South Dakota Is Losing Its Hometown Pheasant Hunters. Meanwhile, the Nonresident Business Is Booming

[Gellar]

The next time a random stranger at a small town watering hole with a huge flock of pheasants asks me that, I will let you know. I’d probably be down, but I damn sure would offer something in return.

I have contacts in my phone who I’ve met this way and kept in contact with. Maybe it’s just your sour attitude?

 

[Nick87]

I have contacts in my phone who I’ve met this way and kept in contact with.

Same.

 

[Gellar]

The next time a random stranger at a small town watering hole with a huge flock of pheasants asks me that, I will let you know. I’d probably be down, but I damn sure would offer something in return.

Maybe a better example in today’s society would be meeting some guy on an Internet forum that has private property, getting to know them and they invite you to their ranch to hunt.

 

[LopeHunter]

Why should ranchers or farmers behave differently in the South Dakota than other states where landowners receive cash for access to hunt their land? Why is South Dakota any more special than Wyoming or New Mexico or Missouri or Georgia?

My great great grandfather was paid by hunters from NYC to hunt his land along the Missouri River way back in the 1890s. That was over 130 years ago.

So, pay to play is not a recent development in America.

What is more recent is the out-of-state license plates now parking at private property during hunting season. Curse those bastards, right, showing up wanting to shoot our birds and dance with our women!!

Residents are not protesting the high cost of non-resident application fees, mandatory hunting licenses to apply, and tag costs. We hear the "yes, but I pay taxes and live here" as non-resident fees outpace inflation and tag allocations are cut. hey, if I get mine then so what?

Guess what? When you make an experience more expensive to participate in then you increase the pool of people wanting to "Get their money's worth" while you also create hurdles for expanding hunter participation and new hunter recruitment. Ask Colorado hunters whether might be worthwhile to have more hunters in the state when ballot measures are being voted upon.

How many states are over $2000 to hunt a bull elk now? How many of those states can you draw a tag to hunt each autumn as a non-resident? Do you think most folks who are paying $2000 and burning a good chunk of their vacation days to go on this hunt are just happy to get out and hike with a rifle on their shoulder while bumping into hunters every hour or two? How can you pass on a "okay" bull elk on Day 1 on public when you might hear a "boom" a few minutes later as "brown is down" mantra plays out? On private, might see that bull again on Day 4 if let it walk on Day 1.

After a non-resident with some extra cash in his wallet figured out that the countermove to rising non-resident tag costs rise and reduced tag allocations is to perhaps pay for private access for elk then will be enough non-residents decide the "smart" strategy is on the table if want to hunt elk. Pay for access.

He tells his non-resident buddy (who might at some point draw that same elk tag after waiting for a decade or more) about the great hunt he had. This same strategy then trickles down to other big game through wing shooting, too. Access is a bargain in the minds of a subset of hunters after add up all the costs to acquire the tag after years of non-resident application fees, mandatory $200 hunting licenses to apply to the draw for a decade or more, purchasing points for a decade or more, gear, fuel, lodging, etc.

A public land hunt can run close to $10,000 cumulative costs over the years to get the tag in hand. $5,000 more for land access is not a huge stretch for some. On the other hand if do not want to wait for years to get a tag then a guaranteed VIP tag to step to the front of the line might seem a fair bargain at $25,000. For some. Wait a dog durned moment. Who can afford that?

There are a lot of millionaires in America these days and while having 1 in 5 neighbors worth a million across America does not quite mean what it meant to be a millionaire when you were born it is accurate that there are "enough" hunters here on HuntTalk that a $30,000 elk hunt in Utah or Nevada is not requiring the hunter to put debt on a credit card. Or, $1000 a day to hunt pheasants over a trained dog then retire to the lodging for some home-cooked meals and satellite tv to watch weekend football games and complain about the current wife. Personally, I prefer to eat the evening meal with a rancher on chipped dinnerware than rub elbows with guys wearing $20,000 watches and matching technical clothing but to each his own.

