3 to 5 SD

[grab the net]

South Dakota is considering raising the limit from 3 to 5 from December 5th to the end of the season, January 3rd 2010. Due to the under harvest of roosters due to the wet conditions/late harvest. Biologically will not hurt anything and may get few more NR to travel for a late season hunt.

[BLACKJACK]

I just got back from SoDak last Thursday and all I can say is 'good luck'!! We hunted hard, even some areas with fresh picked corn, and we were lucky to to get our 3 bird limit a few days. The pheasants learn fast out there!!! As you state, it appears to be a ploy to lure more out of state hunters.

[grab the net]

Spoke to a friend who just returned from the Aberdeen area today. Hunted Thursday through Sunday. 7 guys, total of 30 birds. Have to qualify that these guys have been going to the same area for several years and hunt some private along with public. They have never had any issues getting their birds, they have good seasoned labs that have hundreds of birds to their credit. The report this year is corn and water, same sloughs that once had dry ground around the perimeter, now the water extends 10 rows into the 300 acre corn field.

Cloudy day, birds would leave the corn earlier, sunny day, birds would not leave the corn until after shooting hours.

If and when the corn is harvested, he feels the birds will go back to the CRP, tree groves and when frozen the cattails. Will be a lot birds in small areas, but that does not necessarily mean an easy hunt. Doubtful that the five bird limit will have any measurable effect on the number of guys that will buy a new license to go to SD.

[LovenLifeGuy]

I was out in SD the last week of october and we did well and saw a lot of birds. We hunted 4 days and 7 of us got our limit all but one day and that day we got 20, one short. It was wet and the corn was up, but if you were willing to get wet the birds were there.

If they make that change I might see if I can get back out for a couple days of hunting.

[Back2Dakota]

Went out for 4 days on opener and just got back from 5 days. Limited out both times 5 hunters. The birds are there and they are not all in the corn!! We have private land with corn and we didnt even hunt it.

[Jmnhunter]

I just got back from SoDak last Thursday and all I can say is 'good luck'!! We hunted hard, even some areas with fresh picked corn, and we were lucky to to get our 3 bird limit a few days. The pheasants learn fast out there!!! As you state, it appears to be a ploy to lure more out of state hunters.

really tough for us last weekend too, some corn up around us, but the warm weather, only having one dog, having a handful of youth hunters brought our Friday-Saturday total to 8 (11 total shooters); great times none the less, one of the slower years for us

[Jarrod32]

Pheasant Proposal Fails

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-

[grousewoods]

Thanks for the update!

[jpallen]

Great news!!! Made no sense at all. It is about time they used common sense when managing pheasants and not letting the shooting lodges do the talking.

[Mr.Seaguar]

Great news!!! Made no sense at all. It is about time they used common sense when managing pheasants and not letting the shooting lodges do the talking.

Why does 3 make sense? Why not 17? Theres no reason why the bag limit is anything. The more roosters that survive the more hens have to compete for food. Thats why the season was extended from 12/20 to early January years ago.

[jpallen]

Shouldn't be a storage of food this winter, standing corn everywhere, and beans that were to wet to harvest. Again very glad they kept it at 3.

[reddog]

The only place this wouldve had an impact on is the preserves and lodges. They have the ability to shoot as many birds as they are legal to do,because off their stocking program.

The reason the legislatures voted no, basically was that they heard from their constituents that they could not get their (or were having a hard time bagging) 3 bird daily limt to begin with, so increasing to 5 would only benefit the preserves.

[Mr.Seaguar]

I get it now. Its not about game management or any biological reason. Its about you guys not wanting the Haves to have more, while the Have Nots dont benefit. I actually am affected by this. I have the back half of a SD NR small game license. I was gonna come over to shoot 5 birds a day come Christmas. I cant justify coming to shoot 3, I`d rather icefish. But for 5, icefishing can wait. I`m not a preserve hunter, I have private land access. But if the citizens of SD want 3 then thats what the GFP should do.

