May 2023 Newsletter
PLEASE PAY DUES NOW!!!!!
Only 30 members have paid up so far (besides life members).
Please call 605-342-2445 if you have any questions or would like to see if you have paid for your 2023 membership.
Only 30 members have paid up so far (besides life members).
Please call 605-342-2445 if you have any questions or would like to see if you have paid for your 2023 membership.
May 2023
Renew online at www.blackhillssportsmenclub.com OR send us a check to PO BOX 9161, Rapid City, SD 57709
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Greetings From Your President
Send us your hunting Pictures. We need to spice up the photos section.
Awww May! It’s that month of the year that every hunter in South Dakota has hopes and dreams of drawing one of the big coveted tags. We all eagerly send off our donations and cross our fingers but deep down we know the results. That dang shirt tailed relative who just started applying 3 years ago is going to be elk hunting this fall and you’re going to be on the sidelines another preference point richer… well atleast that’s your story, I’m definitely going to be chasing elk!
How about those turkeys? Let’s see some photos!! My 2 days have been skunked so far.
Hopefully everyone enjoys this nice spring weather. We’ll see you at the Luncheon.
Send us your hunting Pictures. We need to spice up the photos section.
Awww May! It’s that month of the year that every hunter in South Dakota has hopes and dreams of drawing one of the big coveted tags. We all eagerly send off our donations and cross our fingers but deep down we know the results. That dang shirt tailed relative who just started applying 3 years ago is going to be elk hunting this fall and you’re going to be on the sidelines another preference point richer… well atleast that’s your story, I’m definitely going to be chasing elk!
How about those turkeys? Let’s see some photos!! My 2 days have been skunked so far.
Hopefully everyone enjoys this nice spring weather. We’ll see you at the Luncheon.
~Cody Hodson~
Paul Vinatieri & his Wife
Ridge & Rhett Theel (Twin 5 year old Shed Hunters)
Found their first elk shed & they were ecstatic!!!
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-SEND A NEWSLETTER PIECE/STORY & PICTURE TO US-
WE ARE LOOKING FOR NEW INPUT FROM OUR MEMBERS!!
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We will be having our annual Rapid Creek Clean Up Day June 17th. We will meet at the Canyon Lake Picnic shelter #1 to be assigned beats and then our club will sponsor a BBQ at the shelter after the creek is spic and span. We will be doing this again in conjunction with the Black Hills Fly Fishers. They outnumbered us big time last year. Let's not let that happen again.
Our program will be a good one this month. Mitch Richter and Megan Howell will be presenting from the South Dakota Wildlife Federation. Mitch lobbied this year for the SDWF and Megan is the new Executive Director. She replaced Chis Hesla. This is an important meeting to attend to show them our passion for the resource. They will need our guidance moving forward as there is so much to learn and so many things to work on for our South Dakota Resident hunters and fishermen.
Megan is coming from Pheasants forever and has worked a lot with the Farm Bill. Most importantly, she raised gun dogs and is an avid hunter and fisher. She has been hammering walleyes thru the ice in Pierre. I am very much looking forward to meeting her. Please attend the meeting to give her a warm welcoming.
Attached to this newsletter is a proposal brought forward by the BHNF. That is a big deal and I can not recall anything like this before. Please read up on the issue and put in your comments.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/releases/bureau-of-land-management-and-usda-forest-service-commit-to-study
Comments must be received by June 20, 2023. The USFS and the BLM will hold a joint public meeting on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 4-8 p.m., Mountain Time (MT), at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel, Conference Hall, 2111 N. LaCrosse Street, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701.
Written comments should
be submitted to: Black Hills National Forest via
https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?project=NP-3479
GFP commission report.
The commission will be meeting at CSP May 4th and 5th. Please attend if possible. It so very important to see sportsmen actually involved. There is a big issue that needs our input. While our neighboring states continue to limit non-resident hunters for the benefit of their resident sportsmen, SD is going in the opposite direction. One, just one, commercial outfitter in the northeast part of the state met with GFP and was able to get them to bring an increase of 300 non-resident waterfowl licenses to the commission. This was proposal was approved and will be up for finalization next month at CSP. The department did not meet with any of our residents or conservation groups to discuss this increase. The SDWF and the South Dakota Waterfowl Association as been very involved in the past. I do not know why they were not consulted this time. There is always room for compromise. This has worked very well in the past. The answer is pretty easy, provide more quality access and habitat for the resident waterfowl hunter. We are not against commercial hunting but the fact is the more non-resident waterfowl hunters that use a guide service, the less access available for the resident hunter.
