GFP News - June 19, 2012

GFP Commission Adopts Emergency Rule to Battle Spread of Asian Carp
GFP Finalizes West River and Black Hills Deer Hunting Seasons
Archery, Muzzleloader, Youth Deer, Fall Turkey and Archery Antelope Hunting Seasons Finalized
Bobcat Season Extends to Five East River Counties; August Goose Management Season Set
Antelope, East River Deer and Refuge Deer Seasons Proposed
Early Fall Canada Goose, Youth Waterfowl Proposed; Sage Grouse Season Finalized

GFP Commisson Adopts Emergency Rule To Battle Spread Of Asian Carp

PIERRE, S.D. - The Game, Fish and Parks Commission met by teleconference on Monday to adopt an emergency rule governing the taking of bait in South Dakota waters.

The rule change closes the East Vermillion River, West Vermillion River, and Firesteel Creek below Lake Mitchell to the commercial taking of bait and taking of bait by anglers.

The change was brought to the Commission by GFP fisheries staff as another way to battle the spread of invasive aquatic nuisance species in South Dakota. Asian carp are currently present below Gavin's Point Dam on the Missouri River and are spreading throughout the James River, Big Sioux River, and Vermillion River basins.

"We understand that this action results in a loss of opportunity for people who have traditionally taken bait from the waters on the restricted list," GFP Fisheries Chief John Lott said. "However, it would be irresponsible for Game, Fish and Parks to allow the continued harvest of bait from these waters and possibly spread Asian carp in our state. Young Asian carp are similar in appearance to gizzard shad, and while anglers may be able to identify an individual carp they can be hard to notice when included with many other shiny silver bait fish seined from a river."

Lott noted that there is already a rule in place that prohibits the transport of gizzard shad, golden shiners, emerald shiners, and spottail shiners taken as bait anywhere in South Dakota. Asian carp are listed as an aquatic nuisance species in South Dakota and live aquatic nuisance species may not be transported.

"The spillways on East Vermillion Lake and Lake Mitchell serve as effective barriers to upstream migration of Asian carp as long as people do not move them above these barriers," Lott said. "Above East Vermillion Lake is Lake Thompson and the East Vermillion River between these two lakes may be long enough for Asian carp to successfully reproduce."

In several areas of the United States where Asian carp have invaded the waters, these prolific reproducers have out-competed more desirable species by eating available zooplankton so less food and habitat is available to native and game fish, meaning fewer of these fish that hatch have enough food to survive and grow.

"This is a nationwide challenge to save our waters from these invasive species," Lott said. "In South Dakota we are committed to preserving our native and game fish by keeping Asian carp from spreading."

GFP Finalizes West River and Black Hills Deer Hunting Seasons

PIERRE, S.D. - The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission has finalized several deer hunting seasons.

The Commission reduced three-tag deer licenses for the West River Deer Season, but increased single-tag and double-tag licenses in some units. Compared to 2011, there will be a reduction of 2,540 resident licenses and 11,630 tags this year.

The Commission also modified hunting area WRD 27-L to add some public lands adjacent to the Cheyenne River and Angostura reservoir.

For the 2012 West River Deer Season, only unfilled Antlerless Deer and Antlerless Whitetail Deer tags will be valid during the nine-day Antlerless Deer Season extension beginning the Saturday after Christmas. In addition, West River Antlerless Deer Tags will not be valid during the firearms antelope season in their respective units.

The West River Deer Hunting Season will run from Nov 10-25 in most units, with the Antlerless Season extension running from Dec. 29, 2012 - Jan. 6, 2013.

Black Hills deer hunters will find 200 resident and 16 nonresident Any Deer licenses, 3,000 resident and 240 nonresident Any Whitetail Deer licenses and 150 resident and 12 nonresident Antlerless Whitetail Deer licenses for the 2012 Black Hills Deer Hunting Season

The Black Hills Deer Hunting Season will run from Nov. 1 - 30.

