Hunters Can Help Manage Big Game, Feed the Hungry

Email to a Friend  Print this Article

PIERRE, S.D. - Big game hunters in South Dakota have a chance this fall and winter to help manage growing wildlife populations while at the same time helping to feed the hungry.

East River and West River deer hunting seasons will open soon in South Dakota and licenses are still available for both seasons. Antelope licenses also remain available for Units 15, 35, 49 and 53. A regulation change this year allows all unfilled and unsold antelope tags for Units 15, 35, 49 and 53 or Butte, Harding, Meade and Perkins counties

to be valid for doe/fawn antelope anywhere in the four-unit area during the West River deer hunting season.

“This regulation change will double hunter opportunity in those areas as we’re hoping hunters with West River deer licenses will also fill a doe/fawn antelope tag,” said Tom Kirschenmann, game program administrator for the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. “Hunters harvesting antlerless deer and doe/fawn antelope are an important part of big game management.”

Upcoming deer hunting seasons include:

• Black Hills deer, Nov. 1 through Nov. 30. Licenses are sold out for this season.
• West River deer, Nov. 8 through Nov. 30. From Nov. 24 through Nov. 30, all unused and unsold tags will convert to antlerless tags. All unfilled and unsold antlerless tags will also be valid from Jan. 1 through Jan. 9, 2009.
• East River deer, Nov. 15 through Dec. 7. From Dec. 1 through Dec. 7 all unfilled and unsold deer tags are valid as antlerless deer tags only. All unfilled and unsold antlerless tags will also be valid from Jan. 1 through Jan. 9, 2009.

Licenses for the East River deer, West River deer and antelope seasons are available on a first-come, first served basis with no limit on the number of licenses a hunter may purchase once the third drawing has been completed.

Hunters who fill their tags and their freezers may be struck by the amount of hunting opportunity that remains this year. Wildlife managers and Sportsmen Against Hunger officials are hoping that hunters will take advantage of the increased opportunity and donate the game meat to the needy.

“The recent downturn in the economy has created an even greater need for donated game meat,” said Sportsmen Against Hunger President Jeff Olson. “We’ve heard from the food banks and pantries we serve that more families are requesting game meat and more families are qualifying for assistance.”

New to Sportsmen Against Hunger this year is the inclusion of antelope in the processing certificate program. “Once again processing certificates are available directly from the processor,” Olson said, “and in many cases, the processor is accepting that certificate as full payment for processing an antlerless deer or doe/fawn antelope.”

A complete list of participating processors, including those who accept a Sportsmen Against Hunger certificate as full payment for processing, can be found at the organization’s Web site, www.feedtheneedSD.com.

Hunters interested in applications for West River deer, East River deer and antelope hunting seasons should visit the GFP Web site at www.sdgfp.info. On the home page, hold the cursor over “Licenses and Reservations” and then click on “Apply for Limited Issue Licenses.”

Reader Comments

Would you like to comment?

Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).