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Department of Game, Fish, and Parks
GFP 2018 March Proposals/April Finals
1. ARSD 41:06:26:01 - Black Hills elk hunting season established – Number and type of licenses – Season dates.
Effect: The proposed rule will adjust the available elk licenses to 425 “any elk” and 700 “antlerless elk.” For units BHE-H1B, BHE-H7B, and BHE-H9B the proposal will adjust the season dates to October 15-31 and December 1-16. For units BHE-H2B, HBE-H2E, and BHE-H3E the season dates will be changed to October 15-31. For units BHE-H2C, BHE-H2F, BHE-H2I, BHE-H3C, and BHE-H3F the season dates will be changed to December 1-16. For units BHE-H2D, BHE-H2G, BHE-H2J, BHE-H3D, and BHE-H3G the season dates will be changed to December 17-31.
Reason: Elk hunting license numbers have been adjusted based on biological and harvest information gathered during 2017 which follows management direction as described in the elk management plan. Adjustments to season dates have been proposed to provide as equal amount of days per hunting unit as possible for future hunting seasons.
2. ARSD 41:06:43:01 - Archery elk hunting season established -- Number and type of licenses available -- Season dates.
Effect: The proposed rule will adjust the number of available archery elk licenses to 142 “any elk” and 80 “antlerless elk.”
Reason: Elk hunting license numbers have been adjusted based on biological and harvest information gathered during 2017 which follows management direction as described in the elk management plan.
3. ARSD 41:06:59:01 - Prairie elk hunting season established -- Number and type of licenses available -- Season dates.
Effect: The proposed rule will adjust the number of available licenses available to 68 “any elk” and 73 “antlerless elk.”
Reason: Adjustments to elk hunting licenses reflect desired management direction for each hunting unit and collectively as described in the elk management plan.
4. ARSD 41:06:59:02 - Open units. The following is a description of the open units for the prairie elk hunting season.
Effect: The proposed rule will establish a new unit comprised of Harding County with season dates of September 15-October 31 and December 1-31.
Reason: Based on observations by the public and elk counted during an aerial survey this winter, a new unit is being proposed in Harding County which will provide hunting opportunities.
5. ARSD 41:06:27:01 - Custer State Park elk hunting season established -- Number and type of licenses -- Season dates.
Effect: The proposed rule will adjust the season date for the season to October 1-31.
Reason: These adjustments for Custer State Park any elk hunting would align hunting dates with other Black Hills elk hunting units.
6. ARSD 41:06:47:02 - Open units. Units CAE-CU1 and CAE-CU2 are established for the special Custer State Park antlerless elk hunting season.
Effect: The proposed rule would modify the unity boundary of CAE-CU1 and CAE-CU2 to that portion of Custer State Park south of the R&D Pasture fence line.
Reason: To focus chronic wasting disease management strategies, the proposed change to the geographic area of these units is being considered to match the same geographic area as the other four antlerless elk hunting time frames in Custer State Park.
7. ARSD 41:06:01:07.02 - Restrictions on landowner preference for legal entities.
Effect: The proposed rule would clarify restrictions and application on preferences that are given to entities for landowner preferences.
Reason: The change would clarify that entities owning property are held to the same acreage requirements that individual landowners are held to for landowner preference for elk hunting licenses.
8. ARSD - 41:06:01:15 - Elk application requirements.
Effect: The proposed rule would increase the minimum number of acres from 240 acres to 1,000 acres in order to qualify for landowner preference and add language that would allow a landowner-operator to qualify if any amount of privately owned/operated land had over 2,000 elk use days. Furthermore, it would allow for lease agreements to be orally in addition to in writing in order to qualify as a leasee.
Reason: Increase of the acreage requirement would restrict the qualifications to those individuals who have a higher potential of incurring financial loss due to elk use of their property.
New content is added below as the draft rules move through the rule-making process.