Hunting Guide 2016

G N I T HUN

E D I GU 6 O C TO B E R 201

A special supplement to The Daily Republic and ADvisor

HUNTING GUIDE

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October 2016

OUR NEWS COVERAGE

DOESN’T MISS!

The Daily Republic

120 S Lawler - Mitchell - 605-996-5514 www.mitchellrepublic.com

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T S I K R E L O D D N GE U H T 2016 Pheasant Hunting Package Includes • • • • • • •

Three full days of professionally guided hunting Four nights deluxe accommodations in private suites - based on double occupancy 5 pheasants per day • Cleaning and packaging of all game plus travel coolers Blaze orange caps • Complimentary top-shelf beverages and appetizers Non-resident hunting licenses • Ammunition • Gourmet meals Multiple sporting clays courses • Transportation from Sioux Falls, SD or charter airports On-site transportation • Daily maid service

24931 Thunderstik Rd, Chamberlain, SD 57325, http://www.thunderstik.com/, 800-734-5168

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Thunderstik Lodge is known worldwide for its attention to detail, luxury accommodations and premiere hunting and fishing trips.

At Thunderstik Lodge we will handle every detail of your trip!

Rest assured that each member of your group will get the individual attention they deserve.

Call today or visit our website to schedule your hunt! Or come out for a tour!

October 2016

HUNTING GUIDE

2016 South Dakota hunting license and season information Hunting season dates Pheasant Resident only: Oct. 10-12 Youth only: Oct. 3-7 Statewide: Oct. 17 to Jan. 3, 2016. *Future opening dates: The pheasant season traditionally opens on the third Saturday in October.

Prairie chicken/grouse Sept. 17 to Jan. 1, 2017.

Ducks

Low Plains — north zone: Sept. 24 to Dec. 6 Low Plains — middle zone: Sept. 24 to Dec. 6 Low Plains — south zone: Oct. 8 to Dec. 20.

High Plains: Oct. 8 to Jan. 12, 2017.

Youth: Sept. 17-18.

Deer

Youth: Sept. 10 to Jan. 15, 2017 Archery: Sept. 24 to Jan. 15, 2017, with exceptions East River: Nov. 19 to Dec. 4.

West River: Nov. 12-27 Black Hills: Nov. 1-30 Muzzleloader: Dec. 1 to Dec. 31

Antelope

Archery: Aug. 20 to Oct. 31.

Firearms: Oct. 1-16.

Fall turkey

Nov. 1 to Jan. 31, 2017.

Sandhill crane

Sept. 24 to Nov. 20 *For those seasons not listed here, see the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department website at gfp.sd.gov.

Places to buy hunting licenses in Mitchell

Northside Sinclair, 1905 N. Main SoDak Sports, 515 E. Spruce Walmart, 1101 E. Spruce Westside Sinclair, 1527 W. Haven

Cost for licenses

3

What’s Inside Hunting License & Season Information .........3

Plenty of Ducks..................5

Resident fees Combination (small game and fishing): $55 Senior combination (age 65 and up): $40 Junior combination (ages 16-18): $27 Small game: $33 One day small game: $12 Youth small game (ages 12-15): $5 State migratory bird certification: $5 Predator/varmint: $5 Furbearer: $30

Hunters Pointe ...................9

Hunting Pronghorns ........11

Non-resident fees

Small game (two 5-day periods): $121 Youth small game, ages 12-15: $10 Waterfowl (valid 10 days): $121 Waterfowl (valid 3 days): $86 Early fall Canada goose: $50 Spring light goose conservation order: $50 Youth spring light goose conservation order, ages 12-15: $26 State migratory bird certification: $5 Predator/varmint: $40 Furbearer: $40 Shooting preserve (annual): $121 Shooting preserve (5-day): $76 Shooting preserve (1-day): $46 *2016 licenses are valid Dec. 15, 2015 through Jan. 31, 2017. *2017 licenses will be valid Dec. 15, 2016 through Jan. 31, 2018.

(Note: Prices above do not include licensing agent fee, which can be $2 to $4 per item.)

Grouse Numbers Up .......18

Pheasant Decrease .........21

Improving Deer Count.....25

Credits Cover art: Lisa Nelsen/Republic Guide editor: Marcus Traxler/Republic Layout design: Jen Phillips/Republic

Cabela’s, 601 Cabela Drive.

Coborn’s, 1800 N. Main St. County Fair Foods, 1305 W. Havens Cubby’s, 1000 S. Burr or 1700 W. Havens Freedom Valu, 512 S. Sanborn Matt Gade/Republic

A hunter aims his shotgun during last year’s hunting season near Mitchell.

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October 2016

The Mitchell Department of Public Safety PHEASANT COUNTRY CHAPTER #872

Would like to remind you to lock your vehicles and remove valuables including your guns from your vehicles when leaving them parked.

Make plans to attend – all are welcome!

31st Annual

Pheasant Country PF Chapter Banquet and Auction

The Chapter with the Largest PF Membership Banquet in US and Canada

Thank you, and have a Safe and Enjoyable Hunting Season.

