South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book
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The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book 100th Anniversary Edition Lonnie Shafer, Author The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book 100th Anniversary Edition 100th Anniversary Edition On October 30, 1919, South Dakota held its first pheasant hunting season. The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book 100th Anniversary Edition is a commemorative issue containing season structures and statistics for each of South Dakota’s first 100 pheasant hunting seasons. The objectives of the Data Book were three fold: 1. To assemble and record the history of South Dakota’s pheasant hunting seasons in a uniform manner, and to present the material accurately in a single document. 2. To present a document worthy of honoring South Dakota’s heritage as the world’s premier pheasant hunting destination over the past century. 3. To have a useful document that will benefit the future of pheasants in South Dakota and the Midwest. October 30, 2019—The 100th Anniversary of Pheasant Hunting in South Dakota Above photo: Lonnie Shafer, the author, and Josie by Jeff Shafer. Photo on front cover: South Dakota ring-necked pheasant rooster in flight at the Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge by Tom Koerner of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (public domain photo). Photo on back cover: Pheasant chicks by Pheasants Forever. Photo next page: NEBRASKAland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission provided the photo to create the pheasant silhouette. ii The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book 100th Anniversary Edition Lonnie Shafer, Author Tracks of the Past Leading to the Future iii Published by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, Pierre Copyright © 2019 by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce any part of this book in any form, except brief quotations, without written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Control Number: 2018957310 ISBN: 978-1-7320121-0-3978-1-73 This publication may be cited as: Shafer, Lonnie. 2019. The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book. South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, Pierre. Copies may be ordered from: South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks 523 E. Capitol Avenue, Foss Building Pierre, SD 57501 (gfp.sd.gov: Look under online shopping for gift cards, books and prints) The author donated this book to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks because of his enjoyable South Dakota pheasant hunts and his interest in pheasant history. The purpose of this note is to explain why the book is dedicated to the employees of the Department and published by the Department. It was the author’s decision to dedicate the book to the employees, past and present. Upon receiving the book, the Wildlife Division personnel of the Department decided to publish it. iv Dedication This Data Book is dedicated to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks employees, past and present, for their role in introducing the ring-necked pheasant to South Dakota and working to maintain a viable population for over a hundred years. The Department purchased ring-necked pheasants with state funds for the first time in 1911. These pheasants were released throughout the state. The mission of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks is to provide sustainable outdoor recreational opportunities through responsible management of our state’s parks, fisheries and wildlife by fostering partnerships, cultivating stewardship and safely connecting people with the outdoors. One part of the mission has been the management of the ring-necked pheasant. The success of this endeavor resulted in an annual pheasant hunting season for 100 consecutive years, 1919-2018. v Profile Sheet about the Author, Lonnie Shafer 1944: Born on a farm in rural Shubert, Nebraska (NE), son of Alfred and Caryll Shafer 1955: Started pheasant hunting with his dad, beginning a lifelong hobby of pheasant hunting 1956: Shot his first ring-necked pheasant in Webster County, NE 1961: Graduated from Shubert High School 1965: Graduated from Peru State College (Peru, NE) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education, major in Physical Education, and minor in History 1965-1973: Taught history, geography, and government at Orleans Public School in Orleans, NE. Also coached junior high football and high school boys track and field 1966: Married Carol Diann French. Three children—Tom, 1969; Jeff, 1973; and Julie, 1976 1969: Began keeping a combination hunting diary and scrapbook. The diary contains information on successful hunts. The scrapbook contains hunting related information, especially on pheasants 1971: Graduated from Kearney State College (Kearney, NE) with Masters in Secondary Education, major in History 1973-1974: Taught and coached at Carson-Macedonia