PIERRE, S.D.—Two of the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department’s most popular publications are now available to the public.

In addition to their regular business, Game, Fish and Parks Commissioners will get a history lesson when they conduct their August meeting at Fort Sisseton Historic State Park. The commission's agenda for the one-day meeting on Aug. 7 includes a tour of the park, located 10 miles southwest of Lake City. 

The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department has announced the grant recipients for this year's No Child Left Inside small grant program.  "We received nearly 60 applications for this year's funding. That was a tremendous response, especially since this was the first year we've offered the program," said Chad Tussing, education services coordinator for the GFP Division of Wildlife. Applications were scored by a team of reviewers. A total of $5,000 was allotted for the small grant program.  Applicants requested amounts between $500 and $1,000 each.

RAPID CITY, S.D.--Following action by the Game, Fish and Parks Commission, a framework of rules is in place to allow mentored youth hunting in South Dakota.

The commission’s action was prompted by a law passed in the last session of the Legislature that established mentored youth hunting. Now the rules are in place to allow youth who are accompanied by a mentor to hunt this fall.

After a record year of antlerless deer donations, South Dakota's Sportsmen Against Hunger Program is expanding to include payments for the processing of doe and fawn antelope. The program will continue to offer a $50 processing certificate for antlerless deer and for 2008 will also offer a $40 processing certificate for doe and fawn antelope. The certificates are available directly from the processors with the majority of participating processors accepting the Sportsman Against Hunger certificate as the full payment for processing. After processing the meat is distributed to families who need meat.

As South Dakota's antelope population reaches a near-record size, the state Game, Fish and Parks Commission has approved a hunting season that offers significantly more licenses and tags.  To increase the harvest of antelope, the 2008 season will offer two new types of licenses: a three-tag license good for any antelope and two doe/fawn antelope and a three-tag license good for three doe/fawn antelope.

According to harvest surveys compiled by the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department, last year saw the all-time highest recorded deer harvest in the state and it was the eighth straight year that deer harvest has increased.

GFP Game Harvest Survey Coordinator Corey Huxoll said that estimates indicate approximately 70,000 white-tailed deer and 17,000 mule deer were harvested during the 2007 hunting seasons, for a total of more than 87,000 deer. That is a slight increase of about 300 deer from 2006 and a significant increase of more than 41,000 deer since 1999.

PIERRE, S.D.—South Dakota’s hunting heritage has traditionally been passed from one generation to the next. Recognizing that linage, and wanting to help it along, the S.D. Legislature approved a bill this year that allows children as young as 10 years of age to take part in mentored hunting opportunities.

“Having youngsters in the field is nothing new in South Dakota,” said Tony Leif, director of the Wildlife Division of the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. “Many South Dakotans learned about hunting and the outdoors well before they were old enough to hunt.”

PIERRE, S.D.—Mountain lions will be a recurring agenda item when the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission conducts its May meeting at Custer State Park. The meeting will be held Thursday and Friday, May 1 and 2 at the State Game Lodge.

HURON, S.D.—With the arrival of spring, people are anxious to get outdoors and enjoy the nice weather. The S.D. Outdoor Expo to be held on the S.D. State Fairgrounds on May 17-18 will be a great opportunity for the whole family to get outside, enjoy the outdoors and learn a few new activities that they can enjoy all summer long. There are nearly 100 activities and booths for people to visit. There is sure to be something for everyone.

PIERRE, S.D.—In 2007 the South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger organization chose “Feed the Need” as its new slogan. And the state’s hunters did just that, making record contributions of venison to the program that helps feed the less fortunate.

“The hunters of South Dakota really outdid themselves this year,” said Jeff Olson, president of Sportsmen Against Hunger. “They donated 75,000 pounds of venison, up from 45,000 pounds the year before.”

BROOKINGS, S.D.—Reacting to the success of a management plan designed to reduce the size of the Black Hills elk herd, the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission approved a 2008 hunting season that offers fewer elk licenses. The commission also finalized archery elk, prairie elk and bighorn sheep hunting seasons at its April meeting in Brookings.

PIERRE, S.D. – The Department of Game, Fish and Parks has completed a month-long investigation into a reported mountain lion attack on the shoreline of Sheridan Lake in the Black Hills and concluded that the attack probably occurred but did not find enough evidence to confirm it.

PIERRE, S.D. – The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department is seeking landowners who are interested in joining a new big game hunting access program in 2008--the Controlled Hunter Access Program.

PIERRE, S.D. – Enrollment in the 2008 Walk-In Area, S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department hunting access program, has begun and will be open for enrollment until June 1.

PIERRE, S.D.--Two unique hunting opportunities were among the season proposals considered by the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission at its March meeting in Pierre.

PIERRE, S.D.—With most of South Dakota’s hunting seasons closed, hunters should be taking extra precautions to make sure that their firearms are stored safely.

PIERRE, S.D.—Hunters still have plenty of opportunities for making donations of antlerless deer to the Sportsmen Against Hunger program.