• Pheasant plan available for review
• CRP and pheasants, a successful combination for S.D.
• Volunteer antlerless deer hunter program available
• Road Re-construction at Buffalo Gap Grassland
• Duck Season Opens Saturday
• TIPS Program has a Busy Year
• Prairie Dog Distribution Report Available
• Celebrate fall at Newton Hills State Park’s 10th annual celebration

Pheasant plan available for review

PIERRE, S.D. – The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department is offering residents the opportunity to review a five-year draft management plan for pheasants.

The Ring-necked Pheasant Management Plan for South Dakota 2009-2014 is an 84-page draft on how the department proposes to manage the state’s prized game bird. The proposal is open for review during a 30-day public comment period.

“With the recent and future loss of habitat enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program and other challenges that lie ahead, GFP is actively addressing future issues by having a comprehensive plan in place for implementation,” said Chad Switzer, GFP terrestrial wildlife administrator. “This plan is comprised of measurable and time-bound strategies to successfully meet the identified goals, but it provides the flexibility to make adjustments if there is a need.”

The draft management plan can be found on the GFP Web site at http://www.sdgfp.info/ under the “What’s New” heading. There is also the opportunity to provide feedback on the plan through the Internet link.

“A planning process like this is always improved by public input,” Switzer said. “If you have a love for pheasants and wildlife and their habitats in South Dakota, please look through the plan and share any thoughts or ideas you might have.”

A printed copy of the draft can be obtained by writing: Pheasant Management Plan, Game, Fish and Parks Department, 523 East Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501. Written comments on the plan may be mailed to the same address.

—GFP—

CRP and pheasants, a successful combination for S.D.

PIERRE, S.D. – In a state where the ring-necked pheasant is king, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land must be the throne.

South Dakota has enjoyed some all-time record pheasant populations in the past decade, and Game, Fish and Parks Department biologists credit the habitat boost from CRP as the main factor in the brilliant-colored bird’s successful reproduction.

“Our state has enjoyed pheasant populations far beyond what most states have been able to achieve because of the quantity, quality and mixture of different habitat types that pheasants thrive in,” said Chad Switzer, GFP terrestrial program administrator. “But the prime factor in recent years is set-aside land that agriculture producers have taken advantage of as part of the Conservation Reserve Program.”

South Dakota reached a peak of 1.77 million acres enrolled in the CRP program in 1998. As of July 31, the state had 1.2 million acres enrolled.

CRP acres declined statewide by 24 percent in the past three years, with some local areas losing more than 50 percent.

Coincidentally, the 2009 pheasant brood route survey conducted by GFP declined by 26 percent from 2008. However, the average count of 6.32 pheasants per mile is still the fourth-highest statewide count in the past 45 years.

“Our agency is very concerned about the loss of acres in the CRP program,” Switzer said. “We are losing valuable habitat for pheasants and other wildlife, and I think we are starting to see that in our populations. The most chilling fact is that we are set to lose two-thirds of our remaining CRP land over the next five years.”

Switzer’s concern is based on the history of South Dakota’s pheasant population. The state had its highest pheasant numbers in those years when there were large amounts of idle agricultural land and favorable weather.

Pheasants gained their first major hold on South Dakota in the 1930s as the nation’s worst drought eased, but much crop land was idle. Record pheasant numbers were recorded in the mid 1940s when land was idled while farmers were serving in World War II. Pheasants again flourished in the early 1960s when Congress enacted the Soil Bank Program to take farmland out of production.

They were great years for pheasant numbers, but each of those periods was followed by a sharp decline in population when set-aside acres were returned to agricultural production. Hunters saw the pheasant population boom from 5.9 million birds in 1957 to 11 million in 1958.

Congress ended the Soil Bank Program in 1964. The pheasant population dropped from 10 million to half that in 1964, and was just 2.2 million by 1966.

The pheasant population averaged around 3 million birds for most of the next 40 years, until the advent of the CRP program. The population jumped from 5.5 million in 2002 to 8.7 million in 2003.

Suddenly, South Dakota hunters were living “the good old days” as pheasant numbers topped 10 million for the first time since the early 1960s.

“It is an undeniable history,” Switzer said. “Whenever there has been idle farmland containing undisturbed nesting cover, we’ve had fantastic pheasant numbers. When land returned to crop rotation, the pheasants declined.”

