· Goose, Duck Hunting Seasons Set
· Take Me Out to the Ballgame
· Rules Open Trapping, Falconry to Nonresidents
· Geocaching Event at South Dakota State Fair
· 2007 S.D. Hunting Atlas Available Online
· Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Workshop Filling Fast
Goose, Duck Hunting Seasons Set
WATERTOWN, S.D.—Action by the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission at its August meeting in Watertown brought the final pieces into place for this year’s waterfowl hunting seasons in South Dakota.
At the meeting, the commission finalized the duck and goose hunting seasons as they were proposed at the July meeting. For the duck season, that means a later start, with the opening day in the High Plains, Low Plains North Zone and Low Plains Middle Zone on Sept. 29.
The later start should allow hunters to more easily identify birds on the wing, an important factor in South Dakota as the state enters its second year in the three-year Hunter’s Choice experiment. Hunter’s Choice allows a daily limit of five ducks that can include no more than two scaup, two wood ducks, two redheads and an aggregate bag of one hen mallard OR one pintail OR one canvasback.
The dates for the duck hunting season are:
· High Plains, Sept. 29 through Jan. 3, 2008.
· Low Plains North and Low Plains Middle zones, Sept. 29 through Dec. 11.
· Low Plains South Zone, Oct. 13 through Dec. 25.
Also approved by the commission was a goose hunting season that starts on Sept. 29 for much of South Dakota. The dates for the season include:
· Light geese and white-fronted geese, statewide, Sept. 29 through Dec. 23.
· Canada geese, Unit 1, Sept. 29 through Dec. 23.
· Canada geese, Unit 2, Oct. 27 through Feb. 8, 2008.
· Canada geese, Unit 3, Jan. 12 through Jan. 20, 2008.
Regulations for the goose season have been simplified, according to Wildlife Division Assistant Director George Vandel. Changes in the season include merging eight northeastern counties into Unit 1 and lifting bag limit reductions on portions of Grant and Roberts counties.
The daily limits are three Canada geese, 20 light geese and one white-fronted goose. The possession limit for light geese is unlimited with possession limits for other geese set at twice the daily limit.
Hunters will get their first shot at Canada geese during the early fall season that starts on Sept. 8 and ends Sept. 28, the day prior to the start of the regular waterfowl seasons in much of the rest of the state.
“Hunters need to keep in mind two factors that differentiate the early fall Canada goose season from the regular season,” Vandel said. “Those factors are open units and bag limits.”
Excluded from the early fall season will be Unit 2 of the regular Canada goose hunting season which is made up of most of the counties on either side of the Missouri River and portions of Fall River and Custer counties and Unit 4 consisting of Bennett County.
The early season has a more liberal bag limit, with hunters allowed to take a daily limit of five with a possession limit of 10.
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CONTACT: Chuck Schlueter
Communications Manager, Division of Wildlife
605-773-3904
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
PIERRE, S.D. – A unique partnership is encouraging parents to take their kids into South Dakota’s outdoors to enjoy the state’s natural resources.
The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department is sponsoring a baseball game between the Sioux Falls Canaries and the St. Paul Saints at the Birdcage in Sioux Falls on Thursday, Aug. 23. There will be a hunting cap giveaway and Canaries players will be wearing special “hunting camouflage” uniforms that will be auctioned. The game and auction will also serve as a fund-raiser for the Sportsmen Against Hunger charitable food drive organization.
“There is a close connection between the tradition of taking our sons and daughters to a baseball game and the tradition of taking them hunting and fishing,” said GFP Communications Manager Chuck Schlueter. “We hope to see many local families come out for this event and enjoy the wholesome atmosphere of a ballgame. At the same time, they can get a sampling of the adventure that awaits them in South Dakota’s outdoors.”
GFP will have several activities and information booths set up at the concourse of the Birdcage. There will be fishing activities, a LaserShot shooting system, a display of furs from furbearing animals, and information about Sportsmen Against Hunger, Healthy Hunters, the South Dakota Outdoor Expo, The Outdoor Campus and general hunting and fishing information.
“One of the highlights will be the auction of players’ uniforms, in the special camouflage look, that will benefit Sportsmen Against Hunger,” Schlueter said. “This organization puts game meat donated by hunters in the hands of groups and organizations that can use the food.”
Game time is 7:05 p.m. on Aug. 23. Gates open at 6:05 and GFP staff will be on hand at that time to welcome visitors to the stadium.
