SD Game, Fish and Parks September Commission meeting – Hybrid meeting in Rapid City & Zoom

Sept 4th, 2025 -Commission approved the hunting season proposed by staff

SD Game, Fish and Parks September Hybrid Commission meeting in Rapid City and Zoom.  It was at Outdoor Campus West as this is the normal location when they meet in Rapid City (please verify).

For more info. visit this web site when close to the meeting – look for the “Commission Book” in which all material given the Commission, including the public comments occur: https://gfp.sd.gov/commission/information/

Agenda: https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/Commission_Agenda_Public_September_2025.pdf

The agenda is not final till 24 hours before the meeting.

At 2 pm MT on Thursday you can testify in person or by zoom for 3 minutes on any rule proposal or 3 minutes during the open forum (any  topic). They suggest you e-mail Gail.Buus@state.sd.us  in advance of the meeting to register for remote testimony by Zoom or teleconference – they want to have an idea of who to call on during the hearing and they will call on the registered folks  –  but registration  is not required.  They always ask if anyone attending in person or remotely who did not register wants to testify, then you raise your hand on Zoom.

You can send written comments before Sunday 8/31/25 at midnight MT,  4 days before the meeting .

Our detailed action alert for this meeting is found on that page. https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-to-submit-written-comments-to-sdgfp-commission-for-their-september-mee/

Mountain Lions We oppose the existing season rules and also the new rule change  proposed  for mountain lion hunting;

they are proposing an  increase in areas  folks can hunt mt. lions with hounds in the Black Hills. We have always opposed hound hunting anywhere in SD.  We have always opposed the 375 day unlimited hunting (no harvest caps)  with hounds on the prairie. We have always opposed the current harvest caps in the Black Hills Fire Protection District (BHFPD) as too high.

They will be voting on a the whole season proposal, but especially the change – the new proposal to increase the area of the Black Hills subject to hound hunting – see proposal.  https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/Mtlion-proposal.-July_Commission_Book-2.pdf

We oppose hound hunting any place, but this will increase the number of lions killed in the Black Hills likely by 7 or 8 lions, as hound hunting is much more effective than “boot hunting”.  SDGFP has a  harvest cap of 60 lions either sex or 40 female lions.

In the last 10 years or so they have not reached the harvest cap, with the season ending before harvest cap is reached, but with hound hunting allowed in a broader area, more lions will likely be killed.  In past SDGFP has been concerned about the number of female lions killed each year and if too many are killed (when the female harvest cap  is actually reached), the population numbers will drop.

The map at the top of this post, shows the areas where hound hunting of lions will be allowed in the BHFPD – in a darker color.

The bright colors are the national parks or monuments where hunting is not allowed.

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The Commission will also review changes to aquatic invasive species rules.

The Commission proposed to add Prussian Carp to the Aquatic Invasive Species list.

The Commission also proposed to create an exemption so that live Red Swamp Crayfish can be possessed in certain instances for human consumption. Live Red Swamp Crayfish could not be at a location that sells bait.

The Commission also proposed to modify the European Rudd and Snakehead species listings to align with common name changes.

We don’t currently have expertise on aquatic invasive species issues and aren’t planning to comment