Switzer noted that GFP has been actively working to save the CRP program for several years. “By working with our partners, we feel we have been an effective voice for South Dakota and for the CRP program. But, the real strength comes from our landowners and other residents speaking in support of a program that has provided numerous wildlife benefits and an economic boon for our state.”

One result of the work has been the SAFE Program, or State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement. South Dakota landowners have fully maximized the state’s allotment for the program and currently lead the nation with over 50,000 acres in the federal program.

In addition, GFP has been working with partners to implement a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).  With an announcement coming this fall, landowners in the James River Watershed will have a financially-attractive CRP option that can be used to enroll or re-enroll up to 100,000 acres of CRP with public access.

—GFP—

Volunteer antlerless deer hunter program available

PIERRE -  An opportunity for those interested in hunting antlerless deer to list names and contact information online is now available on the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Web site.

“Many times during the year, landowners contact GFP staff looking to host antlerless deer hunters,” said Wildlife Damage Management Program Administrator Art Smith. “Prior to 2005, staff handled those requests, but this program allows landowners to directly contact interested hunters.”

Deer hunters already holding antlerless licenses who are looking for private land to hunt antlerless deer can add their names, contact information, and which counties they are interested in hunting to a Web-based list. That list can then be accessed by landowners who invite the hunters to their property. Landowners can choose which license types they are willing to host and list the counties where the land is located. Once selected, the system produces a list of hunters that match the landowners’ selections.

“This is the fifth year for this popular program. We believe part of that popularity is due to landowners’ need to have more antlerless deer harvested and a desire by some hunters to find private land to hunt on,” Smith said. "We still believe the best way to develop a hunter/landowner relationship is through knocking on doors and talking with people. We hope this program will help make those initial contacts easier."

View the web page.

—GFP—

Road Re-construction at Buffalo Gap Grassland

Sections of Forest Service Road 7129 in the Indian Creek drainage on Buffalo Gap National Grassland near Scenic, S.D., may be closed to vehicle use on an intermittent basis for construction work.  The work will be done from mid-September through January  2010. 

Various segments of the road have been identified for re-grading, rocking and drainage improvements.  Although road work may temporarily impact those wanting to access the popular hunting and recreation area, the maintenance is needed to keep the road in passable condition.  The work will help minimize road-related impacts to natural resources and maintain the designated travel corridor in the Indian Creek Proposed Wilderness. 

The Nebraska National Forest Plan recommends keeping FSR 7129 open within the Proposed Wilderness to ensure that recreational and range-management uses continue in the area.

“We know the road re-construction may be an inconvenience for those caught unaware, but we are looking forward to the benefits of the project,” said Ann Carlson, acting district ranger for the Wall Ranger District. “The work will be accomplished in segments to allow access to motorized traffic during re-construction.  We will work with the contractor to minimize the number of days each segment of road work will be closed to vehicles.”

The road work was scheduled to start in mid-September.  “If the weather cooperates, the contractor could complete the project by the end of December,” Carlson said. 

For information, contact the Wall Ranger District of the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands at 605-279-2125.

—GFP—

Duck Season Opens Saturday

Hunters in the Low Plains North and Middle Zones of South Dakota will be the first into the marshes and fields when duck season opens on Saturday, Sept. 26.  Hunters in the remaining portions of the state will have to wait until Oct. 10.

The daily bag limit for ducks has changed from 2008.  Hunters will now be able to have 6 ducks, including no more than five mallards (two of which can be hens) two scaup, two redheads, three wood ducks, one pintail or one canvasback.

Hunters should be aware of an incorrect season listing on pages 32 and 33 of the 2009 South Dakota Hunting Handbook.  The correct dates for the High Plains duck season are Oct. 10 – Jan. 14.

Hunters are encouraged to visitor our webpage for information on zone boundaries and new daily bag restrictions for ducks and on the SD goose seasons.

—GFP—

TIPS Program has a Busy Year

PIERRE, S.D – South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Turn In Poachers (TIPS) program had a very successful year, according to coordinator Charlie Wharton.

“Our program directly led to 170 arrests, more than $27,000 in fines and $10,000 in civil penalties, and we paid over $6,000 in rewards,” he said.

Wharton said TIPS has come a long way since its inception in 1984.

