SOUTH DAKOTA DEPT. OF GAME, FISH AND PARKS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, Oct. 24, 2005
CONTACT: Dave Wicks, 882-5200

Road Checks Reveal Some Hunters Forgetting the Rules

PIERRE, S.D. – Pheasant season has been open for more than a week, and some recurring violations have Game, Fish and Parks officials reminding pheasant hunters to read and pay attention to the rules spelled out in the 2005 Hunting Handbook.

"We have held a few road checks since opening weekend and checked more than 300 hunters with more than 2000 pheasants," said GFP Regional Law Specialist Dave Wicks of Watertown. "Nearly all the hunters (288) checked through just fine; however, there were some violations we encountered that are worth bringing to hunter’s attention."

One offense Wicks mentioned is for a hunter being over the daily or possession limit. The daily pheasant limit is three roosters per day, and after five days of hunting, the possession limit is maximized at 15 roosters.

"Some folks hunt only for two or three days and think they can take 15 pheasants home," Wicks said. "The 15-bird possession limit is based on five days of hunting, accrued at the daily limit of three birds per day. It is unfortunate, and costly for the hunter, when they are unwilling to determine the legal number of pheasants for them to possess."

Another common problem Wicks encountered was when hunters cleaned their birds and removed all of the plumage (feathers), head or feet, leaving the bird completely naked of any means to readily identify the species and sex of the bird. "Hunters also need to pay attention to how they freeze and package up the birds so that the species and sex of the birds can be easily identified," Wicks noted.

"A third type of violation we encountered was for illegal transportation of small game," he said. "An individual hunter cannot legally haul somebody else’s birds around without a transportation permit. The permit is free, but the whole situation needs to be carefully thought through in advance before anyone agrees to transport another person’s birds." He added that a free transportation permit can be obtained from a GFP Conservation Officer or regional GFP office.

Wick’s advice and solution was for hunters to review the necessary rules in the 2005 South Dakota Hunting Handbook. "The handbook covers all of these mentioned rules, and it would simply be best if the hunters would spend a few moments and read the rules before they go afield."

The handbook is available at most license agents, GFP regional offices and on the GFP website at www.sdgfp.info.

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