SD GFP Considering Raising Pheasant Limit

[Jarrod32]

From the GFP HSOforum:

PHEASANT LIMITS MAY INCREASE IN DECEMBER

Pierre, S.D. – Due to the delayed harvest of crops this fall, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission intends to act at its Dec. 3-4 meeting in Pierre on a proposal to raise the three-bird daily pheasant bag limit to five cock pheasants daily.

Under the proposal, the current 15-bird pheasant possession limit would increase to 25 male pheasants.

If adopted, the emergency rule would take effect Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, and remain in place until the current pheasant season ends on Jan. 3, 2010.

“The ability of hunters to harvest pheasants in the first seven weeks of the 2009 pheasant hunting season has been severely inhibited by lack of row-crop harvest,” said GFP Secretary Jeff Vonk. “The weather patterns that led to this situation were not anticipated by the Commission when it adopted the pheasant season back in April.”

The adjustments in the daily limit and possession limit will not hurt overall pheasant numbers in future years because only cock pheasants may be harvested, Vonk said.

“As crops are taken from the fields, the refuge that pheasants found in oceans of cornfields will disappear, and birds will be concentrated in the remaining cover,” Vonk said. “The addition to the limits will allow hunters the ability to make up for opportunities that were lost in the first part of the season.”

-GFP-

[lindy rig]

Jarrod - any idea of the crop status west of Aberdeen? I'm talking like Leola, Ipswich, Roscoe?

Thanks!

[Jmnhunter]

hey Lindy, just drove through there yesterday, still quite abit of corn up, althought i saw alot of the farmers working the fields! It was really slow for us hunting this past weekend; there was only half a field in with corn near where we were hunting and we the numbers seemed really low, although it was really warm weather...

[Jarrod32]

I've hunted the Roscoe area a couple times; I would say that most of the crops are out, but there are still some fields here and there that are too wet and probably won't get harvested. There is still a lot of standing water in places.

[rundrave]

I am not really sure I am for against it, we will find out soon enough.

I was wondering why they wouldnt consider extending the season a little longer? I would love to be able to hunt a couple more weekends.

Nothing better than a 2 for 1 special, ice fishing and shooting some roosters in the same day!

[reddog]

PIERRE, S.D. – A proposal to increase the daily bag limit of pheasants from 3 to 5 was defeated at the monthly GFP Commission meeting in Pierre on Thursday.

A proposal needs five votes from the eight member Commission to become rule, but there were only four supporting the measure so the proposal failed to pass.

The bag limit for pheasants will remain at 3 daily and 15 in possession.

-GFP-

[Jarrod32]

Thanks, reddog. Ya beat me to it. I just got that same info in my e-mail...