08-26-2004, 12:39 AM
[size 2]PIERRE, S.D. -- Shooting preserves have shown an increased growth in numbers since the South Dakota Legislature enacted the Private Shooting Preserve Act in 1963.[/size]
[size 2]“Prior to the mid-1980's, there were less than 10 preserve operations, statewide,” said Steve Thompson, Game, Fish and Parks shooting preserve coordinator. “Today, the number of shooting preserves in South Dakota has risen to 227.”[/size]
[size 2]Thompson attributes the growth in shooting preserves to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that began in 1986. Also, mild winters since 1997 have allowed a greater carry-over of the pheasant population in the past years.[/size]
[size 2]“With the beginning of the Conservation Reserve Program, many acres of land were taken out of crop production,” Thompson said. “Now these seeded acres of grass and habitat are ideally suited for pheasant production, winter survival, avoiding predators and hunting.”[/size]
[size 2]Since CRP, the pheasant population has shown an increase from two million birds in 1986 to 8.7 million birds in 2003. Proportionately, the number of permitted preserves has rapidly increased from less than 10 in the early ‘80s, to 86 preserves in 1990-91, to 201 preserves for the 2003-04 season.[/size]
[size 2]Preserve harvest figures for the 2003-04 season indicate 201 preserves harvested 183,395 pheasants. Of these birds harvested, 78 percent were pen-raised pheasants, and 22 percent were wild. Twenty of the 201 preserves harvested 38 percent of the total pheasants harvested on preserves. The largest season harvest on one preserve was 9,983 rooster pheasants. Pheasants released on preserves in 2003-04 totaled 269,173 birds.[/size]
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[size 2]“Prior to the mid-1980's, there were less than 10 preserve operations, statewide,” said Steve Thompson, Game, Fish and Parks shooting preserve coordinator. “Today, the number of shooting preserves in South Dakota has risen to 227.”[/size]
[size 2]Thompson attributes the growth in shooting preserves to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that began in 1986. Also, mild winters since 1997 have allowed a greater carry-over of the pheasant population in the past years.[/size]
[size 2]“With the beginning of the Conservation Reserve Program, many acres of land were taken out of crop production,” Thompson said. “Now these seeded acres of grass and habitat are ideally suited for pheasant production, winter survival, avoiding predators and hunting.”[/size]
[size 2]Since CRP, the pheasant population has shown an increase from two million birds in 1986 to 8.7 million birds in 2003. Proportionately, the number of permitted preserves has rapidly increased from less than 10 in the early ‘80s, to 86 preserves in 1990-91, to 201 preserves for the 2003-04 season.[/size]
[size 2]Preserve harvest figures for the 2003-04 season indicate 201 preserves harvested 183,395 pheasants. Of these birds harvested, 78 percent were pen-raised pheasants, and 22 percent were wild. Twenty of the 201 preserves harvested 38 percent of the total pheasants harvested on preserves. The largest season harvest on one preserve was 9,983 rooster pheasants. Pheasants released on preserves in 2003-04 totaled 269,173 birds.[/size]
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