Birds. At Home, On the Range.
Bird Watching Tour

June 8-9, 2007
Black Hills of South Dakota

Hosted by: South Dakota Grassland Coalition
http://www.sdgrass.org/

South Dakota is truly a birder’s paradise. Numerous species of rare and common birds make their homes across the state, especially in the Black Hills. The rugged terrain of rolling hills and granite peaks in addition to the lush vegetation and fresh water lakes make for exceptional habitat for birds…not to mention breathtaking backdrops for birding enthusiasts.

The South Dakota Grassland Coalition invites you to take a journey through western South Dakota to view the abundant populations of birds that make their home here. Learn how rangeland management plays an important role in the state’s agricultural industry as well as provides adequate habitat for South Dakota’s native feathered friends.

This two-day tour features visits to ranches situated in the beautiful Black Hills. As a participant, you’ll watch and record bird species, hear presentations from land owners and learn about conservation techniques used in this area.

Space is limited to 85 participants, so register now! Pre-register by completing the registration form (found on the website: http://www.sdgrass.org/ ) and mailing a check, for $15 per person, to the South Dakota Grassland Coalition. (There is also a link to the website on the calendar of events page.)

For more information on the tour contact:
South Dakota Grassland Coalition
Justin “Judge” Jessop
(605) 895-2301
jjessop@sdconservation.org

POLAR EXPOSURE:
POLAR BEAR PHOTOGRAPHER PRESENTS AT THE OUTDOOR CAMPUS
Thea Miller Ryan
Director, The Outdoor Campus

World-renowned wildlife photographer, Dennis Fast is coming to The Game, Fish and Parks' Outdoor Campus to present his amazing photos of polar bears and wolves at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Saturday, June 9.

Fast's amazing wildlife photography is featured in several books about northern animals. A significant number of Dennis's pictures can be found in "Pelicans to Polar Bears" (1999), a wildlife viewing guide to Manitoba; "Wapusk: White Bear of the North" (2003) written by Rebecca Grambo; and "In Search of Ancient British Columbia" (2006) with Barbara Huck.

His latest book, (April 2007) "The Land Where the Sky Begins," was commissioned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada to document the last remnants of Manitoba's tall grass prairie and aspen parkland. It was written by Barbara Huck, one of Canada's premier natural history writers, and is lavishly illustrated with photographs of the landscapes and wildlife that constitute this vanishing wilderness.  more

Huron Prairie Fest
A Free Outdoor Educational Adventure for the Whole Family

Saturday, May 19, 2007, 9am-3pm
Located at Maga Ta-Hohpi Waterfowl Production Area

Schedule of Events
Early Bird Cont’l Breakfast
Bird Netting & Banding
Great Plains Zoo – Live Animal Demonstration
Explore a Wetland
Prairie Trail Ride (Horse drawn trail ride. Bring your binoculars.
Intro to Wildlife Photography
Lunch ($2/person) with Puppet Show
Fire on the Prairie (Equipment Demo)
Birding By Ear

Activities Available All Day (9am-3pm)
Soil Tunnel
Prairie Bingo Scavenger Hunt
It’s for the Birds – Build your own Bird Nesting Shelf.
Bird Troopers – Explore local wildlife. Bring your own binoculars or check them out.
I.D. in the Classroom
Meet a Local Wildlife Photographer, Chris Bailey
Wildlife Crafts
Wildlife Wood Carving Demonstrations
The Buffalo & Plains Indians Traveling Exhibit
Dutch Oven Demonstration

Rain or Shine (dress accordingly)

Maga Ta-Hohpi Friends Group
352-0000 or 1-800-487-6673

 

Pheasant Season Finalized with Changes

The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission finalized the state’s pheasant hunting season with changes in units and shooting hours at its April meeting in North Sioux City.

The 2007 season will have just one unit. In the past, most of the state was in one unit with a second unit made up of Butte, Meade and Lawrence counties and Pennington County west of the Cheyenne River. Due to a smaller pheasant population, the second unit traditionally had a shorter season.

This year, the pheasant hunting season will run statewide from Oct. 20 to Jan. 6, 2008. Shooting hours will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.

At the commission meeting, the youth pheasant season was also finalized. It will be lengthened to three days this year--Oct. 6 to Oct. 8--and the possession limit was also increased from six cock pheasants to nine.


Quail Season Going Statewide

In an effort to increase opportunities for hunters, the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission has adopted a statewide quail hunting season. The commission took the action at its April meeting in North Sioux City.

In the past, the quail season was limited to eight counties in southeastern South Dakota. Widening the season statewide does not mean, however, that there are quail in every corner of the state.

“There’s not going to be quail everywhere,” GFP Assistant Wildlife Division Director George Vandel said. “Wild quail currently exist only in the southern tier of counties in central and eastern South Dakota. Mild weather that allows quail to over-winter in combination with proper habitat is required and is likely only going to occur in those areas.”

The statewide quail season dates are the same as the dates for the statewide pheasant hunting season—Oct. 20 to Jan. 6, 2008.

Three season proposals that were made without changes from 2006 were approved by the commission and consequently have been finalized. They include:
 Archery antelope: The season will run from Aug. 18 to Oct. 31 except during the prairie firearms season.
 Special Canada goose: This season will run from Oct. 20 to Dec. 16 in Bennett County.
 Tundra swan: The season will start on Sept. 29 and run through the end of the light goose hunting season in all counties east of the Missouri River except Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Yankton, Clay, Union, Lincoln, Turner, Hutchinson and Douglas

Online Hunting Applications
The online applications for the 2007 Elk, Bighorn Sheep, CSP deer, and both paddlefish seasons are now open. Paper applications should be arriving at regional offices and licensing agents around May 1.
The links to the paper application PDF's are:
http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/hunting/Applications/PDFs/Elk.pdf 
http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/hunting/Applications/PDFs/MtGoatBighornSheepPaddlefishCSPdeer.pdf 
The paper application postmark deadline for each of these seasons is May 25th. Online applicants will have until May 29th at 8:00 AM CST.


Details for the events listed in our calendar will be posted when they become available. Please check back often for updates.

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