”Mitchell’s Pheasant Opener Kickoff Celebration”

At the World’s Only Corn Palace

Friday, October 14th, 2016

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Doors Open at 5:00pm

Hunters-

Includes a roast pheasant dinner with a cash bar.

The Corn Palace will be decked out in beautiful fall colors and the Starfire Band will be playing.

Over 50 guns to be given away!

Auction includes:

We have all your hunting dog needs

Numerous Raffles:

24 hour emergency care

“Cimpl Made Hunts” – Pheasant Hunt, Erik Cimpl, Flying W Pheasant Lodge Hunt, Granite Springs Hunt, Custom Made Barn Wood Gun Cabinet, Mark Anderson, John Green, James Green, Nicole Heitzman Original Artwork Finished at Banquet, Vizsla Puppy, Mountain Dew Gun Cabinet, Elk Hunt, Mul T Rex by Quaility Woods, Full Body Bear Mount, Hand Carved Items by Troy Bollack, and many more unique items.

Mystery Gun, Winner Take All Table, Youth Gun Pyramid, Dice Game, Cabela’s Table, Winchester Shell Pyramid, Silent Auction, $1,000 Case of Cash, 25 Gun Raffle Bash, Miller Lite Table, and many more raffles!

Veteran’s Raffle, Free to all Veterans

TICKETS:

Tickets can be purchased at the Corn Palace Box Office from now until the banquet starts, and at Sodak or Cabela’s on October 13 & 14. Only 700 tickets will be sold on a first come basis.

We have had a huge response and apologize in advance for anyone who does not receive a ticket.

2020 WEST HAVENS

996-3242

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www.pheasantcountry.org

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Contact:

Dave Allen, President (605)996-8649 or dallen0570@hotmail.com Brad Zimmerman (605)770-7095 Doug Backlund (605)656-0010 for more information

HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

5 Shutterstock Photo

Plenty of ducks, fewer hunters for new season

By LUKE HAGEN The Daily Republic

South Dakota has lost nearly 15,000 resident waterfowl hunters in the past two decades and dipped to a record low last year.

That’s concerning for many outdoor enthusiasts, especially those who are participating in the duck season in the state, which runs through Dec. 6 or into January, depending on the region.

Recent trends show there will be fewer people who will march into marshes to chase an estimated 3.3 million resident ducks this year.

“People are busier than they used to be,” said waterfowl hunting advocate Scott Schutz, 42, of Mitchell. “It takes up time, and there are a lot of factors that play into it.”

For the first time on record, there were fewer than 12,000 resident waterfowl hunters last year. In contrast, there were about 27,000

as recently as 1997.

Rocco Murano, South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department senior waterfowl biologist, said he is worried about the decline in waterfowl hunting participation, which fell 11 percent from 2014 to 2015.

The federal waterfowl stamp, which rose from $15 to $25 last year, helps fund conservation easements, habitat improvements, acquisitions of public hunting areas and other work. The stamp is mandated for anyone older than 16 who hunts waterfowl, which means less money is available for those projects when there are fewer hunters.

Murano said nationwide statistics show that participation for most types of hunting is decreasing. In 1991, there were about 14.1 million hunters in the United States, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s five-year trend survey. In 2011, the most recent

survey available, there were 13.7 million hunters nationwide.

Specific to waterfowl, there were about 3 million hunters in 1991, and about 1.5 million in 2011. The next survey will be available next year.

Cost of equipment, access to private hunting land and available free time for people all contribute to the decline in waterfowl hunting participation, Schutz believes.

But there is good news.

Those who chase ducks and geese should have high chances for success this year, Murano said.

A May breeding survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service counted 48.36 million ducks, including a record 11.8 million mallards, across the north-central region of the United States and Canadian Prairies.

That’s a 2 percent drop from 2015, but still well above long-term averages.

In South Dakota, several dabblers, DUCKS: Page 6

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DUCKS From Page 5

or puddle ducks, rose in population, according to the May survey.

Mallard populations rose 12 percent from 2015, bluewinged teal jumped 21 percent and gadwall 40 percent.

Green-wing teal (40 percent) and wigeon (235 percent) also

rose significantly.

“When I see big numbers of green-winged teal and wigeon numbers in South Dakota, you know the migration was a little delayed because they should be farther north by the survey period,” Murano said.

Redheads and canvasbacks both dropped about 70 percent, while scaup (bluebills) rose 64 percent compared to 2015.

The daily limit is six ducks, with two bonus blue-winged teal available for the first 16 days of the season, allowing hunters to take up to eight birds. The possession limit is three times the daily limit for each species, and shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

From October through the duration of the season, the

October 2016

daily limit is eight, with exceptions in specific regions in the state.

This is another year of liberal bag limits in South Dakota, Murano said, and based off population estimates, he expects future seasons to continue that trend.

“There’s good opportunities out there,” he said. ∆

HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

H E A D Q UA R T E R S for Licenses & Hunting Gear

Ron’s Market Pheasant Processing

Wilson’s True Value

Plankinton • 605-942-7595 Stickney • 605-732-4448 White Lake • 605-249-2314

700 Main Ave. • Armour, SD • 605-724-2796 Hours: Monday-Saturday 8 am-6 pm Larry & Ronda Wilson-Owners

Duf’s Amoco & Repair Shop

Valley Pump & Casino

222 Main Street • Geddes

605-337-2501

Your Table Is Waiting at

mitchell Depot

Featuring U.S.D.A. Choice Cornfed Angus Beef Aged for Maximum Flavor & Tenderness

Prime Rib Nightly (Starting October 14th)

With a wide selection of entrees, The Depot has something for everyone.

