SDSU researchers studying mule and white-tail deer populations December 16, 2025 South Dakota, Dakota News Now
... “One of the most impactful tools in our research has been the use of a thermal drone for fawn searches,” Krueger said. “This technology has greatly expanded the area we can cover with minimal disturbance to wildlife. The drone’s thermal capabilities have proven invaluable for locating fawns — on occasion, we have located up to nine fawns in a single 20-minute flight.” ...
South Dakota wetlands are under threat from the EPA's rollback November 29, 2025 News From The States
... South Dakota’s wetlands are bustling habitats for waterfowl, deer, and the wild things that make our prairie special... The EPA’s recent move exposes nearly 2 million acres of South Dakota’s wetlands to new risks, and with no strong state-level protection, we could lose even more...
Commission expands Black Hills area where hunters can use dogs to chase mountain lions September 4, 2025 South Dakota, Yahoo
... A report issued this year by the Department of Game, Fish and Parks says the latest mountain lion population estimate for the Black Hills is 393 ... They said fewer lions would also increase the mule deer population in the southern Hills ... The deer population is trending down ...
SD deer hunter density comparable to surrounding states January 21, 2025 South Dakota, Black Hills Pioneer
... GF&P wildlife program administrator reported that at 0.9 hunters per square mile, licenses issued in South Dakota are right in the middle of the numbers for neighboring states Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, and North Dakota. Other states like Wisconsin have 10 hunters per square mile, and Pennsylvania has a density of 14.6 hunters...
Public Works Committee Set to Review City Deer Harvest Plan December 30, 2024 South Dakota, Rapid City South Dakota
... proposal to "harvest" 150 deer within City limits during the 2025 season. ... Since the Deer Management Program was initiated in 1995, as many as 300 deer and as few as 100 deer have been harvested in a particular year, depending on survey numbers and recommendations...
South Dakota elk herd to be culled to fight disease December 23, 2024 SiouxlandProud
... A winter tradition will be returning to Wind Cave National Park ... The number of elk will be reduced to decrease the possibility of CWD in the southwestern herd ... part of the 2009 park elk management plan..,
No deer harvest in Pierre city limits this year October 23, 2024 South Dakota, KELOLAND News
... This year there have been no reports of property damage from deer ... In 2024, there have been 18 vehicle versus deer crashes reported ... there were 25 vehicle versus deer crashes in 2023...
SD commission scraps plan to reduce mountain lion numbers after public pushback October 4, 2024 South Dakota, Nebraska Examiner
... The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission adopted the 2024 to 2028 Mountain Lion Action Plan with a population goal of 200-300 lions, rather than the proposed lower goal of 150-250... The lower population target sparked hundreds of comments for and against the proposal. Written comments in the last month were split, with a majority opposed but a significant minority in favor ...
Full South Dakota Game Fish & Parks April Update April 6, 2024 KFGO
... deer numbers are low in southeastern South Dakota following die-offs because of the severe 2022-2023 winter and hemorrhagic disease in 2023. In response, the Commission proposed changes to the numbers and types of East River Deer Hunting Season licenses..,
Draft Management Plans Available for Public Comment March 27, 2024 South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks
... The South Dakota White-Tailed and Mule Deer Action plan, 2024-2028, is a document that will be utilized to guide deer management in South Dakota. The plan outlines harvest strategies to ensure sustainability of each deer species and its habitat while maintaining populations at levels compatible with human activity and land use...
GF&P could decrease whitetail license numbers March 18, 2024 South Dakota, Black Hills Pioneer
... officials say they will manage for an abundance objective of 70,000 whitetail deer in the Black Hills ... using spotlight and about 250 cameras randomly placed throughout the Black Hills, they estimate a whitetail population of about 40,000...
Lawmakers wade into landowner-hunter relations with plan for special elk licenses February 21, 2024 South Dakota Searchlight
... the bill ... would create extra licenses for South Dakota landowners and their lessees to hunt a female elk every year on agricultural land in the Prairie Elk Units... would be areas where the population is high ...
Is it hunting? 'Wild' game increasingly raised in captivity for profit December 19, 2023 South Dakota Searchlight
... “Any real hunter knows wild deer don’t look like that,” Olson said, pointing to the thick antlers and massive body, traits developed when a deer is fed a diet unattainable in the wild... sold to customers across the globe for thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars...
Rapid City deer harvest set for after the holidays December 11, 2023 South Dakota, Rapid City KOTA-TV
... For the sixth consecutive year, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department recommends the harvesting of 250 deer in the city limits... The reason for this is to minimize the number of deer-vehicular incidents ...
Finding processing for big game tricky in South Dakota December 5, 2023 Argus Leader
... A sudden shortage of South Dakota butchers and meat cutters willing to process wild game has been bad news for hunters ... Some butcher shops have closed or shifted focus, while others no longer take any wild game ...
GF&P to explore possible connection between low lion harvest, declining deer population April 20, 2023 South Dakota, Black Hills Pioneer
... Bies and Commissioner Charles Spring expressed concern that the lion population could be growing, resulting in declining deer population... the Black Hills deer population is close to 40,000 fewer than the agency’s target numbers. Game, Fish and Parks biologists Andrew Norton and Andy Lindbloom attributed the decreased deer population to an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease and the recent brutal winter conditions...
