Below is a news release from South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks.
The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission denied a petition that would have guaranteed a license or created a stand-alone drawing for a big game license to those with more than 20 years of preference in a big game lottery.
“We’ve had multiple discussions on this topic,” Wildlife Division Director Tom Kirschenmann told the commission. “It’s no surprise that this comes up this time of year, when elk drawings have just been completed. Especially when it comes to elk in South Dakota, we have extremely high demand for these licenses, but a limited resource.”
Kirschenmann noted that there are 450 bull tags available for the Black Hills firearm elk hunting season and approximately 12,000 applicants for this opportunity each year.
In recent years, GFP and the commission have taken steps to ensure more licenses go to applicants who have a higher number of preference points, while maintaining opportunity for all applicants. Efforts include the concept of cubing preference points, which helps ensure applicants with more preference points have greater chances of drawing a preferred license.
(Photo source: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks)