SD GFP NEWS FOR 8-12-09
Attend a HuntSAFE Class in Your Area
PIERRE, S.D – This is the time for youngsters between the ages of 11 and 16 to prepare for the next South Dakota hunting season by taking a HuntSAFE course.
Any resident youth who is at least 12 years of age, or will turn 12 by Dec 31, may apply for or buy a hunting license and may hunt in any open season beginning Sept. 1 if they have successfully completed a hunter education course and possess a hunter education card.
HuntSAFE classes in South Dakota are offered across the state from February through October. Most of the classes are held during the late summer and early fall to accommodate new hunters wishing to purchase licenses for the upcoming fall hunting seasons.
“Almost 300 volunteer instructors will be presenting HuntSAFE classes across the state this year,” said Curt Robertson, hunter safety program specialist for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks. “Young people needing to take the HuntSAFE class should now be preparing to find a class in their area so they will be eligible to purchase licenses for the upcoming hunting seasons.”
HuntSAFE classes aren’t just for kids, though. Many parents attend the classes with their children so they can have a refresher course on proper firearm safety procedures. Upon the successful completion of the course, adults also will be issued hunter safety cards. Many states require adults to have hunter education cards no matter what the hunters’ ages. The card are also required for all adult mentors if they wish to take youths hunting under the provisions of the youth mentoring program.
For information on area HuntSAFE classes, visit the GFP Web site at www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/hunting/Safety/HuntSAFEIndex.htm
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New Options Available for Farmable Wetlands Program
Pierre, S.D. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that producers can now sign up for new options in the Farmable Wetlands Program (FWP). The FWP is a voluntary program that helps producers restore up to 1 million acres of farmable wetlands and associated buffers.
“The Farmable Wetlands Program is a very useful tool for producers to manage small, scattered wetlands on their property,” said South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Bill Even. “It gives farmers and ranchers another option for managing their operations.”
The program was included in the 2002 Farm Bill, and the 2008 Farm Bill expanded the eligibility requirements to enroll additional land not previously eligible for the program. To be eligible for enrollment in the new FWP, land must fall into one of four categories:
The maximum enrollment for the FWP cannot exceed 40 acres for wetlands or constructed wetlands, 20 acres for overflow prairie wetlands and enrollments of wetlands; buffers shall not exceed 200 acres per tract.
The FWP offers producers significant enrollment incentives, including a Signing Incentive Payment of $100 per acre to enroll their land, a Practice Incentive of 40 percent of the cost to establish the practice, 50 percent cost-share, and a rental rate equaling 120 percent of the soil rental rate.
“Producers looking for ways to enhance their land for wildlife should take a close look at the Farmable Wetlands Program, especially with the new options approved in the 2008 Farm Bill,” said South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks Secretary Jeff Vonk. “Landowners in the northeastern part of the state may find it particularly appealing because overflow prairie wetlands are now included in the program.”
Current enrollment in the Farmable Wetlands program is approximately 46,600 acres in South Dakota and 188,800 acres nationally.
To enroll in the Farmable Wetlands Program, landowners should visit their local Farm Service Agency Office (FSA) or visit www.fsa.usda.gov
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Teaming With Wildlife Act Has South Dakota In Mind
PIERRE, S.D. – Thanks to the state’s Congressional representation, South Dakota’s wildlife and natural habitat could have a banner year.
The Teaming with Wildlife Act, introduced by U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson and co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Thune, would provide $350 million annually over five years to help states carry out their Wildlife Action Plans. The comprehensive plans are the primary conservation tools adopted in every state and U.S. territory to keep fish and wildlife healthy and off the list of threatened and endangered species.
The Teaming with Wildlife Act is funded by a portion of royalties collected from Outer Continental Shelf drilling and mineral development on federal lands.
South Dakota would be eligible to receive $3.4 million each year from the Act for five years.
Sen. Johnson was honored by the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for championing federal funding for state-based wildlife conservation as part of the Teaming with Wildlife Act, which was introduced in March 2009.
The award recognizes the senator’s leadership in supporting legislation to establish a first-of-its-kind funding program to help state fish and wildlife agencies advance their State Wildlife Action Plans into on-the-ground action to prevent at-risk wildlife from becoming endangered nationwide.
"I am honored to receive this award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies,” Johnson said. “South Dakota has a deep history of appreciation for the outdoors, and that’s why I introduced important legislation that will help preserve our wildlife.”