Open Daily at 11:30 a.m.

210 S. MAIN ST.  6 1/2 BLOCKS S. OF THE CORN PALACE

800 SD Hwy 46 • Wagner, SD

605-384-3417

207 S. Main • White Lake

605-249-2444

30 beers on tap!

Check out our HUGE variety of bottled & tap beers!

Large Groups Welcome!

Please call ahead 996-9417

Pool • Darts • Video Lottery 3 Dining Rooms

996-9417  WWW.MITCHELLDEPOT.COM

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HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

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HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

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Preparing for the hunt at Hunters Pointe Sporting clay shooting range near Humboldt offers plenty of variety for all shooters

By ERIC MAYER The Daily Republic

HUMBOLDT -- Nothing beats being out in the field on a live hunt.

But when that’s not possible, Hunters Pointe is attempting to offer the next best thing: sporting clay pigeons on an interesting course.

The nearly 600-acre shooting range facility has entertained shooters of all skill levels, while providing some of the most unique shooting opportunities in the region and gaining a

strong following in the process.

Located near Humboldt, Hunters Pointe offers shooters both a pistol range and rifle range, but the main draw is the sporting clay course.

Sprawled out throughout the course are 94 different shooting stands in 20 fields offering shots that mimic game birds such as pheasants, ducks and geese and more.

Paul Muth, of Mitchell, said he shoots Hunters Pointe about four times a year and in mid-September, he was shooting at Hunters Pointe as part of the 30th annual Boy Scouts of America fundraiser shoot.

“This is a great place,” Muth said. “It is a fun place to shoot and relax with your friends. They have a rifle range and a pistol range,

but the sporting clays are the main function.”

Along with getting some practice shooting in, Muth said the Boy Scouts of America fundraiser gets businesses to sponsor teams to shoot and raise around $30,000 to $40,000 during the event. Forty teams competed in the 30th annual event.

“We turn that money over the Boy Scouts general fund to help them operate the Eastern Sioux Council,” Muth said. “It’s fun to get your gun out and warmed up, get you eyes sharpened for the season. People like to shoot and they are going to come.”

Chris Chamness has owned and operated the facility since 2008 and keeps the shooting stations running smoothly, while tweaking how and where the clay pigeons approach the shooter. Using a variety of automatic target throwers, located in different positions, the course creates hundreds of different angels and shots.

“It’s called sporting clays, so the owner mixes up the shots all the HUNTERS POINTE: Page 13

Top Photo: Eric Mayer/Republic

A clay pigeon flies through the sky at Hunters Pointe near Humboldt.

Bottom Photo: Eric Mayer/Republic

Paul Muth gets set to shoot his gun at Hunters Pointe near Humboldt.

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October 2016

Welcome Hunters!

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Your partner in the field needs care too!

Stop in for Your Vaccination and Medical Needs!

24 hour emergency Parkston: 605-928-3025 | Menno: 605-387-2055 Wagner: 605-384-5561 | Mitchell Vet Shack: 605-996-2442 Yankton Vet Shack: 605-665-4520 001481399r2

Pheasant Acres has been restored back to 3,500 acres of natural state by planting native grasses and scattering tree strips, food plots, and wetlands throughout the property.

We even selectively harvest the area crops, managing everything for the sake of the birds. Thanks to over 30 years of hard work, South Dakota Pheasant Acres is an absolute wildlife haven.

605-850-3000 • www.sdpheasantacres.com

Group Rates & Nightly specials Monday-All you can eat pasta $7.99 Tuesday - Philly French Dips $7.99 Wednesday - 50 cent wings (12 flavors) Thursday- Large single topping pizza $4.99 Friday and Saturday - Prime Rib $15.99

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28146 382nd Ave, Armour, SD 57313

Located in the Ramada Inn & Suites

• Ramada Inn Only full service hotel in Mitchell • Complimentary hot breakfast buffet everyday • Indoor mini golf course • Indoor Pool/ hot tubs • Onsite Restaurant and Lounge - Shays • Over 10,000 sq feet banquet space • Pet Friendly

INN & SUITES Conference Center 1525 West Havens Ave. Mitchell • I-90 Exit 330

(605)996-6501 (800)888-4702

HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

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A lifetime of hunting pronghorns

Hunting pronghorn antelope is a whole different ballgame that we South Dakotans are privileged to participate in. The beauty of tan, black, and white under ebony horns, their speed, their uncanny eyesight, and their fondness of playing games like peek-a-boo out on the prairie makes them singularly unique. All of these qualities tend to make every hunt an adventure.

While I’m not yet ready to close the book on hunting South Dakota pronghorn antelope, my life has been blessed with a number of outstanding trophies as well as some unique experiences. I’ll touch on some of those adventures, hopefully in some semblance of chronological order.

