The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks has proposed a change to deer draws that will lump all of the current seasons into one draw for the first two draws and limit resident opportunity.

On Thursday August 23 GFP will host a Facebook Live video in which they are going to try to clear up what they call "confusion" regarding the proposal.

The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks will host a Facebook Live session to discuss the proposal to change the way deer licenses are drawn. We know there is confusion out there and we want to provide the detailed answers to clear that confusion up.

From what I have read on the Facebook groups that talk about this issue most, most deer hunters aren't confused about this proposal, they dislike it. The fact that they called it confusion is insulting to me.

The change is allegedly designed to increase the number of hunters who get their most preferred tag. The plan to achieve this is best described by Josh Hagemann said in a comment on the GFP Facebook post: "changing the draw system is not going to increase the supply of preferred tags. It is only forcibly decreasing demand in some areas."

The confusion of which GFP speaks is found more in the people who are in favor of the proposal thinking that they will actually have a better chance at the one tag they really want. It will marginally increase the odds, but not enough to allow hunters to draw tags in their home counties without competition from others.

As I have previously written, it is my belief that this is merely a plan to increase revenue through an increase in nonresident purchase of surplus tags. Nonresident licenses make up 34% of the GFP revenue, $7 million more than resident licenses.

The 2018 fiscal year budget saw a $2 million deficit.

GFP has never spent so much time and money to sell an idea like this to the public before. It isn't a program, it isn't education, it is a way for the GFP to make more money. I don't trust GFP. There is nothing wrong with the current system.


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