Our club will be sending a letter to the commission to put this proposal on hold for a year until the GFP can come up with a plan to also help our resident waterfowl hunters that continue to loose opportunity for waterfowl hunting.
PLEASE show up and testify at the next meeting in CSP.
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We have put a lot of time into the web page also. If anyone has input or would like us to add to our webpage please email us at blackhillssportsmenclub@gmail.com
~ Jeff Olson, Treasurer ~
Upcoming Events
We will be having our annual Rapid Creek Clean Up Day June 17th. We will meet at the Canyon Lake Picnic shelter #1 to be assigned beats and then our club will sponsor a BBQ at the shelter after the creek is spic and span. We will be doing this again in conjunction with the Black Hills Fly Fishers. They outnumbered us big time last year. Let's not let that happen again.
Our program will be a good one this month. Mitch Richter and Megan Howell will be presenting from the South Dakota Wildlife Federation. Mitch lobbied this year for the SDWF and Megan is the new Executive Director. She replaced Chis Hesla. This is an important meeting to attend to show them our passion for the resource. They will need our guidance moving forward as there is so much to learn and so many things to work on for our South Dakota Resident hunters and fishermen.
Megan is coming from Pheasants forever and has worked a lot with the Farm Bill. Most importantly, she raised gun dogs and is an avid hunter and fisher. She has been hammering walleyes thru the ice in Pierre. I am very much looking forward to meeting her. Please attend the meeting to give her a warm welcoming.
Attached to this newsletter is a proposal brought forward by the BHNF. That is a big deal and I can not recall anything like this before. Please read up on the issue and put in your comments.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/releases/bureau-of-land-management-and-usda-forest-service-commit-to-study
Comments must be received by June 20, 2023. The USFS and the BLM will hold a joint public meeting on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 4-8 p.m., Mountain Time (MT), at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel, Conference Hall, 2111 N. LaCrosse Street, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701.
Written comments should
be submitted to: Black Hills National Forest via
https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?project=NP-3479
GFP commission report.
The commission will be meeting at CSP May 4th and 5th. Please attend if possible. It so very important to see sportsmen actually involved. There is a big issue that needs our input. While our neighboring states continue to limit non-resident hunters for the benefit of their resident sportsmen, SD is going in the opposite direction. One, just one, commercial outfitter in the northeast part of the state met with GFP and was able to get them to bring an increase of 300 non-resident waterfowl licenses to the commission. This was proposal was approved and will be up for finalization next month at CSP. The department did not meet with any of our residents or conservation groups to discuss this increase. The SDWF and the South Dakota Waterfowl Association as been very involved in the past. I do not know why they were not consulted this time. There is always room for compromise. This has worked very well in the past. The answer is pretty easy, provide more quality access and habitat for the resident waterfowl hunter. We are not against commercial hunting but the fact is the more non-resident waterfowl hunters that use a guide service, the less access available for the resident hunter.
Our club will be sending a letter to the commission to put this proposal on hold for a year until the GFP can come up with a plan to also help our resident waterfowl hunters that continue to loose opportunity for waterfowl hunting.
PLEASE show up and testify at the next meeting in CSP.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
We have put a lot of time into the web page also. If anyone has input or would like us to add to our webpage please email us at blackhillssportsmenclub@gmail.com
~ Jeff Olson, Treasurer ~
Upcoming Events
PLEASE NOTE THESE DATES WILL ALL BE LISTED ON THE BHSC WEBSITE UNDER "EVENTS"
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April 26th - Rapid Creek Watershed BH Forest Service & BLM Meeting
Time: 4-8 pm
May 2nd - BHSC Monthly Member Meeting
TBA
Location: Rushmore Inn & Suites
Time: 11:45 am
May 13th - South Dakota Youth Hunting Adventures Big Auction
LATER MONTHS:
June 6th - BHSC Monthly Member Meeting
TBA
Location: Rushmore Inn & Suites
Time: 11:45 am
June 17th - Rapid Creek Clean Up
Meet at Canyon Lake Picnic Shelter #1
July No Meeting due to Holiday
August 29th - SCI Auction
Interested in volunteering for Outdoor Campus West?
For anyone interested in being a volunteer mentor please contact Katie Schlafke or Clint Whitley.
Katie (primary contact for all volunteers)
Katie.Schlafke@state.sd.us
Clint (contact for volunteer hunting/shooting mentors - Hunting 101)
clint.whitley@state.sd.us
For other kinds of volunteering - please visit their website linked below:
https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?ap=1970180025
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- Quote of the Month -
"A miserable day out hunting still beats a good day at the office."
— Anonymous
"A miserable day out hunting still beats a good day at the office."
— Anonymous