The Effect of Trapping Restrictions on SD Pheasant Numbers

The following document was sent to the Pheasant Task Force and the SD GFP today.  



From the charts you can see that our brood count went from 2,500 before the trapping restrictions to 500 after the trapping restrictions were put in place.  This means we had 5 times as many pheasants before the gfp implemented these two trapping restrictions as we have today.  

That is a 500 % reduction in our pheasant population in just 4 years which can be directly attributed to the sd gfp implementing restrictions which prevented our fur trappers from harvesting our nest predators.

We are hopeful that it will be effective in showing the effect that two of the most recent trapping restrictions put in place by the sd gfp has had on our pheasant numbers and the resulting decline in our pheasant numbers.

Now, if only we can get the SD GFP to take some action to correct their mistakes and repeal these two trapping restrictions.  If they were to pay our businesses and trappers back for the $250+ million they cost them in lost revenue and fire some of their staff that would be alright too.  

In just 4 years the wildlife division of the sd gfp has virtually destroyed our pheasant hunting and our trapping industries.  We can not afford 4 more years of this kind of management.  

And we are not buying the gfp's excuse about a wet spring in 2013,  we have lived in South Dakota all our lives and we have had a wet spring here every single year.  There is no amount of spin that the gfp can put on it that will convince our residents that the gfp and the gfp commission were not responsible for destroying our pheasant population by implementing these trapping restrictions.

In case you are thinking that I am being too hard on the gfp you must remember that our states resident fur trappers opposed this rule and sent a 20 page report to the gfp and the gfp commission warning them that our pheasant population would suffer if they proceeded with this restriction.  The gfp and the gfp commission proceeded anyway against our trappers recommendations and the predicted decline in our pheasant population is now a reality.  

By their own hands the gfp and the gfp commission destroyed our pheasant population and they should now be held accountable for ignoring the recommendations of our states expert fur trappers.  Everyone in the gfp who had a hand in implementing these restrictions should be fired.  Everyone on the gfp commission who voted for these restrictions should be dismissed and they should forfeit their bond.  If they are not capable of managing our pheasant resource they are not capable of managing any of our resources.

Please send your request to repeal the trapping restrictions to the pheasant task force and the sd gfp and demand that these restrictions be removed so that you will have pheasants to hunt.