Archery, Muzzleloader, Youth Deer, Fall Turkey and Archery Antelope Hunting Seasons Finalized

PIERRE, S.D. - South Dakota archery hunters have a few changes to be aware of for the 2012 Archery Deer Season.

Brookings, Deuel, Hamlin and McCook Counties have been added to the restricted area where only one Single-Tag Antlerless Deer license is valid.

Any antlerless deer licenses will not be valid in the Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge during the Archery Deer Season.

During the archery deer season, 45 Any Antlerless Deer and five Any Deer resident access permits will be allowed for the Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve and five Any Deer and five Any Antlerless Deer resident access permits will be allowed for the Blood Run Nature Area. Archery hunters who wish to hunt in those areas will have to enter a lottery drawing for the free access permits via the online licensing system.

The South Dakota Archery Deer Season will run from Sept. 22, 2012 - Jan 15, 2013.

The 2012 Muzzleloader Deer Hunting Season will run from Dec. 1 - Jan. 15, 2013. Muzzleloader hunters will have 1,000 Any Deer and unlimited single and double Any Antlerless Deer licenses available.

Brookings, Deuel, Hamlin and McCook Counties have been added to the restricted area where only one single-tag Antlerless Deer license is valid.

The South Dakota Youth Deer Hunting Season will run from Sept. 8, 2012 - Jan. 15, 2013. Youth hunters who have not reached the age of 18 by June 30 will be eligible to receive up to two Any Antlerless Deer licenses. Only one of those licenses is valid in the counties of Brookings, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Moody, Roberts, Turner, Yankton and the Black Hills Fire Protection District.

The 2012 South Dakota Archery Antelope Season will run from Aug. 18 - Oct. 31, except when and where the Firearm Antelope Season is open. Archery hunters will be issued a single Any Antelope license.

Individuals with a 2012 Archery Antelope license will be eligible to apply for one of five free access permits allowing them to hunt the portions of Custer and Pennington counties in the Black Hills Fire Protection District. Resident archery hunters who wish to hunt in that area will have to enter a lottery drawing for the free access permits via the online licensing system.

The 2012 South Dakota Fall Turkey Hunting Season will run from Oct. 1, 2012 - Jan 31, 2013. There will be 2,000 resident and 160 nonresident one-tag Any Turkey licenses available in the Black Hills; 1,600 one-tag and 690 two-tag Any Turkey resident licenses available for the East River Unit and unlimited resident and nonresident two-tag Any Turkey licenses for the West River Prairie Unit.

Turner and Harding counties will be closed to fall turkey hunting.

Bobcat Season Extends to Five East River Counties; August Goose Management Season Set

PIERRE, S.D. - South Dakota bobcat hunters and trappers will now have an opportunity to harvest the furbearers in certain East River counties this year.

The Game, Fish and Parks Commission has finalized a proposal to allow licensed hunters and trappers to take bobcats in Buffalo, Brule, Charles Mix, Bon Homme and Yankton counties from Dec. 8 - 30.

Trappers or hunters participating in the East River Bobcat Season are limited to one bobcat each.

The West River Bobcat Trapping and Hunting Season will run from Dec. 8, 2012 - Feb. 15, 2013 and is open to all counties west of the Missouri River.

South Dakota trappers will have three new rules this year.

Mink trappers will now have to wait until sunrise of opening day to set traps.

Muskrat trappers now have clear dimensions of colony traps for both round and square traps.

Individuals using traps larger than 160 Conibear in conjunction with any bait, lure or scent on public lands and public road rights-of-ways will be required to have the traps recessed a minimum of seven inches in cubbies, baited box traps or bucket traps.

The Game, Fish and Parks Commission also set the rules for the 2012 Muskrat Hunting Season in South Dakota, from April 1 - August 31, statewide. Landowners and/or operators on their own property or property they operate, School and Public Land surface-lease holders on their current leased land, and state, county, or township officials within public road right-of-ways, will be eligible to shoot muskrats.

