PIERRE, S.D. — A bid by a member of South Dakota State House leadership to end Game Fish and Park’s (GF&P) Nest Predator Bounty Program failed to garner enough support in a legislative hearing.
Lawmakers on the House’s Agriculture and Natural Resources committee gave a warm endorsement to the program — ushered into existence by former Gov. Kristi Noem during the earlier years of her tenure — despite evidence presented by opposition to suggest the program was not doing anything to improve the state’s pheasant population.
The former governor breathed life into the program in 2019, touting it as a way to expand trapping to future generations, and to help protect duck and pheasants from common predators.
From April 1 until July 1, all South Dakota residents are encouraged to capture and kill raccoons, striped skunks, badgers, opossums, and red fox, and then turn them into a GF&P office where they are awarded ten dollars per tail. Each household is entitled to to up to $590 until GF&P expends $500k on the program.
House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach pointed to recent reports by GF&P themselves that suggest the program has not substantially helped improve pheasant population numbers in the state. According to a report by South Dakota Searchlight during last year’s legislative session, GF&P is unable to provide evidence that the program has improved the state bird’s numbers.
“I have hunted pheasants my life so I know a thing or two about this,” Odenbach explained. “If we had South Dakota version of DOGE this would probably be on the top of the list.”
The Spearfish Republican’s measure called for the money — all of which comes from the department’s own revenues — to instead be devoted to helping create more pheasant habitats, which he and conservation organizations like the Izaak Walton League, the South Dakota Waterfowl Association and the South Dakota Wildlife Federation all said offered more support to birds than subsidized trapping. Furthermore, federal aid through the Wildlife Restoration Act provides funding for state wildlife agencies via an excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment to support habitat restoration. More of that money could become available to the state if the sole focus of GF&P was habitat preservation.
“It is 97 percent about habitat,” said George Vandel, representing both South Dakota’s Waterfowl Association and Wildlife Federation. “If you don’t have the habitat you aren’t going to have pheasants.”
Opponents of Odenbach’s House Bill 1262, including a representative from GF&P, noted the increase in youth participation the program has seen through the last several years. Those under the age of 18 are able to participate in the program a full month in advance and be entered into various giveaways through their participation. Overall participation by minors rose from 32 percent in 2022 to 46 percent in 2023.
The state, the department claimed, already spends millions on habitat preservation — $24 million in the last year.
“Youth engagement continues to rise with the program,” said GF&P’s Tom Kirschenmann, citing a study they conducted showing that 83 percent of respondents approve of the program. “The opportunity to talk about habitat preservation with all people involved is absolutely imperative.”
Rep. Spencer Gosch, one of five lawmakers who voted unsuccessfully to advance the bill to the full House for consideration, challenged the success of the program over time.
“There are no metrics, we don’t do bird counts anymore,” Gosch said. “The nest predator program has done a good job of making sure there is no roadkill in my area with tails on them.”
But arguments about the programs success in driving up youth participation in a practice that has existed in South Dakota for decades won the day. Members of the committee relayed their own experiences with trapping within their families and what characteristics it had helped to form.
“Back in the day there was a gopher tail program, my husband learned patience, entrepreneurship and he was a sharpshooter in the service,” said Rep. Trish Ladner. “I am fully behind this program, I think it is doing a lot to train and bring up the next generation.”
Though GF&P signaled strong support for the program Tuesday, the future of it could be in question. The department’s webpage for the program notes that the GF&P Commission has only approved the program to run through 2026 thus far.