“Cell phones and improvements in cell phone coverage have helped the program,” he said.  “But I think the biggest factor in the program’s growth is people of South Dakota believing that poaching and game violations are not acceptable. It is no longer cool to take wildlife outside the rules established for the good of nature and the best interests of state residents.”

Since it began in South Dakota, TIPS has led to more than 3,000 arrests and has paid $118,000 in rewards. 

“We have about 60 conservation officers in the field to cover nearly 75,000 square miles of land and 1,200 square miles of water, so concerned citizens are important to protecting the state’s wildlife,” Wharton said.  “Without the help of the general public, protecting those resources would be almost impossible.”

People who witness hunting and fishing violations are asked to get as much information as is safely possible (especially vehicle descriptions and license numbers, physical descriptions of suspected violators and exact locations of crimes).  Violations can be reported either through the TIPS Hotline (1-888-OVERBAG or 1-888-683-7224), through the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Web site (www.sdgfp.info), to  local conservation officers or other law enforcement agencies.  Tipsters may remain anonymous and may be eligible for rewards.

“State hunting or fishing license fees are not used to fund the TIPS program so we rely on the generosity of sportsmen to operate the program,” Wharton said. “Donations were down this year, so we are operating at a deficit.”

Those wishing to donate to TIPS can do so when purchasing hunting or fishing licenses, or they can send checks, payable to Wildlife Protection Inc., to SD Game Fish and Parks, c/o TIPS Program, 523 E. Capitol Ave, Pierre, SD 57501.  TIPS is a 501c3 organization, so donations are tax deductible. 

For more information contact your local conservation officer or Charlie Wharton, TIPS Coordinator at (605) 773-5906, or go visit the TIPS website.

—GFP—

Prairie Dog Distribution Report Available

PIERRE, S.D.— The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department has used aerial photographs to help identify 622,000 acres of black-tailed prairie dog colonies in 22 western counties. That compares to a little more than 625,000 acres in the same area in 2006.

Fifty-three percent of the infested acres last year were located on non-tribal lands.

“The estimates are based on the interpretation of aerial photographs as well as observing a sample of colonies on the ground,” said Silka Kempema (KEM’-pem-uh), GFP terrestrial wildlife biologist.

GFP added eight counties to its survey in 2008, and that accounted for almost 9,000 additional acres of prairie dog colonies. However, colony acreages fell in some of the original counties surveyed, and that resulted in an overall decline of 3,000 acres from 2006.

Monitoring colony acreage every three years or so is one of the strategies outlined in the South Dakota Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Conservation and Management Plan. South Dakota’s plan was finalized in 2005.

The survey is available on the GFP Web site or a copy may be requested from

wildinfo@state.sd.us. The South Dakota prairie dog management plan can be accessed at online.

—GFP—

Celebrate fall at Newton Hills State Park’s 10th annual celebration

CANTON, S.D. – Pumpkin catapulting, carving and seed guessing are just a few of the activities for visitors to Newton Hills State Park. The 10th Annual FestiFall runs from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3.

The popular FestiFall event is attended annually by people of all ages. This year features many family activities including arts and crafts, kids’ games and bluegrass music. Kids of all ages can participate in “make and take” craft activities such as gourd heads, wreath of leaves & egg carton spiders.

As in year’s past, the pumpkin will take center stage with pumpkin catapulting, pumpkin carving demonstrations and decorated pumpkin contests. Visitors are encouraged to bring in their own decorated or carved pumpkins for judging. If you wish, carved pumpkins may also be used on the Candlelight Walk.

Following the afternoon FestiFall celebration, the Candlelight Walk will lead visitors along 2.2 miles of candle-lit trail through the deep woods of Newton Hills. The trail will be solely lit by candles and carved pumpkins. Walkers will encounter many surprises along the trail, including musicians and colorful characters from the past. Walkers may begin the self-led adventure anytime between 7:15 and 8:30 p.m.

Throughout the weekend, campers are encouraged to decorate their campsites with a fall theme. Hay wagon rides will be available Saturday afternoon to take visitors through the campground to view and judge the decorated campsites. Winners of the campsite decorating, pumpkin seed guessing and pumpkin decorating contest will be announced at 4 p.m.

There is no cost to participate in any of the events; however a park entrance license is required. For additional information, please contact Newton Hills State Park at (605) 987-2263 or NewtonHills@state.sd.us or visit www.SDparks.info.

—GFP—