacement HuntSAFE card,” Robertson said. “The
system also has the information for replacing bowhunter cards.”
HuntSAFE card
information is retrieved for the individual and an option then
allows for printing on regular paper on a home computer. The
paper can be signed and carried as the new hunter safety
certificate.
If the
information entered on the Web site doesn’t exactly match the
database, the user will be asked to call the Pierre office at
(605) 773-7154. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Replacement cards can also be obtained through
GFP regional offices.
“People who
don’t have easy access to the Internet can always call the
Pierre office for a new card,” Robertson said. “The online
feature is a complement to the old system and not a
replacement.”
Internet users
can also request a new card by e-mailing the hunter’s name, full
mailing address and date of birth to
Wildinfo@state.sd.us.
Game, Fish and
Parks Honored in Nation’s Capital
WASHINGTON,
D.C.—It’s not often that a South Dakota employer is mentioned in
the same sentence with DuPont, Starbucks or the MGM Mirage of
Las Vegas. However, that’s what happened Thursday night in
Washington, D.C., as the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish
and Parks accepted a Freedom Award.
GFP was one of
15 employers chosen nationwide to receive the award from
Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve, an agency of the
Department of Defense. ESGR’s mission is to gain support from
employers for the National Guard and Reserves.
The awards
presented Thursday recognized employers whose exceptional
support for Guards and Reservists went beyond federal law
requirements. The Freedom Award is the highest in a series of
Department of Defense employer recognitions.
Hundreds of
National Guard and Reserve members from across the country
nominated their employers for providing continued benefits,
differential pay, family assistance and additional support to
ease the transition from civilian employees to active military
and back again.
Accepting the
award for GFP was Wildlife Division Director Doug Hansen of
Pierre.