For me, NAM is no longer the reality of how states manage wildlife. Maybe NAM was never what we thought it was.

Why does it matter if the rancher or farmer is being paid to allow access to legally hunt big game or to wing shoot ducks or pan for gold or camp to roast marshmallows? Why does it matter if Utah sets aside dozens of tags outside the draw process? What does it matter if Wyoming sets aside tags for politicians to dress up as women and shoot pronghorn every year? What does it matter if Iowa hands out buck tags to folks with a hunting show?

Let the outrage and table-pounding continue as we complain every time a resident tag is proposed to go up $10 and then high-five each other when our state puts the financial and allocation screws to the non-resident. We got what we deserved.

 

[Treeshark]

Hell yeah.

 

[Ben Lamb]

For me, NAM is no longer the reality of how states manage wildlife. Maybe NAM was never what we thought it was.

While this is a bit off topic, I think a lot of people were sold a fantasy about what the NAM really is from people who tend to treat it as a religion. Still more read into the 7 sisters far more than is actually there. The NAM is a roadmap on how we got to the abundance that North America restored in it's wildlife. A good read on it: https://www.fishwildlife.org/applic...orth_American_Model_Decadal_Review_6.2024.pdf

 

[elkduds]

While this is a bit off topic, I think a lot of people were sold a fantasy about what the NAM really is from people who tend to treat it as a religion. Still more read into the 7 sisters far more than is actually there. The NAM is a roadmap on how we got to the abundance that North America restored in it's wildlife. A good read on it: https://www.fishwildlife.org/applic...orth_American_Model_Decadal_Review_6.2024.pdf

Good to reread that. One key takeaway from the report for me is the scheduled, periodic review and update of the NAM, to keep it relevant in rapidly changing times.

 

[Gellar]

to keep it relevant in rapidly changing times.

I had this conversation with a Conservation Officer 2 weeks ago. It’s scary how fast things change and by the time we take 3 or more years to respond to developing trend it’s to late.

The increase in NR tag sales could use the same argument. At first We all like the increased revenue for projects and equipment but then BAM we take it to far and our residents are out of spots to hunt, habitat is pounded and in the end the wildlife suffers. We, as hunters, are our own worst enemies, most of the time.

 

[TheTone]

Article: R3 is critical!
Also article: Hunter numbers are in lockstep with bird populations.

I like to think about two other R’s: replace and ruin

 

[grizzly63]

There are other downsides to consider. Carrying capacity of ranges. When a rancher can get big money for buck deer, he tends to not let anyone else disturb "his" deer. After the season is over, if he has too many does on his fields, he can complain to the Gfp that they are causing damage and he can legally shoot the excess so long as he does not use the carcass for any reasons. He can throw them in the local crevice, and the coyotes can clean them up. Seems like a waste of wildlife but it happens. One of the other things Kristi did was make sure the GFP wardens could not enter private property without actually seeing violations or having firsthand witness testimony of it. Hard to see what's happening on roadless huge ranches. In the past, some ranchers were caught issuing "ranch tags". Greed is a powerful force, and it can bring out the best and worst of people. I do not really feel it is good that a corporation can pay for any number of employees to fly in to Rapid City, go to Scheels, get outfitted and head to the "ranch" to fill deer tags and then claim the hole darn thing in a tax write off. Remember the deficit folks. The problem is the horse has left the stall and will likely never go back in. It will only get worse. Just remember this, when you lose your lease to someone else who has more money, you might start to understand the pain of the average American worker.

 

[grizzly63]

This morning after the archery deer attempt was over, I drove a road around an area I had permission to rifle hunt deer on to see what was moving. Did not see any deer but on an adjoining land owners field, the pheasants were starting to fly back into cover. I must have seen 35-40 roosters leave the field. No hens. Pretty obvious they were all pen raised. I believe the GFP requires preserves to release more roosters than they take. Maybe they should have to release 5 hens for every ten roosters. Could that help keep numbers up ? or just feed more coyotes?