In 1969, Betsy and I lived in Parkston.

We had become friends with Dick and Sherri Danielsen, now of Brookings, and the four of us applied for antelope tags in what was then called Unit 1.

Our draw was successful. At that time, one had to wait for three years after a successful draw to reapply.

It was Sunday morning. Dick and Sherri had struck out on their own.

When Betsy and I stopped to glass from a hill south of Keldron, we could hear a gurgling sound like water running.

It was gasoline flowing from a hole in our tank. I stuffed my handkerchief wrapped around a short stick into the hole and headed for Keldron. We ran out of gas on the next hilltop.

We were

Submitted Photo

Roger Wiltz, at age 30, with his 1972 trophy pronghorn.

devastated. Who would repair our tank on a Sunday morning? I had school the WILTZ Freelance next day. Would I make columnist it? Worse yet, my tag was  unfilled and my hunt was apparently over.

During this same moment of despair, I spotted two antelope about 300 yards west of our ’69 Pontiac. I laid my Savage .222 Remington Model 340 bolt action over the roof and squeezed off a shot. One of the does fell. I field dressed it, dragged it back to the car, and tied it across the trunk lid. Now, with Betsy in the front seat, I put the car in neutral, got it rolling, jumped in, and hung on. We literally rolled to a stop at the Keldron general store/post office after two miles of playing “roller coaster.”

Our luck continued. John O’Donnell, the farmer/rancher who lived just across Highway 12, offered to repair the car when he returned from church.

Two hours later, he dropped the tank, welded up the hole, and put it back together. When I tried to pay him, he told me to do the same for someone.

I’ve tried to live up to his kindness ever since.

ROGER

RATTLESNAKE HILL In 1972, Jerry Shepard and I returned to Corson County with our pronghorn rifles. We were glassing from the top of a butte when we spotted a large herd about a mile east. At that distance, we could make out an outstanding buck.

We studied the cuts and drainages we would encounter and planned our stalk. At 250 yards from our estimated location of the herd, we decided to split in the event the herd had moved.

I went about 300 yards south. At a signal from Jerry, we belly-crawled WILTZ: Page 17

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Hunting Safety For Everyone

Compassionate Stewards of Animal Health

Safety Rules

As another season begins, we ask hunters to pay extra attention to the rules of hunting.

1. Obtain specific permission before hunting on private property. Use current maps and pay careful attention to boundaries so as not to intrude on populated areas.

EXTENDED SATURDAY HOURS

2.To be extra safe, unload guns while traveling to and from the hunting site.

3. Always wear distinctive hunter’s orange clothing.

24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE

PET STYLIST, DOG & CAT LODGING AND HAUL IN FACILITY AVAILABLE!

4. When storing a gun, always unload it first.

5. Please be responsible, report any shooting of power equipment or lines to the local authorities.

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25487 403rd Ave. Mitchell I-90, Exit 325 Betts Road 605-996-7516 • www.centralec.coop

October 2016

1111 W Spruce St, Mitchell, SD | Open Mon-Sat 8-5 p: 605-990-3388 f: 605-990-3389 | www.creeksidecares.com 001475782r1

SEPARATE SEATING AREA FOR UP TO 75!

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HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

HUNTERS POINTE From Page 9

time,” Muth said. “If you shoot the course a lot, he mixes it up so it’s never the same looking (clay) pigeons.”

The unique east course, which consists for the first nine shooting stations, follows a path along a pond. It offers shots similar to duck or goose hunting even the opportunity to shoot from a suspended duckboat.

Chamness said mixing up a variety of shooting stations and shot types help shooters adapt to the randomness of hunting a bird in the field.

“Let’s encounter every possible situation that we have, so when we’re out in the field, we can shoot it,” Chamness said.

The course utilizes 41 fully automatic target throwers throughout the course as well as silos, trees and bushes to simulate field conditions as close as possible.

“Every station is set up different and no two stations are setup the same,” Muth said. “You have birds that go straight out,

13

birds that go straight in, you have birds that cross and every station is unique.

It’s kinda like hunting. Every bird gets up different.”

Hunters Pointe offers a variety of group and corporate functions as well as walk-up shooting nearly year-round. The shooting range is typically open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday in April through October. Hours are shorter on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The hours shorten in November and December and the course is open during the winter months weather permitting.

For Chamness, operating Hunters Pointe keeps him busy and involved with a passion. He added safety on the course is something everyone from 12-year olds to 60-year olds need to take seriously and always be aware of.

“I have 100 percent something in common with everyone I meet,”

said Chamness, who added the shooting range stays busy throughout the summer months. “This time of year, with the changing of the seasons, you will get more guys getting ready for the fall hunting seasons.” ∆

Eric Mayer/Republic

Pictured is the entrance sign at Hunters Pointe near Humboldt.

Eric Mayer/Republic

Hunters walk across a pathway at the shooting course at Hunters Pointe Sporting Clays in September near Humboldt.

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October 2016

38 beers on tap Pizza • Wings • Burgers

A1 Al’s offers premiere pheasant hunting habitat dedicated to providing you the best South Dakota guided pheasant hunting experience.

