26033SS6

26033SS6 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING DEPARTMENT OF GAME, FISH AND PARKS A Public Hearing will be held at the Matthews Training Center, 523 E Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501 at 2:00 pm (Central) on Thursday, April 9, 2026, to consider adoption, amendment and repeal of Administrative Rules of South Dakota numbered: 1. ARSD 41:06:23:01 - Antelope hunting season established -- Number and type of licenses. Effect: Would allow an individual applying for the Special Antelope unit within the Antelope Season to select a 2nd choice in the 1st draw Reason: The change will align the draw structure with the actual unit definition in administrative rule. 2. ARSD 41:06:01:07:03 - Landowner preference limited by acreage. Effect: Would remove the license tag type specifications for antelope, deer, and elk landowner-own-land. Reason: The recommended change will provide more flexibility to change tag types and more effectively reduce fe-male harvest, where desired, to increase abundance. 3. ARSD 41:06:01:13 - Designation of areas where free antlerless deer licenses can be used by farmers and ranch-ers. Effect: Strike the word "multiple" to make landowner free antlerless whitetail licenses available in East River and West River Deer Season units that offer single antlerless deer licenses. Reason: The recommended change will follow the change made during the Deer Action Plan Revision in 2025 to more closely align antlerless harvest units open to archery, muzzleloader, and landowner-own-land free antlerless white-tail deer licenses. 4. ARSD 41:06:01:15 - Elk application requirements. Effect: Add all open Prairie Elk Season units to Landowner-Own-Land resident-only antlerless elk licensees. Reason: To align with Elk Action plan strategies make landowner-own-land resident only antlerless elk licenses avail-able in all Prairie Elk Hunting Season units. 5. ARSD 41:06:01:09 - Application for unsold big game licenses -- Future eligibility. Effect: Would more accurately describe the antelope and turkey season draw structures Reason: Previously, the 2nd draw for those seasons was not described. 6. ARSD 41:06:16:07 - Goose hunting season, conservation order, and August management take established -- Shooting hours -- Exceptions -- Open units -- Closed areas. Effect: Remove Brown, Edmunds, Faulk, McPherson, and Spink counties from the August Management Take unit. Reason: Canada goose depredation has been manageable in these counties and so they no longer will need the added harvest pressure from the August Management Take. 7. ARSD 41:06:16:09 - Bag and possession limits on geese. Effect: Reduce August Management Take daily bag limit from fifteen to eight. Reason: A daily bag of eight and possession limit of twenty-four geese is recommended in the Giant Canada Goose Action Plan to keep the population within the objective range. 8. ARSD 41:06:47:01 - Special Custer State Park antlerless elk hunting season established -- Number and type of li-censes available -- Season dates. Effect: Provide the option up to one hundred "antlerless elk" licenses during the Custer State Park Special Antlerless Season. Reason: Antlerless harvest is necessary in Custer State Park to move the population from 765 to 500-600 elk. 9. ARSD 41:06:47:02 - Open units. Effect: Modify unit boundary during the Custer State Park Special Antlerless Season. Reason: Antlerless harvest is necessary in Custer State Park to move the population from 765 to 500-600 elk. 10. ARSD 41:06:47:06. Special antlerless elk population management licenses. Effect: Modify unit boundary during the Custer State Park Special Antlerless Season. Reason: Antlerless harvest is necessary in Custer State Park to move the population from 765 to 500-600 elk. 11. ARSD 41:06:47:07- Licensee selection process -- Payment of fee. Effect: Remove a unit in Custer State Park. Reason: Antlerless harvest is necessary in Custer State Park to move the population from 765 to 500-600 elk 12. ARSD 41:06:47:08 - Eligibility of license holders for future elk seasons affected. Effect: Repeal the license selection process. Reason: Antlerless harvest is necessary in Custer State Park to move the population from 765 to 500-600 elk. 13. ARSD 41:06:50:03 - Daily and possession limits. Effect: Reduces the daily bag limit of Giant Canada Goose from fifteen to eight. Reason: A daily bag of eight and possession limit of twenty-four geese is recommended in the Giant Canada Goose Action Plan to keep the population within the objective range. 14. ARSD 41:06:59:01 - Prairie elk hunting season established -- Number and type of licenses available -- Season dates. Effect: Expand season dates and license types for select units. Reason: Address potential elk depredation. 15. ARSD 41:06:59:02 - Open units. Effect: Create a new unit for elk hunting east of the Missouri River. Reason: Address potential elk depredation. Persons interested in presenting amendments, data, opinions, and arguments for or against the proposed rules may appear in-person at the hearing, or mail or e-mail them to the office of the Secretary of the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, Foss Building, 523 East Capitol, Pierre, South Dakota 57501, or by going to the GFP website at http://gfp.sd.gov/forms/positions. All persons who desire to submit written amendments, data, opinions, argu-ments, and their views by mail or email are encouraged to mail or transmit the same in sufficient time so that it is received by and in the office of the Secretary of the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks 72 hours prior to the date of the hearing. All written and email comments must include the name, hometown/city, and state of the person sub-mitting the comments. After the written comment period, the Game, Fish & Parks Commission will consider all written and oral comments it receives on the proposed rules. The Commission may modify or amend a proposed rule at that time to include or ex-clude matters that are described in this notice. For Persons with Disabilities: This hearing will be located at a physically accessible place. Please contact the Depart-ment of Game, Fish & Parks at least 48 hours before the public hearing if you have special needs for which arrange-ments can be made by calling 605-773-3718. Copies of the proposed rules are available for review on the internet by going to https://rules.sd.gov/ and copies of the proposed rules may be requested from the office of the Secretary of the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, Foss Building, 523 East Capitol, Pierre, South Dakota 57501 by calling 605-773-3718. Published March 18 2026, at the total approximate cost of 88.2 and may be viewed free of charge at www.sdpublicnotices.com LABD0479766