MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) An archery group says hunters who harvest any big game in South Dakota should have to report the kills to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks.
The South Dakota Bow Hunters Association filed the petition. The Game Fish and Parks Commission considered the proposed rule change on Thursday but decided against going forward with it.
Ron Kolbeck of Salem presented the bowhunters’ request. The suggestion for enforcement was that hunters who don’t report their harvests shouldn’t receive licenses in the future.
But Tom Kirschenmann, director of the department’s Wildlife Division, said good information already is obtained from harvest surveys that are sent to all licensed hunters, who decide whether they want to respond. For the two major deer-firearms seasons, he said, the responses have been 50% or higher in recent years.
He called for more time for the division to continue development of an e-tagging system for hunters.