16 Big Screen TV’s

Hunters, come check out our new luxurious lodge, with over 20,000 sq. ft. for hunters to enjoy themselves before and after the hunt.

Call ahead to reserve seating for your hunting group

College Football & NFL Ticket

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2100 Highland Way • 605.995.5095 www.blarneyssportsbar.com

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Brady Terveen • 605-940-4268 a1als@hotmail.com

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For a unique, exclusive South Dakota pheasant hunt and a place to get away and relax with friends and family, come and visit us at A1 Al’s Pheasant Ranch.

t h e s n a ke d e n l o d g e . c o m Call: (605) 996-1120 • Email: mkuchera@santel.net Website: www.sdpheasants.com Find us on

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• Professional Guides & Dog Handler • Delicious Food & Great Lodging in Mitchell • September Sharp-Tail Grouse & Prairie Chicken • European Driven Pheasant Hunts 001473488r2

The Snake Den Lodge has been owned and operated by Cordie and Marlys Schlomer since the mid 1990s, with the help of family and friends. Casey and Jamie Griffith, son-in-law and daughter, are now carrying on the family tradition and look forward to guiding pheasant and deer hunts. We have catered to thousands of hunters from every state in the union and focus on getting them (and their friends) to come back year after year We focus on high quality habitat for a high quality hunt. Each hunt will be guided by one or more of our experienced guides. Our guides are family and friends that have hunted since birth and enjoy every minute of it.

The Lodge contains 10 rooms, each with its own bathroom, and can sleep anywhere from two to four adults per room. There are an additional four rooms on site for lodging, along with another lodge north of Presho which contains seven bedrooms and five bathrooms.

PHEASANT HUNTING AT THE SNAKE DEN LODGE We offer both regular season and preserve hunts at the Snake Den. Most hunts will occur in some type of food plot, native grass, wetland/slough grass, or Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grass.

Regular season hunts are from the third Saturday in October until the first Sunday in January. 2016 dates are 10/15/16 1/1/2017. The daily limit is three rooster pheasants. Each group will be guided by one or more guides with dogs, most likely Labrador retrievers. Hunters may bring and use their own dogs as long as they work well within the hunt.

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PO Box 220 • Presho, SD 57568-022 • L : 605-895-2400 • B : 605-895-2452 • C : 605-280-5568

HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

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Veurink’s Dakota Outdoors is a family owned hunting lodge for over 30 yrs.

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HUNTING GUIDE

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October 2016

DAKOTA PLAINS TAXIDERMY • Full time and commercially located with over 15 yrs of experience creating award winning mounts.

• Each piece that is completed is a piece of art with attention to detail. “The closer you look, the better we look” • Continually learning by attending state and national shows.

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HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

WILTZ From Page 11

up the slope in front of us. There were no antelope in front of me. I didn’t know it, but Jerry had crawled into the herd.

Eventually I heard a shot and remained in place. Perhaps they would come my way. When I was about to check on Jerry, I spotted a great buck about 250 yards east. He was on his belly, inching along like a pronghorn crawling under a fence.

I fired from my prone position. He rolled over.

Had Jerry wounded this buck? Minutes later, he told me a different animal had dropped when he fired at the big guy. A bullet may have gone through the trophy buck and killed a second pronghorn.

When we skinned the buck, we found a crisp .30-caliber hole in his rib cage. Jerry carried a .243. We looked for a blood trail behind the buck. Nothing.

Though I tagged the buck and later received an arm patch and certificate from Game, Fish, and Parks for my 15-inch horns, I’ll always wonder about him as I never heard of an antelope making a getaway on its knees. Oh yes … earlier that day Jerry blew away a coiled rattlesnake from between my feet with his 12 gauge. I was wearing Hush Puppy moccasins. Pretty stupid.

I TALKED TO THE ANTELOPE It was the late 1970’s. The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks had threatened to shut down the season on

account of the high fire index, but in the end decided to leave the decision with individual ranchers. Though most ranches were closed to hunting, Lewie Schmidt, my host rancher, gave me permission to hunt so long as the pickup stayed in the yard.

During the mid-afternoon on opening day, I spotted two respectable bucks about a mile away. They were watching me. I sat beneath a bank, removed my t-shirt, and proceeded to flag them. They slowly began to move toward me. They would move and stop. This went on for a half hour. At 300 yards, I could hear vocalizations – “Ehh, Ehh” sounds between the two. They slowly continued their advance.

At 200 yards, they were within range but I wanted to see how close they would come.

They continued with their vocalizations, and I decided to join in. “Ehh, Ehh, Ehh” sounded through cupped hands from the back of my throat. Their ears flared! I was speaking their language. The game continued until they were within archery range, and ended in a stand-off. Twelveinch horns were OK but I thought I could do better. I stood up and spooked them.

Never have I heard of or read about someone else doing the pronghorn vocal thing.

THE MONSOON PRONGHORN It was early in the 1980s. Torrential rains began to fall during the wee hours of the opener and continued throughout the day. Unpassable roads shut down all traffic.

17 Frustrated hunters were gathered in the kitchen, biding their time with stories of hunts past. I couldn’t help it any longer.

