Archery Hunters Can Apply for Limited Access Permits in Sioux Falls, Blood Run and Adams Homestead
OutdoorHub 07.27.12
South Dakota archery hunters are eligible to apply for free, limited-access permits in three areas in the southeastern portion of the state.
Access permits for the city of Sioux Falls will be for antlerless deer only. The Blood Run Nature Area and the Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve will each have any-deer and antlerless-deer access permits. Archery hunters need to purchase an applicable statewide archery deer tag prior to applying for access permits.
The signup period for the three areas will be from July 23 – Aug 17. Hunters can sign up at http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/big-game/deer/archery.aspx
When signing up, archery hunters must provide email addresses because email is the only way they will be notified about successfully obtaining access permits.
The Blood Run Nature Area and Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve Archery Access Permits will be valid from Oct 1 – Dec. 31. Each access permit will allow the taking of one deer, with the type of deer license specified on the permit. The number of access permits to be issued for the areas are as follows:
Blood Run – Five any-deer and five antlerless-deer
Adams Nature Preserve – Five any-deer and 45 antlerless-deer.
Applications for Blood Run and Adams Nature Preserve are combined; a person can make only one access permit application for the two areas. An access permit will only be valid on Blood Run or Adams, not both. A hunter will not be eligible for multiple access permits in the first draw for Blood Run and Adams. However, if there are leftover access permits after the first draw, hunters may pick up additional access permits. Archery hunters may apply for a first and second choice.
“These permits will provide a unique opportunity to provide hunting access on very controlled areas of public land. A limited number of hunters will be permitted to hunt on those sites in order to control deer numbers and minimize damage to neighboring properties, “ said Arden Petersen, regional supervisor with the Department of Game, Fish and Parks. “To ensure safety and minimize the impact on other park users and adjacent homeowners, a limited number of access permits are being issued to archery hunters only.”
The Sioux Falls Archery Antlerless Deer Permit will also will be valid from Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, and will once again allow hunting on 11 designated zones in the northeastern part of the city.
“This is the third year of the Sioux Falls hunt, which was created through a cooperative agreement with Game, Fish and Parks, the City of Sioux Falls and landowners as a means of reducing the population of deer in the city”, Petersen said.
Each zone will have seven sets of two-week archery hunting intervals, for a total of 77 permits. One change from last year is that when applying for access permits, hunters will now be able to choose which interval period they wish to hunt. The hunter will be assigned a zone, if successful in the draw. People will be able to choose a first and second choice of interval periods. However, people applying for the Disabled Unit will be assigned their session in the draw.
The season interval periods for the Sioux Falls Access Permits are as follows:
Sept. 26 – Oct. 9
Oct. 10 – 23
Oct. 24 – Nov. 6
Nov. 7 – 20
Nov . 21 – Dec 4
Dec. 5 – 18
Dec. 19 – Jan. 1
Disabled Unit – Hunt dates will be assigned by draw.
If drawn for any of the Sioux Falls access permits, hunters must attend a mandatory meeting prior to hunting. Successful Access Permit Holders will be notified by GFP about the dates and places for those meetings.
For more information on those seasons, visit:http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/big-game/deer/archery.aspx