“We are fortunate to have a very supportive congressional representation when it comes to healthy wildlife and suitable habitat,” said GFP Wildlife Diversity Coordinator Eileen Dowd Stukel. “We are the only state to have both of our senators signed onto the Act. Working with the cooperation of Governor Mike Rounds, and Senators Johnson and Thune, our staff is very pleased with the Teaming with Wildlife Act and the benefits it will provide South Dakota’s wildlife.”
Stukel noted that South Dakota’s Teaming with Wildlife coalition includes 179 groups and businesses, representing several hundred thousand South Dakotans. There is no charge to join the coalition. Members simply go on record in support of the need to ensure responsible management of wildlife and natural habitat in South Dakota and the nation.
People may join by visiting South Dakota’s Teaming with Wildlife Web site at: http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Diversity/teaming.htm
To lean more about Teaming with Wildlife and State Wildlife Action Plans, visit www.teaming.com and www.wildlifeactionplans.org
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Pheasant Preserve Bag Limits to Increase
PIERRE, S.D – The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has voted to increase the daily bag limit for pheasant preserve operators.
The previous limit of 15 rooster pheasants will increase to 20 from Sept. 1 to the end of the regular pheasant season. The preserve limit will be 15 roosters from then until the end of the preserve season.
In winter months, wild pheasants congregate in prime habitat. Noting that prime habitat often is on preserves, the Commission voted to reduce the limit during those months.
The Commission also voted to increase the price of the tags that operators use to mark birds as being shot on preserves. The five-cent adhesive tags were raised to 25 cents. Preserve operators are required to mark birds shot on their property and keep detailed records of the numbers of pen-raised and wild birds that are shots on preserves.
Preserve operators will also be able to apply for three-year permits to do business. Until now, they had to obtain annual licenses from the GFP.
The new preserve rules are pending a review by the Legislative Rules Review Committee. The earliest they can be enacted is mid-September.
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Duck Season Finalized
PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has made several changes for the 2009 state duck season.
South Dakota will be divided into four duck hunting zones.
Most of the eastern half of South Dakota is in the Low Plains North and Middle Zones. Those seasons will run from Sept. 26 to Dec. 8, 2009.
The Low Plains South Zone consists of parts of Gregory, Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Yankton, Clay and Union counties and will have a season from Oct. 10 to Dec. 22, 2009.
The High Plains Zone consists of the remainder of the state and will have a season from Oct. 10, 2009, to Jan. 14, 2010.
Duck hunters will have a daily bag limit of six ducks, including no more than two redheads, two scaup, one pintail, one canvasback, three wood ducks, and five mallards. But no more than two of the mallards can be hens.
“This is a big change from the past three years of the Hunters Choice experiment,” said GFP biologist Spencer Vaa (VAH). “Hunters Choice allowed hunters to choose between a hen mallard, canvasback or pintail, and we received plenty of good information and feedback on it. With high duck numbers in the Central Flyway, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is going to allow us to harvest more ducks. That is going to give South Dakotans plenty of duck hunting opportunities this fall.”
Hunters will also have a daily coot limit of 15 and a merganser limit of five, which may include no more than two hooded mergansers.
Possession limits will be twice the daily bag limits.
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2009 Goose Season Set
The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has finalized regulations for a geese season that will be similar to last year.
South Dakota has three Canada Geese Units.
Unit 1 will have an Oct. 1 – Dec. 20 season. Unit 1 is comprised of most of South Dakota, excluding central counties along the Missouri River, Perkins, Bennett and parts of Custer and Fall River counties.
Unit 2 will have a Canada Geese Season from Oct. 31, 2009 – Feb. 12, 2010. Unit 2 consists of the central counties bordering the Missouri River, plus Perkins, and parts of Custer and Fall River counties.
Unit 3, which is only Bennett County, will have a Canada Geese Season of Jan. 9-17, 2010.
The statewide light geese and white-fronted geese season will run from Sept. 26 – Dec. 20.
Daily limits will be three Canada geese, 20 light geese and one white-fronted goose. Possession limits for Canada and white-fronted geese are twice the daily limits. Light geese possession is unlimited.
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New Restrictions on Lake Andes Game Production Area
PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has voted to restrict certain firearms on Game Production Areas near Lake Andes.
The two areas are located on the south side of Lake Andes.
The restriction allows the use of shotguns loaded with shot shells, and bow and arrows. But hunters are banned from using rifles in the Game Production Areas.
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