I would go out after them. I donned my hooded yellow rain suit, pulled on my knee-high rubber boots, and grabbed my Ruger No. 3 single-shot carbine in .30-40 Krag caliber.

I hadn’t done this without some serious thought. I knew the southeast pasture, I knew the area where a pronghorn herd could generally be found, and I knew the antelope would probably seek shelter from the rain that pounded out of the northwest. They would be beneath a south-facing bank, and I would approach each likely bank from above.

When I stepped to the edge of what I considered the most-likely bank, it looked like snow was piled beneath the rim. It was wall to wall pronghorns. They rose one by one and headed east in single file. They kept perfect 20 feet intervals, traveling perhaps at a 10 miles per hour pace. I had time to inspect every animal, and I left the lens covers in place.

Only one really good buck was in that herd, and he came last. I flipped the lens covers and nailed him at the base of his neck. The flooding ran over the entire landscape toward the Grand River, and I floated that buck all the way back to the ranch yard on the end of a rope. If heaven does replays, I want to see this one.

WILTZ: Page 18

File photo

18

HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

Grouse numbers rise ahead of opener

tailed grouse. And according to South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, the number Prairie grouse hunting season got of both species is higher than recent underway in mid-September, and finding averages.

The prairie chicken in particular is the game birds may be a bit easier this thriving with 1.5 males found per square season.Prairie grouse is a general term applied to two species of South Dakota mile this year by GF&P surveyors. That’s game birds, prairie chickens and short- more than double the 2015 number, when surveyors found 0.7 males per square mile, and it’s the highest the population has ever been in South Dakota since 1952, the earliest year for which GF&P provided statistics.

Sharp-tail grouse populations have also seen a boost at 1.2 males per square mile, the highest since 2011.

GF&P Upland Game Biologist Travis Runia attributed the rise to wet weather, which led to strong reproduction rates.

Photo courtesy of Keith Anderson “We had decent production last A prairie chicken is pictured in this handout from South Dakota Game, year for reproduction, and we

BY JAKE SHAMA The Daily Republic

Fish and Parks.

WILTZ From Page 17

“WHATEVER AMUSES YOU” By the mid-1980’s, Betsy and I did our antelope hunting with our great friends, Carol and the late Don Kaberna. On this particular Corson County hunt, my tag remained unfilled as we headed toward home on the Gopher Road. Suddenly, on the west side of the road, we spotted a very good buck and six does about 200 yards out. I knew that there was a place, a hog operation to be exact, about a quarter mile up the road, and I wanted that buck.

I knocked on the door of a single-wide trailer. A very shapely woman, clad in very short shorts and a tight white t-shirt came to the door. “Big boy, what can I do for you?” she asked. I told her about the big buck north of the place, and that I wanted to go after it. “Whatever amuses you!” she replied.

The antelope were still there when we returned. I went down into the ditch, rested my rifle against a cottonwood, and touched off a shot. The pronghorns ran straight away, disappeared from view, and reappeared 100 yards further west.

The buck was no longer with them, and I found him lying in the bottom of the draw. While his horns were not overly long, his mass was heavy. You might remember the story of my dog retrieving these horns from the top of an extension ladder in our barn. I never found them, and I presume she chewed them up.

THE BLIZZARD BUCK In 1990, Don, Carol, Betsy, and I were driving along the south side of a fenced Corson County pasture that ran 2 miles east and west by a mile north and south.

A very good buck and five does were milling around about a half-mile north of us. We developed a quick plan. We would let Carol and Betsy out of the quad cab.

also, over most of the prairie grouse range, had another mild winter, which can help that over-winter survival of those birds,” Runia said. “If we look at last year, we basically had no drought conditions throughout South Dakota.”

Conditions haven’t been as favorable this summer, Runia said, as western South Dakota has faced drought conditions, though the driest weather has been in the far-western portion of the state, where prairie chickens particularly are mostly absent.

Runia said the weather has caused some concern regarding population numbers next year, but hunting may not necessarily be poor as prairie grouse can typically withstand poor conditions.

“They’re a resident game bird, and they’re able to cope pretty well with the tough winters or maybe unfavorable weather conditions, maybe a little bit more easily than pheasants,” Runia said.

GROUSE: Page 23

They would give Don and me 20 minutes to get around to the northwest corner of the pasture. The girls would then walk toward the antelope and hopefully push them toward Don and me.

By the time Don and I were positioned along the north fence near the northwest corner, a squall of blowing snow had developed. Within minutes visibility was zero and Don and I lost sight of each other. I decided to remain on the fence line in order to maintain bearings. Minutes passed as the very local squall raged on!

About this same time, the buck -coming from the east along the fence -- blundered right into me. Rather than retreating, he hit the ground and slid under the fence. I knocked him down as he headed north. We later learned that the women walked almost up to the antelope.

I have dozens of antelope horns that hang on my wall and it seems like most every set has an unusual story connected to them. ∆

HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

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HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

SD pheasant count shows 20 percent decrease

By LUKE HAGEN The Daily Republic

Finding roosters may be a little more difficult this fall, but hunters should expect to harvest more than 1 million pheasants in South Dakota again.

