GFP News - June 29, 2012

• Rosenbaum Boat Ramp Reopened
• Sharpe and Fancis Case Walleye Length Restrictions
• Early Ditch Mowing Hurts Nesting Pheasants

Rosenbaum Boat Ramp Reopened

PIERRE, S.D. - The Game, Fish and Parks Department has announced the re-opening of the Rosenbaum boat ramp on the Missouri River in Union County near the town of Jefferson.

The boat ramp had been closed since last summer’s flooding covered it with eight feet of sand.

Work to restore the Rosenbaum ramp was completed this week, and it is once again open for public use.

Sharpe and Francis Case Walleye Length Restrictions

PIERRE, S.D. - The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department is reminding anglers targeting walleyes on lakes Sharpe and Francis Case that the 15-inch minimum length limit for walleyes and sauger is not in effect during July and August.

During the next two months, the daily limit is four walleyes or sauger combined, with no minimum length limit; however, no more than one walleye or sauger in the daily limit may be 20 inches or longer.

Fishing reports for many waters of the state can be viewed on the GFP website at http://gfp.sd.gov/agency/hunting-fishing-reports/

Fishing regulations can be viewed in the fishing handbook that is available from retail license agents, GFP offices and in PDF format on the department’s website at www.sdgfp.info

Anglers with questions concerning regulations are encouraged to contact their local South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department office.

Early Ditch Mowing Hurts Nesting Pheasants

PIERRE, S.D - The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department reminds East River landowners to check the calendar before they start mowing ditches along state highways.

State rules provide that no mowing of the right-of-way may begin east of the Missouri River before July 10, and all mowing by permit must be completed by Sept. 1 each year.

Earlier mowing of road ditches endangers one of the state's most valuable natural resources: the ring-necked pheasant.

"It's very important that pheasants nesting in grass cover remain undisturbed," said Jeff Vonk, secretary of the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department. "This rule was developed as a compromise, taking into consideration both a need to protect nesting pheasants and the need that producers have for livestock forage. In many areas of the state, road ditches provide significant nesting cover and annually produce a lot of pheasants."

Those pheasants, in turn, help shape South Dakota's economy.

"Pheasants and pheasant hunting don’t just provide recreational benefits for hunters," Vonk said. "Pheasant populations help ensure the economic well-being of many communities across the state during the fall hunting season."

The state Department of Transportation's mowing regulation along state highways was developed in large part to protect nesting pheasants and young chicks. Early June through August is a critical time for nesting pheasant hens.

"Due to the importance of roadsides to nesting pheasants, we're asking that landowners delay mowing right-of-way ditches as long as possible to give nesting hens a chance to hatch their broods," Vonk said.

The rule does allow the Department of Transportation to begin mowing the right-of-way before the July 10 start date if there is a need to provide increased safety to the traveling public or to control noxious weeds.

For more information, contact DOT at 605-773-3265 or GFP at 605-223-7660.