The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has agreed to allow bow hunters to use broadhead arrows up to 2 inches in diameter while hunting big game in the state.

The current rule allows hunters to use only up to 1-7/8 inch broadheads. The rule was changed to conform with updates in standard archery equipment.

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has decided to significantly reduce the number of antelope tags available for hunters this fall.
Two difficult winters in the antelope main range have decreased herd numbers.
GFP will cut the number of multiple tag licenses in many of the hunting units. Resident hunters will be offered 1,220 more single-tag licenses, 2,845 fewer two-tag licenses (5,690 tags), and 8,970 fewer three-tag licenses (26,910 tags) than 2009. Nonresident hunters will be offered 98 more single-tag licenses, 227 fewer two-tag licenses (454 tags), and 717 fewer three-tag licenses (2,151 tags) than 2009.
The Commission also voted to remove the split season for Perkins County North (53A/E) and change to a single season (53A); remove the split season for Perkins County South (53B/F) and change to a single season (53B); remove the split season for Ziebach County (64A/E) and change to a single season (64A).

PIERRE, S.D. –Two proposals to be considered next month by the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission would give duck and goose hunters more opportunities this fall.
The proposed South Dakota duck hunting season would allow hunters to harvest two pintails a day; the previous daily bag limit was one pintail.
South Dakota is divided into four duck hunting zones:
The next High Plains Zone season is proposed to run Oct. 9, 2010 – Jan. 13, 2011. The High Plains Zone includes all of western South Dakota and the western portions of Campbell, Walworth, Potter, Sully, Hughes, Buffalo, Brule, and Gregory counties.
The Low Plains North and Low Plains Middle Zones seasons are proposed to run Sept. 25 – Dec. 7. The Low Plains North and Middle Zones include most of the eastern half of South Dakota.
The Low Plains South Zone season is proposed to run Oct. 9 – Dec. 21. The Low Plains South Zone encompasses parts of Gregory, Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Yankton, Clay and Union counties.
The GFP Commission also will consider an increase in the daily bag limit for the South Dakota Goose Hunting Season. Under the proposal, hunters would be able to harvest four Canada geese daily – up from three previously. The possession limit for Canada geese would increase from six to eight birds.
South Dakota has three goose hunting units:
Unit 1 has a proposed season of Oct. 1 – Dec 19. Unit 1 includes most of South Dakota, with the exception of Perkins, Bennett, Stanley, Lyman, Hughes and Gregory counties, and parts of Dewey, Potter, Sully, Buffalo, Brule, Hyde, Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Fall River and Custer counties.
Unit 2 has a proposed season of Oct. 30, 2010 – Feb. 11, 2011. Unit 2 consists of Perkins, Lyman, Stanley, Hughes and Gregory Counties and parts of Dewey, Potter, Sully, Buffalo, Brule, Hyde, Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Fall River and Custer counties.
Unit 3, consisting only of Bennett County, has a proposed season of January 8-16, 2011.
People who want to provide written comments on the waterfowl season proposals may do so until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4. Comments may be mailed to Game, Fish and Parks Commission, 523 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD, 57501, or e-mailed to wildinfo@state.sd.us . All comments must have the senders’ full names and addresses in order to be included in the public record.
Comments may also be presented in person during the GFP Commission public hearing, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. CDT on Thursday, Aug. 5 at the Ramada Hotel in Aberdeen.

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota hunters taking advantage of additional Canada goose hunting opportunities will be able to take more geese at an earlier date this year.
Canada goose hunting will begin with an Aug. 14-29 season for South Dakota residents only in the counties of Brookings, Clark, Codington, Day, Deuel, Hamlin, Grant, Kingsbury, Lake, McCook, Marshall, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody and Roberts.
The daily limit for those dates will be eight, with a possession limit of 32. Resident hunters must have a valid Small Game or Combination license, plus the State Migratory Bird Certification. The Federal Waterfowl Stamp is not required.
The Canada goose hunting season will re-open from Sept. 4-30. Residents will be allowed to hunt in most of South Dakota, with the exception of Perkins, Bennett, Stanley, Lyman, Hughes and Gregory counties, and parts of Dewey, Potter, Sully, Buffalo, Brule, Hyde, Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Fall River and Custer counties. Nonresidents are restricted to those areas; and in addition may not hunt in Beadle, Brookings, Hanson, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Sanborn, Turner and Union counties.

Visit: http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/waterfowl/goose.aspx to view the exact boundaries of the new units.

The daily limit for the Sept. 4-30 dates is eight, with a possession limit of 16. Residents must have a valid Small Game or Combination license, the State Migratory Bird Certification, and the Federal Waterfowl Stamp. Nonresidents are required to have a valid Nonresident Waterfowl license and the Federal Waterfowl Stamp.

PIERRE, S.D. - East River deer hunters will have the opportunity to apply for double the number of three-tag deer licenses for the upcoming 2010 season in South Dakota.
The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission has reduced the number of one-tag licenses available by 520, reduced the number of two-tag licenses by 3,875, and increased the number of three-tag licenses by 2,550. Overall, there will be an increase of 280 tags available in 2010 compared to 2009.
The Commission also voted to allow qualifying farmers and ranchers two antlerless-deer licenses in units where antlerless tags are available after the second lottery drawing.
The National Wildlife Refuge Deer Hunting Seasons were set by the Commission as well.
Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge season dates will be: Nov.13-17, Nov. 18-22, Nov. 23-28, Nov. 29-Dec. 5, Dec. 6-12, and Jan. 1-9.
Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge season dates will be: Oct. 20-26 and Nov. 24-30.
Waubay National Wildlife Refuge season dates will be: Nov.12-16, Nov. 17-21, and Nov. 22- Dec. 5.

PIERRE, S.D. – It’s not always easy to make a connection between the dog days of August and South Dakota’s annual pheasant hunting season, but the Game, Fish and Parks Department does that in a very big way with its annual pheasant brood route survey.
GFP staff survey 110 established routes from late July through mid-August to compare the observed number of roosters, hens and pheasant broods. The survey, conducted annually since 1949, is used to develop a comparison of pheasants-per-mile counts within specific areas surveys from previous years.
“We will run each of these routes at least once in the next three weeks when the counting conditions are ideal,” said Travis Runia, GFP’s senior upland game biologist.. “The results from this survey give our biologists excellent historical data as part of our pheasant population monitoring, and more importantly, give hunters a glimpse at what they should expect when they take to the fields this autumn.”
GFP staff drive the designated routes early in the morning. Pheasants gather along roadsides at that time to feed, gather grit to help digest food, and dry the morning dew from their feathers.

Runia said the brood route survey would be completed around Aug. 15, and it will take about two weeks after that to analyze data and present a report on the survey results. GFP will provide a pre-season, pheasants-per-mile index for each area and an overall average for the combined surveys at the end of August.
“This survey has proven to be a very good indicator of trends in pheasant numbers,” Runia said. “We are able to get a sense for what our pheasant numbers are doing based on route comparisons from last year and over a 10-year average.”
The 2009 brood route survey indicated that the South Dakota pheasant population had declined 26 percent from the 2008 observation. However, 2007 and 2008 produced two of the highest pheasant counts in more than 40 years. The 2009 survey was 13 percent higher than the 10-year average and was the fourth highest count per mile in the past 45 years.