The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department is reporting a 20 percent decrease in the statewide pheasantsper-mile index compared to 2015 after completing its annual pheasant brood survey.

From late July through mid-August, GF&P surveyed 110, 30-mile routes across the state’s pheasant range to estimate pheasant production and calculate the pheasants-per-mile index. Officials count the pheasant broods, aka pheasant families.

This year’s statewide pheasant-per-mile index is 3.05, down from last year’s index of 3.83, when approximately 1.256 million roosters were harvested.

“There were some parts of the state I was a bit surprised and some parts that were a bit expected,” said Travis Runia, GF&P’s upland game biologist. “South of I-90, where there was higher-than-average snowfall and excessive precipitation in April and May, it was expected. For many of the areas of Sioux Falls, Yankton and maybe Mitchell, those areas it was a bit expected.”

Each of the past two years, the pheasantsper-mile index increased after a dismal count in 2013, when it landed at 1.52.

That year, about 983,000 pheasants were harvested statewide, the lowest total since 1997.

According to the survey, 72 of the 110 routes showed a decrease in count.

Survey results indicate the decrease was significant for the Chamberlain, Winner, Aberdeen, Huron, Mitchell, Yankton and Sioux Falls areas.

Mitchell’s count dropped 17 percent this year, from a pheasant-per-mile index of 4.55 in 2015 to 3.78 this year. Winner and Chamberlain both dipped 18 percent.

Chamberlain went from 8.58 in 2015 to 7.01, and Winner was 5.97 to 4.88 pheasants per mile.

Runia explained this year’s survey conditions were not as ideal as past years.

He said 88 of the 110 routes were completed at least one time under prime conditions, which include clear skies and calm winds, and when the dew is heavy on the grass.

“Usually, we’re a little higher than that,” Runia said. “And we really have to base our forecast off the data we have at hand.

We’re really going to be anticipating some of those opening weekend reports from the field to see if there was a little bit of an underestimate from our survey.”

Other notable areas that saw declines in the pheasant-per-mile index were Brookings (4 percent), Watertown (12 percent), Huron (23 percent), Sioux Falls (28 percent) and Aberdeen (43 percent).

“Habitat continues to be at the forefront of the conversation and still remains a crucial factor in pheasant numbers,” GF&P Secretary Kelly Hepler said in a release.

“Bird numbers are higher in parts of the state where quality habitat conditions still exist, primarily on grasslands including those enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program as well as fields of cereal crops such as winter wheat. We continue to work hard in our Habitat Pays outreach efforts and in cooperation with landowners and partner organizations to provide an improved future for wildlife habitat in our state.”

South Dakota’s traditional statewide pheasant hunting season opens Saturday, Oct. 15 and runs through Jan. 1, 2017. ∆ Shutterstock Photo

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HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

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October 2016

GROUSE From Page 18

“Just because we have a drought this year doesn’t mean hunting will be necessarily poor next year, but it could have an influence.”

The birds are closely related but can be distinguished by their tail design, pointed for the short-tailed grouse and rounded for the prairie chicken, Runia said. Male chickens also have tall, ear-like feathers atop their heads and yellow cheeks, while grouse have reddish cheeks.

But harvesting either bird will contribute to a hunter’s daily limit. Any license holder is allowed to harvest three grouse per day and hold a maximum of 15 birds in possession.

Ruffed grouse are included in this count as well, but Runia said the birds are restricted to the Black Hills, and finding one on the prairies of central South Dakota would be “infeasible.”

FINDING FEATHERS According to GF&P reports, short-tailed grouse are most heavily distributed in central and western South Dakota, while prairie chickens are more likely to be found in counties near the Missouri River.

In 2015, the most productive county for grouse was Stanley County, where 1,147 h u n t e r s harvested 4,985 birds.

Perkins followed, where 711 hunters harvested 3,382 birds.

L y m a n and Corson counties were next on the list with 2,934 birds and 2,589 birds harvested, respectively.

Runia said western South Dakota is the typical destination

for grouse hunters, but counties just east of the river and counties in the state’s northeast corner also serve as home to grouse populations.

“Starting in the central part of the state, we have good abundance and throughout all of western South Dakota,” Runia said. “There are pockets of them in eastern South Dakota where large tracts of grassland occur, but most of the hunting pressure occurs in central or western South Dakota.”

Friday also marks the beginning of the two-day sage grouse season, but only 40 limited draw licenses were available, and the birds can only be harvested on public lands in Harding County and a portion of Butte County in the state’s northwest corner.

Shooting hours for prairie grouse season are from sunrise to sunset, and the season will remain open until Jan. 1.

While grouse numbers may be rising, Runia said the number of grouse hunters has consistently fallen over the past 30 years. Since the 1970s, the number of hunters has fallen from about

27,000 to about 13,000 in 2015, but Runia said the number of hunters likely has not affected the population.

“I doubt hunter numbers have any influence on the prairie grouse population given the relatively light amount of hunting pressure at the statewide level,” he said.

Hunters harvested almost 50,000 birds last year, while more than 175,000 prairie grouse were harvested at its highest point on record in the early ’70s. Harvest numbers have hovered between 25,000 and 60,000 for the past decade.