 

[warmer]

Care to elaborate?
I’m by no means a fan of her, but other than the stopping the roadside bird counts I’m not following. The predator bounty program is/was stupid but it didn’t negatively impact bird numbers.

You named 2.
Capping the bighorn sheep auction tag at 80k for sheep improvement, the rest goes to pheasant habitat
Not allowing CO's to enter private land to do their job
Stealing 3 elk tags to raffle off for pheasant habitat
NR landowner deer tags

 

[buckbull]

You would think where someone lives is a choice, and it has undoubtedly changed. But for people in rural areas, parts of Wisconsin are the same, they have never had the resources to tell them about other opportunities. I graduated high school in the Golden Triangle of Illinois, the same scenario happened there 25 years ago as we are talking about in South Dakota today. In high school we had no resources for looking beyond living in Pike County, Illinois, we had no AP classes, I do not recall any college recruiters coming to visit our school, I dont even remember the military coming to visit our school. If your family did not have the means, whether monetarily or knowledge, to look elsewhere you were set back pretty far as to what your future was going to hold. I was fortunate, but I knew kids in high school that had never been outside of the county.

Your old stomping grounds @Gellar about an hour ago. Good looking buck.

 

[Irrelevant]

Very few if any guys on here are truly anti non resident. As someone who’s a resident of MT and formerly of ND who likes hunting other states as well, I feel grateful for any opportunity a state gives me as a non resident. I fully accept that I should pay significantly more, that residents get priority which might include a longer season or earlier start date, etc. even though residents in many states have better hunting and fishing opportunities than someone else, they also make other sacrifices living there too. Otherwise, every hunter would live out west. A good rule of thumb is to avoid feelings of entitlement that some NR’s show. Instead of being mad that a person can’t for example (hunt public land for upland the first 10 days in MT) be thankful you can come out any time other than that and enjoy the opportunity to hunt new country for an under $150 license.

Sounds great, except all NR opportunities are declining and most states are seeing wildlife numbers decline, and most states are seeing increased residents and most everyone has more disposal income than a generation ago, and it's never been logistically easier to hunt out of state... And when all of that is added up, the writing on the wall is that NR hunting as we know it now is going away in either my lifetime or my kids.

As we transitioned further into a scenario where lack of wildlife resources is pinched by increased demand we will transition to a more European model.

 

[elkduds]

Sounds great, except all NR opportunities are declining and most states are seeing wildlife numbers decline, and most states are seeing increased residents and most everyone has more disposal income than a generation ago, and it's never been logistically easier to hunt out of state... And when all of that is added up, the writing on the wall is that NR hunting as we know it now is going away in either my lifetime or my kids.

As we transitioned further into a scenario where lack of wildlife resources is pinched by increased demand we will transition to a more European model.

Which is why public lands and healthy herds are more important than ever. IMO the more users on public lands, the more powerful public lands voices are in government. The more united those voices are, the more convincing to legislators.

 

[Gellar]

Your old stomping grounds @Gellar about an hour ago. Good looking buck.
View attachment 421777

I have an affection for those tall, tight ones!

 

[huntin24/7]

Sounds great, except all NR opportunities are declining and most states are seeing wildlife numbers decline, and most states are seeing increased residents and most everyone has more disposal income than a generation ago, and it's never been logistically easier to hunt out of state... And when all of that is added up, the writing on the wall is that NR hunting as we know it now is going away in either my lifetime or my kids.

As we transitioned further into a scenario where lack of wildlife resources is pinched by increased demand we will transition to a more European model.

Not going to argue with that. I’ll say without major habitat improvement, less resident opportunities are inevitable too. Even in Montana, opportunity has limitations, and both residents/non residents will eventually be affected by the worsening game populations/less access if we can’t figure out a way to “grow the pie” as people say. The hard part is the average hunter would rather fight over killing the last remaining fork horn/doe than push for anything meaningful.

 

[Nick87]

I have an affection for those tall, tight ones!

Me too. That deer doesn't look half bad either.