[Jarrod32]

The only place this wouldve had an impact on is the preserves and lodges. They have the ability to shoot as many birds as they are legal to do,because off their stocking program.

The reason the legislatures voted no, basically was that they heard from their constituents that they could not get their (or were having a hard time bagging) 3 bird daily limt to begin with, so increasing to 5 would only benefit the preserves.

Commercial preserves have a 20-bird daily limit (recently raised from 15). This change would not have affected them at all, as their limit would not have changed.

And you are correct in referring to their stocking/releasing birds. Although most estimates figure somewhere between 18% and 25% of the birds shot on preserves are wild birds.

I also should clairfy that the legislature did not make this decision...it was the Game, Fish and Parks Commission.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

I get it now. Its not about game management or any biological reason. Its about you guys not wanting the Haves to have more, while the Have Nots dont benefit. I actually am affected by this. I have the back half of a SD NR small game license. I was gonna come over to shoot 5 birds a day come Christmas. I cant justify coming to shoot 3, I`d rather icefish. But for 5, icefishing can wait. I`m not a preserve hunter, I have private land access. But if the citizens of SD want 3 then thats what the GFP should do.

if your not making your trip because you cannot shoot an extra 2 friggin birds a day then you should really re-evaluate why it is that you enjoy hunting. do you not ice fish on lakes that have reduced limits or slot limits as well?????

[Mr.Seaguar]

Carpshooter, I reevaluated, and you were still wrong.

[WallyGator12000]

But the issue is that it is never your call. This is the decision that should be made by the citizens of South Dakota, it is their state. I don't agree that the reasoning was for the "haves" to have more, and the "have nots" to have less. If you're a non-resident, you are a guest, deal with it.

Also, some guys hunt for a limit, and anything short of that is disappointing. Others don't care as much about whether they limit out, and that's fine too. Different strokes for different folks.

[reddog]

You mustve never intended to use your back half, cuz the limit was 3 per day when you purchased it.

Im heading out for my back half on the 13th, then ML opens of the 19th.

[Mr.Seaguar]

What makes you say that? 2 reasons thats not true. I didnt pay for the thing at all. My wife decided we needed to spend Thanksgiving at her dads house, so she bought it. And a person could buy one just because they are stuck at their inlaws and the choices of entertainment are TV, listening to old people, pheasant hunt. I'm not coming back for 3, but the first 5 days I would have hunted all day for 1 just to get out of the house.

[reddog]

What makes you say that? 2 reasons thats not true. I didnt pay for the thing at all. My wife decided we needed to spend Thanksgiving at her dads house, so she bought it. And a person could buy one just because they are stuck at their inlaws and the choices of entertainment are TV, listening to old people, pheasant hunt. I'm not coming back for 3, but the first 5 days I would have hunted all day for 1 just to get out of the house.

Gotta agree with you there! Thats why I bought a bow license also. It got me out of the house long before anybody got up.

[zackthehunter]

5 rosters day? man i am just happy to get a shot off a one rooster a day what do u do with al then birds?

maybe have a x-mas pheasnt dinner instead of goose lol

[jigginjim]

I was thinking rather then drive to SD (gas money $40-60, buy lic.$ 100, Shells ?/$20, meals $30, total $200 aver. Could be cheaper just buy them for a game farm, cleaned, less work more time for fishing.

[Bryce]

Why not just buy your fish at the meat counter?

[tweedlap]

I have never considered hunting pheasants work. In fact,

I have never even thought of it that way.

I work to hunt.

A 10 crappie limit is exactly cheap. Lobster is cheap when

you look at cost only.

tweed

[reddog]

I was thinking rather then drive to SD (gas money $40-60, buy lic.$ 100, Shells ?/$20, meals $30, total $200 aver. Could be cheaper just buy them for a game farm, cleaned, less work more time for fishing.

Walleyes are alot cheaper over the counter than owning a boat, driving to the lake, insurance, license. or hiring a guide. but people still do that, now dont they?