South Dakota:

PIERRE, S.D. – Earlier this year, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission established a pool of stand-by contingency antlerless elk licenses that could be issued if range conditions in the Black Hills dictated a need for them. Next week, at the August Commission meeting, the Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) will recommend the Commission not authorize issuance of any contingency licenses.

“One component of our agency’s elk management plan was the development of elk contingency licenses,” noted Tony Leif, director of the GFP Division of Wildlife. “These licenses provide us with the ability to issue more licenses to assist in lowering elk numbers when reduced habitat conditions such as a drought dictate a reduction.”

“After a discussion with the U.S. Forest Service earlier this week, we do not believe there is a sufficient enough need that exists to issue elk contingency licenses this year. Following the elk management plan, the Commission already increased the antlerless license allocation by a total of 839 to slow the growth of the Black Hills elk population,” concluded Leif.

For complete details on the 2016 elk hunting seasons, visithttp://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/big-game/elk/default.aspx. To learn more about South Dakota’s elk management plan, visit http://gfp.sd.gov/wildlife/management/plans/docs/ElkPlanApril2015Final.pdf.