Need your action, maybe the last time for this Session!
Please if you have the chance to attend a cracker barrel this weekend please ask all Senators to oppose HB 1184 Landowner tags to Non-resident landowners and to support HCR 6011, RAWA funding at a National level. Please email the Senate Ag. Members listed and ask them to vote NO on 1185 and YES on HCR 6011 Tuesday morning in Senate Ag.
Senate Ag. Members; Blare, Rocky (R); Ewing, Bob (R); Foster, Red Dawn (D); Heinert, Troy (D); Klumb, Joshua (R); Otten, Ernie (R); Soholt, Deb (R); Youngberg, Jordan (R)
Tuesday morning at 745 am in House Ag is SB 150 please email House Ag members and ask them to vote NO on SB 150 Tuesday morning.
HB 1184 provide limited deer and antelope licenses to landowners
http://sdlegislature.gov/Legislative_Session/Bills/Bill.aspx?Bill=1184&Session=2020
SDWF strongly opposes this bill. Amendment 1184B did improve it by removing much of the potential for abuse by limiting the tags to landowners owning AND OPERATING 640 acres or more contiguous acres of land. The language concerning leasing was mostly removed, a good step. However, this was a bad bill to begin with, and removing some of the language SDWF objected to does not make it a good bill or a compromise. Nothing in this bill is good for resident sportsmen and women.
- This bill allows nonresident landowners and their families to obtain guaranteed any deer and any antelope tags. Nonresident landowners do not have the right to vote in South Dakota, obtain a South Dakota driver’s license, or have many of the rights and privileges afforded residents. Deer and antelope are limited natural resources belonging to the residents of South Dakota. While we sympathize with nonresident landowners, our residents must come first. SDWF also encourages nonresidents to become residents of SD to enjoy all the benefits this state has to offer.
- This bill could potentially remove many hundreds or even thousands of deer and antelope tags from the pool of licensees now currently available to average sportsmen, including those that go to resident landowners.
- HB 1184 includes all hunting units across the entire state. The bill would allow nonresident landowners in the West River, East River, Black Hills and any other unit to obtain guaranteed any deer tags and any antelope tags for them and their families. In addition, those landowners will be allowed to obtain free doe licenses.
- The bill does not allow SD GF&P to make reductions in nonresident landowner deer tags if EHD, CWD, adverse weather conditions or other problems impact the herd.
- SDWF feels the removal of many hundreds of deer and antelope will have an adverse biological impact, especially if the herd is stressed.
- Any management for trophy deer and antelope requires safeguards against overharvest of younger males. The bill makes such safeguards extremely difficult at best.
- SDWF feels that if HB 1184 passes, the current system of landowner preference for residents may need to be changed, but there is no political will to do so. Therefore, resident sportsmen and women, especially those who are not landowners, can expect a reduction in deer hunting tags and opportunities.
- We have to ask if HB 1184 has the potential to increase land prices, keeping resident landowners from expanding their operations and preventing new farmers and ranchers from starting out? This is a question that should be answered. If true, a side-effect could be to increase current property taxes.
HCR 6011 Supporting the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. SDWF supports if RAWA is passed on a National level. With matching dollars from GFP RAWA would mean up to $16 Million dollars to the State GFP for non-game species, recovery and habitats on State and Tribal lands here in SD. Tribal funds are separate from the GFP money. http://sdlegislature.gov/Legislative_Session/Bills/Bill.aspx?File=HCR6011P.html&Session=2020&Version=Introduced&Bill=HCR6011
SB 150 an act to revise nonresident waterfowl licensure. SDWF strongly opposes The bill has the potential to increase hunting pressure in South Dakota, making it a lose-lose proposition for the vast majority of waterfowl hunters, resident and nonresident alike. There is no regard to the long term consequences of the privatization and commercialization of wildlife. Resident participation has been in steep decline over the past several years and this legislation has the potential to make those losses worse http://sdlegislature.gov/Legislative_Session/Bills/Bill.aspx?Bill=150&Session=2020