Declining deer population leads to GF&P reduced licenses April 18, 2023 South Dakota, Black Hills Pioneer
... an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in 2021 combined with the brutal winter of 2022-2023 contributed to a significant decline in the whitetail and mule deer population. Current estimates for whitetail deer in the Black Hills are at 38,000... Overall, the department will have 3,300 fewer firearm licenses available..,
Brutal winter takes toll on wildlife across South Dakota April 12, 2023, SDPB Radio
... the state purchases feed from local farmers to lure wildlife away from livestock acreage. These so-called short stop feeding sites essentially provide feed where large herds of deer migrate. The deer adapt to harsh winter conditions by gathering together in large herds – sometimes 100 animals or more..,
Wind Cave backcountry to close for elk management project January 10, 2023 South Dakota, Rapid City Journal
... Approximately 40 elk will be removed and tested for chronic wasting disease... It's part of a long-range study with the U.S. Geological Survey looking to see if lower population density correlates with a lower prevalence of chronic wasting disease...
Large deer herd crosses snowy highway in McPherson County December 30, 2022 South Dakota, KELOLAND News
... In 2021, the GFP reported 115,102 resident and nonresident deer hunting licenses for a total of 132,703 deer tags. The projected deer harvest was 55,142 in 2021, down nearly 4,000 from 2020. The record deer harvest in South Dakota was 95,000 deer in 2010. Wildlife experts say deer population across South Dakota is above 400,000 and population levels ..,
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in New Area December 13, 2021 South Dakota, GFP News
... a hunter-harvested adult male white-tailed deer in southern Union County along the Missouri River. South Dakota has now confirmed CWD in 20 counties, and this is the third county where CWD has been detected in free-ranging deer east of the Missouri River in South Dakota...
Should South Dakota's East River deer season be shorter? Mitchell man petitions yes December 7, 2022 YAHOO!News
... The GFP website says South Dakota deer hunting seasons have occurred regularly since the 1950s, with deer hunters harvesting approximately 95,000 deer during the record year of 2010. More recently, due to diseases, statewide white-tail deer harvest has hovered around 45,000...
Report All Game & Fish Violations, Permits for Dead Deer October 14, 2022 North Dakota, NewsDakota.com
... Game & Fish Wildlife Biologist Doug Leier reports that they encourage hunters, anglers, and landowners who witness a wildlife or fish violation to use the Report All Poachers hotline, or RAP... rewards – from $100 to $1,000 ... 701-328-9921 ...
South Dakota forges on with CWD regulations in the face of a disease that yields no data October 12, 2022 YAHOO!News
... Chronic Wasting Disease ... "(In) Buffalo County, we basically know that it's probably there. So we're moving on and putting our effort to the counties to the east of that to see if it's in those counties," ... it's impossible to completely stop the spread since CWD will still naturally spread ...
Some bowhunters call unlimited licenses for non-residents unreasonable September 2, 2022 South Dakota, SDPB Radio
... South Dakota is the only state that allows an unlimited number of licenses to non-residents. Resident bowhunters say that results in overcrowded public hunting lands and encourages commercialization of wildlife...
Rapid City deer harvest concludes, 6,401 pounds of meat helps the hungry March 11, 2022 South Dakotda, KOTA
... In the mid 90s Rapid City began the Deer Harvest ... The City fell 10 dear short of 250, attributing that to cold weather ...
Man guilty of killing multiple deer without a license fined $13.3K January 26, 2022 South Dakota, Black Hills Pioneer
... A man who admitted to killing multiple deer without a license because they were killing his pine trees was sentenced ... 14 counts of killing big game without a license ...
Wildlife Diversity Small Grant Proposals Being Accepted January 18, 2022 South Dakota GFP
... This program provides funding for researchers, educators, and naturalists to carry out projects focused on native wildlife. Funding for the 2022 Small Grants Program totals $28,000 for projects that are focused on research of native wildlife species and their habitats... Proposals are due by February 18, 2022. For more information, contact the Wildlife Diversity Program at 605.773.4345 or email Casey.Heimerl@state.sd.us.
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in New Area December 20, 2021 South Dakota, GFP News
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently confirmed in a new area in central South Dakota. Confirmation of the disease was obtained from a hunter-harvested adult female white-tailed deer in Buffalo County..,
South Dakota has now confirmed CWD in 19 counties, and this is the second detection of CWD in free-ranging deer or elk east of the Missouri River in South Dakota.
Rapid City, Public Works Committee reviewing GF&P Annual Deer Harvest recommendations November 30, 2021 South Dakota, Black Hills Fox
... The proposed number of deer recommended for harvesting within the City limits is 250 ... The Deer Management Program began more than 25 years ago, and the number of deer harvested in a particular year has been mas high as 300, depending on the recommendations...
East River deer season kicks off Saturday in South Dakota November 19, 2021, South Dakota, The Mitchell Republic
...There are some concerns that the deer population has suffered due to the excessively dry conditions the state experienced in 2021, along with the presence of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and chronic wasting disease (CWD) ... The dry conditions reduced watering resources and opened up some available hunting areas to emergency haying ...
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in New Area November 16, 2021, South Dakota Game,Fish, and Parks News
... Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently confirmed in a new area in central South Dakota. Confirmation of the disease was obtained from sick surveillance efforts coming from an adult female mule deer in Stanley County... now considered in the CWD endemic area. South Dakota has now confirmed CWD in 18 counties of western and central South Dakota...
With numbers about half what they were two years ago, task force determines no need for deer season to be held within Pierre city limits this year October 27, 2021 South Dakota, Dakota Radio Group News
... During the count, 29 deer were observed within city limits. That’s up from 22 deer counted by the task force last year and far less than the 48 observed by the group in 2019...
