PIERRE, S.D. – Beginning at noon on Saturday, Oct. 8., resident hunters can target most of the state’s public lands for three-consecutive days when South Dakota’s resident-only pheasant season opens. Shooting hours all three days are from noon to sunset, (CDT).

"The most common question with the early resident-only season regards the use of road rights-of-way, as not all rights-of-way are open to hunting," said Game, Fish and Parks Regional Law Enforcement Specialist Dave Wicks of Watertown. "The only rights-of-way open to hunting during the early resident-only pheasant season include those immediately adjacent to public lands that are open to hunting."

Public lands open to hunting during this three-day season include:

• Property owned, managed or leased by Game, Fish and Parks for public hunting;
• Property leased by the department as a Walk-In Area;
• Waterfowl Production Areas managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation property;
• U.S. Forest Service National Grasslands
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property adjacent to the Missouri River.
• South Dakota School and Public Lands

"Road rights-of-way immediately adjacent to private land are not open to hunting during this season," Wicks added.

Hunters should also remember non-toxic shot while hunting pheasants. Nontoxic shot use is mandatory for small game hunting with shotguns in South Dakota on all:

• State Game Production Areas
• State Parks and Recreation Areas
• Lakeside Use Areas, including areas designated as State Water Access Areas
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land
• Bureau of Reclamation land managed by Game, Fish and Parks
• Federal Waterfowl Production Areas and National Wildlife Refuges

Resident hunters may take a daily limit of three rooster pheasants and have nine in possession taken according to the daily limit.

Shooting hours are noon (Central Time) to sunset.

Regulations for the early resident-only pheasant season can be found on page17 of the 2005 South Dakota Hunting Handbook, which is available at GFP offices, most license agents and from the department’s website at www.sdgfp.info.

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