Nontoxic shot is required when using shotguns for muskrats

The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission opened up Brown, Hutchinson, Spink and Turner Counties , in addition to the counties previously opened to resident waterfowl hunters, during the August Goose Management Take. The August Management Take Season will run Aug. 11-26, 2012. Hunters will be able to harvest eight Canada geese per day, with no possession limit.

Antelope, East River Deer, and Refuge Deer Seasons Proposed

PIERRE, S.D. - The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission is proposing significant changes to the 2012 Antelope Firearms Season.

The Commission recommends that the 2012 season be open to South Dakota residents only. A reduction of 165 one-tag and 1,015 two-tag licenses compared to 2011 is being considered.

The proposed Antelope Firearms Season would run from Sept. 29 - Oct. 14.

The Custer State Park Firearms Antelope Season was finalized with no changes from 2011. There will be three Any Antelope licenses available to residents. The season will run from Oct. 9-17.

The Commission is proposing a total reduction of 16,360 tags for the 2012 East River Deer Season. Much of the reduction is from the elimination of three-tag licenses.

Only unfilled Any Antlerless Deer and Antlerless Whitetail Deer tags are valid during the antlerless deer season extension, beginning on the Saturday after Christmas.

The proposed East River Deer Season would run from Nov. 17 - Dec. 2 and an antlerless extension from Dec. 29, 2012 - Jan. 6, 2013.

The Commission is also proposing the following deer-hunting season changes for three National Wildlife Refuges in South Dakota:

Issue zero licenses for the fourth deer season on the Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Replace the 150 Any Deer plus Any Antlerless Deer licenses and the 50, two-tag Any Antlerless Deer licenses issued in 2011 with 80 Any Deer and 40 Any Antlerless Deer licenses for resident Sand Lake Refuge hunters.
Replace the 15 "Any Deer plus Any Antlerless Deer" licenses and the five, two-tag Any Antlerless Deer licenses issued in 2011 with eight Any Deer and four Any Antlerless Deer licenses for nonresident Sand Lake Refuge hunters.
Offer resident hunters 10 more two-tag Antlerless Whitetail Deer licenses for Lacreek Refuge hunters.
Offer resident hunters 15 less Any Deer licenses for Waubay Refuge than 2011.

The proposed 2012 National Refuge Deer Hunting Seasons would be:

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge - Nov. 10-14, Nov. 15-19, Nov. 20-25, Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, Dec. 3 -9 and Dec. 29, 2012 - Jan. 6, 2013.

Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge - Oct. 17 -24 and Nov. 28 - Dec 4.

Waubay National Wildlife Refuge - Nov. 9-13, Nov. 14-18, and Nov. 19 - Dec 2.

The first season on Sand Lake, both seasons at Lacreek and the first two seasons at Waubay are restricted to muzzleloaders with open sights.

To comment on any of those proposals, send an email with your full name and city of residence to wildinfo@state.sd.us or send a letter to the Game Fish and Parks Department, 523 E Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501. Please include your full name and address for the public record. All letters and emails must be received by 5 p.m. CDT, July 6.

Testimony may be given in person at the Commission's monthly meeting on July 9 at the Pierre Ramkota. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. CDT, with the public hearing beginning at 10 a.m.

Early Fall Canada Goose, Youth Waterfowl Proposed; Sage Grouse Season Finalized

PIERRE, S.D. - Waterfowl hunters hoping to get an early jump on the season would be able to harvest more geese during the Early Fall Goose Season under a South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission proposal.

An Early Fall Goose Season would allow hunters to harvest 10 Canada geese per day and possess 20. The season would run Sept. 1-30. The recommendation will need approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Another Commission proposal would give youth waterfowl hunters a better chance at early migrating ducks.

The proposed South Dakota Youth Waterfowl Season would open 12 days after Labor Day each year; the Youth Season would be Sept. 15-16 this year.

The 2012 South Dakota Sage Grouse season was finalized by the Commission, with no changes from 2011. The season will be held Sept 26-27, with a season limit of one sage grouse per hunter.

Testimony may be given in person at the Commission's monthly meeting on July 9 at the Pierre Ramkota. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m., with the public hearing at 10 a.m. CDT.