HUNTING

Try an SCI auction for a cheap hunt

As we motored southward down I-29 Feb. 18, more and more geese filled the air. Flocks of Canadas and snows became thick as we approached the St. Joseph, Mo., area. We didn’t know it then, but heavy weekend snow would push the geese south again. While we’ll have to wait a bit for our spring goose hunting, the thought of spring geese and walleyes makes March not nearly so boring as some would make us believe.

March 10, 2010

Opinion: Autolysis is not for everyone

On Sunday, all five boats fishing below the dam at Pickstown limited on walleyes. Put in below town on the east side, and please put the large females back in the river.

March 03, 2010

Archery antelope hunters report success in 2009

PIERRE — One of South Dakota’s first fall hunts is archery antelope, and through surveys from the 2009 season submitted by hunters, the state Game, Fish and Parks Department begins planning the 2010 seasons.

February 24, 2010

Opinion: Be aware: wildlife belongs to S.D., including skulls with antlers

On Page 8 of the Feb. 3 edition of The Avon Clarion, there’s a picture of Bon Homme County conservation officer Todd Crownover handing over a deer skull and antlers to young Drew Koch of Tyndall. According to the accompanying article, Drew wounded the deer during the 2008 rifle season, but never found it in spite of an extensive search that included family and friends.

February 24, 2010

Pheasant Country elects new officers

Pheasant Country, the Mitchell chapter of Pheasants Forever, elected new officers recently.

By Sports staff , February 17, 2010

Opinion: Be wary of having your name on lists

It’s no secret that the best ice fishing is early and late. As we approach the late, keep in mind that much of the ice has been snow-covered. Snow insulates ice and makes for dangerous areas. Sand or dust on ice can absorb heat. We have had thawing and freezing which makes for honeycomb or weak ice.

February 17, 2010

Mountain lion season ends in Black Hills

PIERRE — The 2010 South Dakota mountain lion season closed Thursday with the harvesting of the 40th lion.

February 12, 2010

Opinion: Hunting traditions from days gone by

I’m currently reading “The Best of Nash Buckingham” edited and annotated by George Bird Evans. Buckingham, born in 1880, lived to the ripe age of 91, and hunted just about to the end. A southern gentleman from a family of moderate wealth, he spent a lifetime hunting quail and waterfowl at private clubs, judging field trial (dogs) championships and writing. If he had a trademark, it was his ability to record the southern African-American dialect on paper as illustrated in his most famous short story “De Shootnest Gent’man.”

February 10, 2010

Resident Canada goose plan available for review

PIERRE — The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department is offering citizens the opportunity to review a five-year draft management plan for resident Canada geese. The South Dakota Resident Canada Goose Management Plan is written with a goal of providing maximum recreational opportunities that are consistent with a healthy goose population, habitat constraints and tolerance levels of private landowners and the public. The draft is now open for review during a 30-day public comment period.

January 27, 2010

Opinion: Danger is sometimes relative

I once worked in the steel mills. Disaster lurked for those who weren’t alert, sober and well-rested. I once coached. Even in small-town South Dakota, you better win. I married once. That’s pretty good in a country with a 50 percent divorce rate. Yes, I’ve flirted with danger. On TV a few nights ago, I was watching Jim Shockey hunt dwarf buffalo in Ethiopia. He was in a native village, and the children were crowded around him seeking candy, etc. Most of the men in the background were carrying rifles including AK-47’s. Jim was asked if what he was doing was dangerous. His reply made a number of interesting points, none of which had anything to do with the animals hunted.

January 27, 2010

GF&P: 1,900 take part in mentored big-game hunting

Kaleb Crownover carefully aimed his .243 rifle at the emerging doe, focused on getting his first kill as a mentored hunter.
The 10-year-old Tyndall resident had prepared for this moment by getting familiar with the rifle’s recoil on his family’s farm, a process that left him with a black-and-blue mark on his forehead, but also the confidence to take to the field with his father, Todd.

January 26, 2010

GF&P Commission proposes increase in special buck licenses

PIERRE — A proposal before the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission would increase the number of special buck licenses available for the 2010 firearm deer season. The measure would increase the current 400 East River resident licenses to 500, the same number currently available for West River resident and nonresident seasons. There is no East River special buck nonresident season.

January 20, 2010

Opinion: Imprinting can be useful in S.D.

Joyce, Betsy’s sister, works for Barnes & Noble. She knows her books, and customarily gives me a book for Christmas. I am coming to look forward to her annual selection. This year’s book was a collection of columns by outdoor writer Gene Hill. One of Hill’s columns was about imprinting. Imprinting has to do with modifying a creature’s basic instinct in order to reach a desired end. Hill’s example involved baby ducks. Let’s say they’re hatched in an incubator without a mom. Feed them a few times, and they will follow you around as they would their mother.

January 20, 2010

GF&P spends nearly $2M for three new public hunting areas

PIERRE — The state Game, Fish and Parks Commission is buying more land for public hunting in McPherson, Brookings and Custer counties.
The three tracts total 669 acres and combined will cost more than $1.7 million.
The McPherson County tract covers 80 acres of cropland, grassland and wetland about seven miles southwest of Eureka. It is adjacent to the North Jackson state public shooting area.

January 18, 2010

GOP candidate criticizes Demo Rep. mailing

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Republican congressional candidate Blake Curd criticized Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin on Wednesday for sending what he called campaign-style material to South Dakotans at taxpayer expense.

By Chet Brokaw , January 14, 2010