The draft Elk Management Action Plan can be found online here.
Individuals may provide suggestions and comments to be considered in the Elk Management Action Plan by February 17. Written comments must include your full name and city of residence. Comments can be sent to 523 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, S.D. 57501, or submitted here.
If you miss the comment deadline the Plan will likely be approved at the next Commission meeting, so you can write to the Commission before the next meeting in March or testify at the hybrid meeting.
Elk
During the January South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Commission meeting, the department provided information on updating the Elk Management Plan through the drafting of an Elk Management Action Plan.
In those discussions the Commission posed the question whether more opportunity could be provided to those desiring to draw an elk license by adjusting the elk population objective within the Black Hills. The current population objective for the Black Hills is between 6,000-8,000.
Per that dialogue, the department will be seeking input from stakeholders and interested parties to obtain opinions of increasing the upper end of the population objective to 9,000 when habitat and range conditions allow.
