game fish and parks

PIERRE (AP) — A state hunting regulatory commission has proposed doubling the nonrefundable fee for big game license applications. The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission proposed increasing the nonrefundable fee from $5 to $10. The fee applies to licenses for elk,...

By Kevin Burbach PIERRE (AP) — The larva of an invasive mussel species closely related the zebra mussel has been found for the first time in South Dakota, in a reservoir in the Black Hills, state officials said Friday. The quagga mussel, a small invasive mollusk, was identified...

PIERRE (AP) — Turkey hunters would be able to bag about 800 fewer birds this spring and without using bait stations under proposed rule changes by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks commission. Commission members proposed the changes Thursday at their October...

PIERRE (AP) — South Dakota officials are asking people who will participate in this fall's hunting season to be diligent in preventing and detecting fires. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department officials say grass and woody plants will become more combustible as they...

GETTYSBURG (AP) — The Whitlock Bay Salmon Spawning Station near Gettysburg has opened for the season, but officials say gathering enough adult salmon for egg collection could be challenging due to the long-term effects of the 2011 flood. Robert Hanten is a fisheries biologist...

LAKE ANDES -- An AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps team is serving in the North Point Recreation Area from Monday until Nov.

STURGIS (AP) — A bullhead battle is brewing under Bear Butte Lake in western South Dakota. The 215-acre reservoir east of Sturgis is known for bullheads, which aren't good to eat but many anglers like to fish for them anyway. The catfish relatives have overwhelmed the fishery...

RAPID CITY (AP) — Law enforcement officers in South Dakota have killed three mountain lions so far in September. Two of the felines had killed farm animals and the third one wandered near a Black Hills business, according to the state Game, Fish & Parks Department. Officials...

More campers are flocking to South Dakota's state-run campgrounds, and state officials predict 2014 will be another record year. So far, this year is up 5 percent over 2013 — which is the record year — for the number of nights the state's 4,190 campsites have been occupied....

YANKTON (AP) — Wildlife officials have used poison to kill all the fish in Lake Yankton in southeastern South Dakota to remove undesirable species such as carp. Flooding in 2011 caused Missouri River water to backfill into the lake just west of Yankton and led to an increasing...

PIERRE (AP) — A shooting complex that's been in the works since 2005 has just opened near Pierre and Fort Pierre. The state says the Lower Oahe Downstream Shooting Complex has averaged nearly 24,000 users annually since 2002 when the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department...

State Wildlife Division leaders provided statistics showing that approximately one-third of the people who applied for rifle and muzzleloader licenses in 2013 didn't get the buck tags that were their first choices in the drawings for the various seasons. Currently hunters can apply...