Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Game and Fish - 2019 Hunting Forecast

 

 

2019

HUNTING FORECAST FOR STANDING ROCK INDIAN RESERVATION

• 88178. season dates are approved for big game and our upland game bird seasons are just around the corner. We are really excited about our upcoming big game season! Upland game bird hunting will be challenging as yearly recruitment to the population over the past few years has been limited. Summer range conditions were good, so the animals there appear to be healthy and well nourished.

   

• 10002. January 2019 surveys, (aerial, ground counts, cameras) stable and increasing numbers of elk ever recorded on the reservation. herd is currently estimated with high confidence over 200 animals in the population. This year’s recruitment has not been assessed, however, there are a large number of cows in the herd and the population will need focused and wise management.

   

• 55554. tags for 2019 are similar to last year with some additional doe tags for those meat hunters wanting to take some delicious wild game home. There is optimism going forward with stable and slightly increasing whitetail deer numbers. Several does were observed with 2 fawns per doe which make for larger numbers of deer going into the fall. Mule deer observations this year were slightly lower, however the bucks observed were larger than last year and that trend is continuing.

   

• 1. 2019, we will continue a 4 x 4 (8 point) minimum or better size restriction on both white tail deer and mule deer bucks taken on the reservation. Our size restriction on mule deer a few years ago really paid off with some really nice mule deer taken. The size and number of points increased according to hunter harvest reports during those years. This will benefit our white tail and mule deer populations for more progressive deer management going forward.

   

• ONE of our BRIGHT SPOTS- Summer ground surveys show promise with a increases in antelope herds from last year survey and fair to good success is the prediction. September surveys will confirm what could be some of our best antelope numbers in quite some time.

 

• 88178. turkey numbers appear to be good with ample survey observations of wild turkey found on the reservation, however smaller broods were noted. Our dove population is incredible and should prove very successful. The daily limit is 15 and possession limit is 45. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.

   

• 1. general our reservation populations of pheasants are lower, but locally present in some locations with good habitat. A shortened season should help protect the baseline population going into 2020. Populations of partridge are similar in North and South Dakota and are variable to mixed but appear to be similar to last year’s numbers. Ground count numbers of grouse were stable, however, lek and brood surveys revealed lower than last year numbers.

 

• Small game and furbearers appear to be stable.

   

• Migratory birds, doves (see above) and waterfowl, appear similar to last year’s numbers with large numbers of doves being recorded.

   

  

 

PLEASE obey all of our laws and be careful out there!

 

2147483647. Rock tribal biologists are committed to habitat development and improvement of current environmental conditions that will support even larger populations. We need your support in providing the most accurate information possible from this upcoming hunting season. Please call Mr. Jordan Kort at 402.615.1413, or contact Dr. Michael Gutzmer, Wildlife Biologist, mgutzmer@newcenturyenvironmental.com