GFP News - August 10, 2012
- Duck and Goose Hunting Seasons Set
- Changes Made in Muzzleloader Restrictions and Hunter Accompaniment
- Mountain Lion Season Proposed
- Trapping Regulations Changed
- Long Standing Fishing Record Broken
Duck And Goose Hunting Seasons Set
MILBANK, S.D. - The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has finalized two popular waterfowl hunting seasons.
The biggest change for the 2012 Duck Hunting Season will allow hunters to also harvest four scaup, also known as bluebills.
Hunters will be allowed to harvest six ducks daily, comprised of no more than: five mallards (may include no more than two hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, four scaup, two pintails and one canvasback.
Dates for the coming Duck Hunting Season in South Dakota:
- High Plains, Oct. 13, 2012 - Jan. 17, 2013
- Low Plains North and Middle, Sept. 29 - Dec. 11, 2012
- Low Plains South, Oct. 13 - Dec. 25, 2012.
Dates for the South Dakota Goose Hunting Season:
- Light geese and white fronted geese, Sept 29 - Dec. 23, 2012.
Statewide Canada geese and brant geese seasons:
- Unit 1, Oct. 1 - Dec. 16, 2012
- Unit 2, Nov. 3, 2012 - Feb. 15, 2013
- Unit 3, Jan. 12 - 20, 2013
A daily limit of three Canada geese, 20 light geese and one white-fronted goose is in place, with a possession limit of twice the daily limit for Canada and white-fronted geese and an unlimited possession limit for light geese.
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Changes Made In South Dakota Muzzleloader Season And Hunter Accompaniment
MILBANK, S.D. - The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission has decided to allow the use of smokeless powder, peep sights and other optics not employing magnification during hunting seasons restricted to muzzleloading rifles.
The changes will allow muzzleloader enthusiasts to use optics such as red dot and aim points to improve their sight picture without magnification.
The Commission also decided to allow a person hunting small game with a shotgun and shotshells to accompany a licensed firearm big-game hunter in the field. However, small-game hunters who accompany big-game hunters may not use dogs.
The Commission also has voted to formalize a process allowing people to rehabilitate resident wildlife species. The process does not include migratory birds, which are covered by federal permits. Previously, there was no process to allow rehabilitation of non-migratory animals.
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Mountain Lion Season Proposed
MILBANK, S.D. - The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has proposed several changes in the coming Mountain Lion Hunting Season.
As proposed, the season would run from Dec. 26, 2012, through Mar. 31, 2013. The season would end earlier, however, if the harvest limit of 100 total lions or 70 female lions is reached. Similar to last year, lions harvested in Custer State Park would be included in the harvest limits.
Outside the Black Hills Fire Protection District, any licensed hunter may harvest a lion from Jan. 1-Dec. 31.
Hunting in Custer State Park (CSP) would be allowed for licensed mountain lion hunters who are awarded free temporary access permits to the park.
The CSP hunting season structure would be set up in two ways.
One would involve five specific hunting periods without hounds, each period 14-16 days in length, with 30 hunters getting access permits for each period. The other would involve three hunting periods - with the use of hounds - each period seven days in length, with four hunters getting access permits per period.
The temporary access permits would be issued by a free random drawing.
The South Dakota mountain lion season will be finalized Oct 4-5 during the Commission meeting at Deadwood. Anyone wishing to comment on the proposal may send an email to wildinfo@state.sd.us or send written comments to South Dakota GFP, 523 E Capitol Ave, Pierre, SD 57501.
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GFP Commission Amends Trapping Regulations
MILBANK, S.D. - The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has changed the restrictions on the use of body-grip traps on public lands and road rights-of-way.
No one may set or operate a body-grip trap with a jaw spread greater than 6 ¾ inches in conjunction with any bait, lure or scent unless the trap is recessed in a plastic, wood or metal cubby with a minimum of 7 inches from the front end of the cubby to trigger the trap, or the trap is set below the water’s edge in a stream, river or other body of water.
The change was made because of concerns about dogs getting caught in the traps, and it applies only to public lands and road rights-of-way.
The GFP Commission also clarified the legal size of muskrat colony traps. A previous rule did not address square traps. The size of colony traps used for muskrats may not exceed 36 inches in overall length. If using a round colony trap, the diameter cannot exceed 12 inches. If using a box colony trap, the height may not exceed 12 inches, and the width may not exceed 12 inches.
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Long-Standing Blue Catfish State Record Falls
On July 21, 2012, Steve Lemmon from Elk Point grabbed his own place in the record books by landing a 99-pound, 4-ounce blue catfish from the Big Sioux River, edging out the previous record by 2 pounds, 4 ounces.
With the aid of only a rod, reel and a creek chub for bait, Lemmon managed to wrangle in the trophy fish from his fishing hole in Union County.
His fish stacks up well with those from nearby states. The Nebraska state record blue catfish weighed in at 100 pounds, 8 ounces while neighboring Iowa currently boasts a state record blue catfish of 101 pounds. Kansas, a state known for having some large catfish, has a slightly smaller state-record blue cat weighing it at 94 pounds even.
State fishing records for South Dakota can be viewed at http://gfp.sd.gov/fishing-boating/state-fish-records-list.aspx
If you believe you have caught a qualifying fish, the state record fish application and guidelines can be found at the same website.
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