“It will be a fun evening to take your kids to a ballgame, and a great chance to begin a family life of enjoying outdoor recreation. Baseball and the outdoors are best enjoyed in the fresh air and not with an electronic game on a couch,” Schlueter said.
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Rules Open Trapping, Falconry to Nonresidents
WATERTOWN, S.D.—Nonresidents will have the opportunity to trap furbearers and take raptors after rules governing those activities were approved by the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission at its August meeting in Watertown.
The rules governing trapping by nonresidents were set in motion by action taken in the last session of the Legislature which endorsed the activity. The rules approved by the commission:
· Create a nonresident furbearer license and set the fee at $250.
· Prohibit nonresidents from taking mink, weasel, muskrat, beaver and raccoon until the first Saturday of December.
· Prohibit nonresidents from taking bobcats until the second Saturday of January.
· Prohibit nonresidents from using dogs to aid in the taking of raccoons.
Raptors came to the attention of commissioners in April when a member of the Wild Raptor Take Conservancy told them that South Dakota was one of only nine states that doesn’t allow nonresident falconers to take raptors.
GFP Wildlife Biologist Doug Backlund explained to commissioners that, depending on their status within the sport, falconers are limited by federal regulations to taking only one or two birds per year. “That’s why we expect the take to be minimal,” Backlund said.
The rules approved by the commission establish a $200 nonresident raptor collecting permit and limit nonresidents to taking immature raptors from Sept. 21 to Jan. 31.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: THEA MILLER RYAN, 362-2777
Geocaching Event at South Dakota State Fair
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks will host a geocaching event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, at the South Dakota State Fair. Experienced and new geocachers are invited to find the hidden treasures on the fairgrounds as well as those hidden in and around Huron, said Thea Miller Ryan, event organizer.
The event will start from the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department office on the fairgrounds. A booth for registration will be located near the fish pond at the office, Ryan said. There is no cost for the event, but admission for the State Fair is required.
“Geocaching is a great sport for the whole family,” Ryan said. “If you have a GPS unit and Internet access, you are well on your way to some great family fun. People have set up hidden treasure, or caches, all over the world and share the locations of their hides on the Internet. GPS users then use the coordinates to find the caches of treasures.”
That day, Huron will be host to several special geocaches set up just for the event. “We’ll have some creative hiding spots around the Huron area,” Ryan said. “Even if you’ve never geocached before, come to the S.D. State Fair and learn how to use your GPS to hunt the assorted sizes of hidden boxes, cans and containers.”
For more information on geocaching or the Geocache Bash at the S.D. State Fair, go to www.outdoorcampus.org or call the Game, Fish and Parks office in Sioux Falls at (605) 362-2777.
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2007 S.D. Hunting Atlas Available Online
PIERRE, S.D.—A sure sign that fall hunting seasons can’t be far away is the publication of the latest edition of the Game, Fish and Parks Department’s Hunting Atlas.
The Hunting Atlas is a valuable resource for hunters as it contains maps and information about the state’s Walk-In Areas, Game Production Areas, Waterfowl Production Areas, and select areas that belong to School and Public Lands and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The 2007 version of the Hunting Atlas is now available online at the GFP Web site at http://www.sdgfp.info/Publications/Atlas/Index.htm. Printed copies of the atlas will also be available for hunters who like to keep a hard copy close by when they’re in the field.
“The atlas is at the printer now and will be available for distribution in early September,” said GFP Communications Manager Chuck Schlueter. Copies of the atlas will be available at district and regional Game, Fish and Parks offices or may be requested from the GFP Information Office at (605) 773-3485. Requests can also be made via e-mail to wildinfo@state.sd.us.
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Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Workshop Filling Fast
PIERRE, S. D. — The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department encourages anyone who is still considering attending the 2007 Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshop at Outlaw Ranch to register as soon as possible.
“This is a high-demand event and classes are filling up quickly,” according to Chad Tussing, education services coordinator for GFP. There are 34 different classes being offered over the three-day weekend of Sept. 14-16. Outlaw Ranch is located near Custer.
The $140 Early Bird registration deadline is Aug. 24. Registrations submitted after that date will be charged $165. Half-price scholarships are also available. The deadline for submitting scholarship applications is also Aug. 24.
For more information or to use the online registration system, please visit the South Dakota BOW Web site at http://www.state.sd.us/gfp/DivisionWildlife/BOW/BOWIndex.htm.
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