Public School in Carson, Iowa 1974-2002: Taught and coached at Exeter Public School in Exeter, NE 1976: Exeter Bicentennial and Town Hall Committee member, wrote a Historical Tour of Exeter School District #20 1979: Exeter Centennial Book Committee member, authored Chapter 7 on Civic Organizations for the book, They Called It Exeter 1981: Selected by the University of Nebraska-Omaha for the Distinguished Educator Award 1984 and 1985: Coached back-to-back Nebraska State Champions Class D Boys Track and Field 1989: Special Teacher Award by KOLN-KGIN TV (Lincoln, NE) 1989: Received National High School Coaching Award—Track Coach Gold Award 1994: Became a member of Pheasants Forever and has been a member since 1995: Received the Level IV Career Milestone in Boys Track and Field from the Nebraska Coaches Association 2002-2006: Taught and coached at Exeter-Milligan Public School in Exeter, NE 2004: 125 Year Exeter History Book Committee member, authored Chapter 6 on Education for the book, Voices From Exeter 125 2006: Retired from teaching and coaching after a 41-year career 2006: Shot 1,000th pheasant, from 1956 to 2006 2006: During retirement years has carried out research on pheasant facts and pheasant history. This research resulted in writing articles and historical books relating to pheasants and pheasant hunting 2008: Began frequent pheasant hunting trips to South Dakota (SD) 2014: Upgraded Pheasants Forever membership to Life Member 2016: Celebrated 50th Wedding Anniversary, hosted by children and grandchildren 2016: After living 42 years in Exeter, NE, moved to York, NE 2019: Resides in York, NE, at the completion of The South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons Data Book Published works related to pheasant facts, pheasant history, and pheasant hunting: Shafer’s Nebraska Pheasant Hunting Almanac, January 2011 “The Phenomenal Pheasant,” in NEBRASKAland magazine, October 2011 “Happy Hunting Ground” in Dakota Country magazine, November 2014 “Pheasants Difficult to Obtain in 1915,” on SDGFP blog, November 2015 “Rooster Rush: South Dakota’s Unofficial Holiday” in Dakota Country magazine, October 2016 vi Table of Contents Dedication | v List of Charts | viii Photo Credits | ix Preface/Acknowledgements/Introduction | xi Sources | xiii Prologue | xiv Foreword | xvi Section 1 | 1 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 1919-1928, The First Decade Section 2 | 15 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 1929-1938, The Second Decade Section 3 | 27 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 1939-1948, The Third Decade Author’s Notes relating to the 1940s South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Seasons | 28 Test Your Knowledge of Pheasants | 43 Section 4 | 45 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 1949-1958, The Fourth Decade Section 5 | 57 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 1959-1968, The Fifth Decade Financial Side of South Dakota Pheasant Hunting | 59 Pheasants, Habitat and Weather | 71 Section 6 | 73 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 1969-1978, The Sixth Decade Section 7 | 85 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 1979-1988, The Seventh Decade Section 8 | 97 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 1989-1998, The Eighth Decade Section 9 | 109 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 1999-2008, The Ninth Decade Section 10 | 121 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, 2009-2018, The Tenth Decade Section 11 | 133 - South Dakota Pheasant Seasons, Facts and Figures South Dakota Pheasant Harvest by Decade | 134 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Statistics | 135 New Game Bird for South Dakota | 141 South Dakota Hunting Handbook Excerpts | 142 Section 12 | 145 - John Q. Ringneck and Jane A. Pheasant -- Forever Calendar The Origins of the Midwest Hybrid Pheasant | 172 South Dakota Pheasant Introductions and Distribution | 174 Section 13 | 175 - A Treatise on the Stocking of the Ring-necked Pheasant in South Dakota Appendices | 215 A. South Dakota Bonus Hunting Areas | 216 B. South Dakota County Maps | 217 C. Ring-necked Pheasant Statistics for South Dakota | 218 D. South Dakota Additional Seasons | 220 E. Parting Shots | 221 vii List of Charts Chart 1-1. Preseason Population Estimates 1919-1928…………………………………………….page xviii Chart 1-2. Harvest Estimates 1919-1928…………………………………………………………...page xviii Chart 2-1. Preseason Population Estimates 1929-1938……………………………………………….page 14 Chart 2-2. Harvest Estimates 1929-1938……………………………………………………………...page 14 Chart 3-1. Preseason Population Estimates 1939-1948……………………………………………….page 26 Chart 3-2. Harvest Estimates 1939-1948……………………………………………………………...page 26 Chart 4-1. Preseason Population Estimates 1949-1958……………………………………………….page 44 Chart 4-2. Harvest Estimates 1949-1958……………………………………………………………...page 44 Chart 5-1. Preseason Population Estimates 1959-1968……………………………………………….page 56 Chart 5-2. Harvest Estimates 1959-1968..…………………………………………………………….page