Instead, many hunters tend to focus solely on pheasant hunting, as pheasants are often easier to find and appear in larger groups, making harvesting the daily limit a simpler task. Additionally, pheasants can be found in a variety of habitats, and everyone can take plenty of shots, even in a large group.

“Prairie grouse hunting is a little bit different than pheasants,” Runia said.

“These birds are in wide open grasslands, and their actual location is a bit unpredictable at times, and it just takes a lot of walking to find some birds.”

But for anyone with a South Dakota small game or combination hunting and fishing license, the birds are out there.

While prairie grouse may come onto farmland to feed, they’re more likely to be found on prairie land with tall grasses, t h o u g h with only 1.2 or 1.5 males per square mile, it may be a trek just to find them.

“The best tip I can give you for hunting grouse is to put on some miles and Photo courtesy of Keith Anderson just to start walking,” Runia A prairie chicken is pictured in said. ∆ this handout from South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks.

23

HUNTING GUIDE

24

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HUNTING GUIDE

October 2016

Deer numbers back on the rise

By RYAN DEAL The Daily Republic

Deer numbers in South Dakota are steadily improving, according to state officials.

According to the Northeast Regional Terrestrial Resources Supervisor Jacquie Ermer, deer numbers are improving in some areas of the state. The state was at its peak for deer hunting between 2007-09, but a couple harsh winters impacted the number of deer.

The numbers have since been climbing after mild winters in recent years, said Ermer.

“All indications that deer are increasing actually in the whole region up here,” Ermer said. “Parts of the region, it is increasing a little bit faster than others.”

The projected statewide deer harvest last year was 52,589, a 13 percent increase from 2014. This estimate included 30,687 whitetail bucks, 15,997 whitetail does, 4,888 mule bucks and 1,017 mule does.

An increase in overall harvest of over 6,000 deer with a moderate increase in the number of tags issued resulted in a two percent increase in harvest success from 2014. Increases in buck harvest accounted for most of the increase from 2014, however, doe harvest also increased. Both whitetail and mule doe harvest estimates increased from 2014 by 1,544 and 44, respectively.

Whitetail and mule buck harvest increased DEER: Page 26

National Park Service Photo

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HUNTING GUIDE

26

DEER From Page 25

from 2014 by 3,983 and 492, respectively. Mule deer made up approximately 11 percent of the total harvest.

Ermer said the deer population will again depend on the crop harvest, along with other factors.

“That usually plays a role in how deer hunting is going to be, too,” Ermer said.

“Right now we are a couple of weeks ahead on soybean harvest.

If we are ahead of schedule with corn harvest that will make it a little bit easier for hunters. Deer will just be more visual.

All that stuff kind of plays in as far as how the season might go.”

Ermer said that certain parts of counties are better for deer hunting than others.

“In general, if hunters get off the road and they put a little work into it and look, they will be able to find deer,” Ermer said.

In Davison County last season, 148 deer were harvested. In Hanson County last season, 146 deer were harvested.

local conservation officer.

The disease, which is caused by a virus that is spread by a biting midge, has affected deer herds in Davison and Hanson County.

Mitchell area conservation officer, Andy Petersen, said the disease has been reported

October 2016

occurred in Hanson County.

“It is going to be hard to tell how the deer hunting is going to be this fall,” Petersen said.

“It is probably not going to be as good in the last year or so.”

Petersen said the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks will continue to monitor the EHD situation, but that in his 14 1/2 years at Mitchell, “Typically we have pretty decent deer population. We haven’t had these types of things happen. Otherwise the deer hunting is usually pretty decent here.”

Deer hunting season for East River begins on Nov. 19 and ends on Dec. 4. Antlerless only tags are valid from Dec. 31 to Jan. 8.

The West River season begins on Nov. 12 and ends on Nov. 27. ∆

In general, if hunters get off the road and they put a little work into it and look, they will be able to find deer.

JACQUIE ERMER, Northeast Regional Terrestrial Resources Supervisor

File photo

Deer hunting in the Mitchell area will be impacted by a small outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, said a

throughout both counties. He said in Davison County there’s been 25 deer reported dead, while 14 suspected cases have

October 2016

HUNTING GUIDE

27

PHEASANT

CLASSIC

OCT. 6-17, 2016 MITCHELL, SD

WEEKEND EVENTS OCT. 13-16 Express Licensing

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Field-Hunt Tests

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Cowboy Fast-Draw Laser Shoot

Free Popcorn Balls

Friday, 10 a.m - 4 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Friday, while supplies last

Youth BB-Gun Range and Archery Shoot Friday, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

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SCOTT AND TIFFANY HAUGEN

Friday, Oct. 14 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 14, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 15, 8-10 a.m.

Visit with the inventor of Dokken’s Deadfowl Trainer and founder of Dokken Dog Supply.

Join our Cabela’s Ambassadors for pheasant-cooking demos and pheasant Q&A.

SCOTT LINDEN Friday, Oct. 14 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 15, 8-10 a.m.

Visit with upland bird-dog hunting expert, author and host of “Wingshooting USA”.

For event details and times, visit cabelas.com/mitchell

HUNTING GUIDE

28

October 2016

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