South Dakota GFP Podcast

episode 57 - A chat with Law Chief Sam Schelhaas by SD GFP

We sat down with SD GFP Sr. Waterfowl biologist Rocco Murano and talked snow geese, avian influenza, canada geese on spring break, and duck jewelry! Tons of stuff we are betting you didnt know about our web footed friends.

We sit down with the 5 South Dakota regional fish managers and talk about the open water fishing season. Winterkill, drought, spawning, stocking, and even dinosaurs are on the table!

We are in the middle of it all! Wildlife Director Tom Kirschenmann tells us that pheasant season is just starting to cook, BH deer, WR deer on the horizon, fishing, waterfowl, and some cool land acquisitions that folks need to know about!

A hunting, fishing and outdoor history lesson with SD State Historian Dr. Ben Jones.

Chris and Nick sit down and bash out the differences between shore and boat angling; talking spots to key in on, bait, times, organization, and "must haves" for their fishing outings.

We sat down with GFP Commissioner, and former legislator, Julie Bartling of Gregory. Julie broke down the April commission meeting and has some great insights on the difference between being a legislator and commissioner

Every year, the South Dakota State Parks have a theme to get folks out enjoying new experiences in the outdoors. This year's theme is Reel In The Memories and is a cool opportunity to fish, earn prizes and maybe even a vacation. Take a listen to learn the details!

We sit down with two of Pheasants Forever's finest, Bob St. Pierre and Chris Kallis. We talk late season pheasant hunting tips, biology, habitat, and the 2024 Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic that will be in Sioux Falls in March! Did you know pheasants have scales on their feet to help them detect predators!?

We sat down, again, with SD GFP Wildlife Division Director, Tom Kirschenmann to break down the October GFP Commission meeting. We talk, hound hunting, one-day fishing licenses, airports, habitat, and more.

Wildlife Division Director, Tom Kirschenmann, breaks down the September Commission meeting. Tom also provides some great "behind the scenes" thoughts in regards to the commission process, petitions, open forum and more.

Chad Kiel and Curt Underhill join us to talk about The Predator Association's Youth Coyote Calling Contest coming up in late September. Free to kids. They get paired with an experienced coyote hunter for an amazing experience. Listen to find out how you can get your kids involved!

South Dakota and Nebraska are half way through a 4 year experiment that allows hunters to harvest 3 ducks of any species. This "Three Duck" license is being used as a tool to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters. Is it working? What is it? and why should you give a quack? Sr. Waterfowl Biologist, Rocco Murano, answers those questions and more.

Everyone want to know what "the birds are looking like," this time of year in South Dakota. We sat down with Sr. Upland Game Bird Biologist, Alex Solem to talk about the upcoming grouse and pheasant seasons.

GFP Commission Chair Stephanie Rissler breaks down the July 2023 GFP Commission meeting, including discussions on the mountain lion hunting petitions that were submitted.

We are going to try and do wrap up pods after every GFP Commission meeting, picking key staff and commissioners to kind of break down what happened during the meeting. Along the way we will introduce you to these folks. First up on the hot seat, Chairwoman Stephanie Rissler from Vermillion talks about budget, river otters, sage grouse and more.

Fort Sisseton is one of the coolest places in the state. Located close to great fishing and hunting, this park has it all....including GHOSTS!!!

Nick Harrington and I sat down with Southeast South Dakota Fisheries Manager, Dave Luccesi to talk winterkills, bait shortages, and managing fisheries in southeastern South Dakota. We had some audio issues with Nick, and I am working on it, but wanted to get this out as we are getting tons of questions about some of these issues.

Hail Hail the gangs all here! We gathered some of the best fish brains that South Dakota has to offer and got them in one place to talk about fish across our great state. We talked spawning, winterkill, stocking, fingerlings vs fry...everything you want to know!

SD GFP biologist Nick Markl sits down to talk about a deer survey GFP crews just wrapped up in northeastern South Dakota. Counting deer from the air!

Pheasant Fest is one of the biggest celebrations of upland bird hunting out there. Got to talk with two amazing PF employees, including the busiest guy in hunting and habitat, PF's Bob St. Pierre. For you SD Pheasants Forever members, I sat down with the new regional rep for SD, Cameron Langdorf. Cant wait for you all to meet him. This kid has hit the ground running!

Emmett Keyser is a long time GFP employee who has worn many hats. From conservation officer, to habitat guy, to "head law dog", to deputy director, and finally regional supervisor at the Outdoor Campus. Emmett is a story teller and an all around great dude. We talk wildlife depredation during this tough winter, outdoor campus expansion, a new track chair program and more.

Know anyone that wants to get into hunting or fishing but doesnt have a mentor? Our guy from the Outdoor Campus West, Clint Whitley is spearheading some awesome programming called Fishing 101 and Hunting 101. These classes take you from step 1 and give you the tools and experience to get you outdoors. Then Webster Conservation Officer extraordinaire, Austin Norton, talks being a game warden. What its like, what he does on a daily basis, training and some funny warden stories.

Ice fishing is king in south dakota winters. find out what SDGFP does to help anglers get onto the ice. also listen and hear what SD state parks have in store for you this winter.

Hunting seasons are upon us. Sit down and listen to GIS/map guy extraordinaire Jim Noble talk about the options hunters and anglers have to get public land hunting maps in their hands.

The prairies and Black Hills of western South Dakota have sneaky good fishing opportunities. I sat down with GFP's Jake Davis and got the low down on streams, ponds and lakes that dot the landscape out that way.

The Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota is a fishing destination. Get the outlook for this year with this conversation with GFP's regional fish boss, Mark Ermer. Mark talks spawning, walleyes, bluegills, lake sturgeon and a whole lot more!

Southeastern South Dakota has some great fishing and it's cole to home for a lot of people. I sat down with regional fisheries manager, Dave Lucchesi to talk Lake Thompson, Whitewood, bullhead fries, and a bunch of other interesting topics...including some sleeper lakes!

I sat down with GFP fish guru, Mike Smith to talk about fishing on Lake Sharpe and Oahe. We also chatted small lakes, grassland ponds, walleye spawning and more.

I sat down with GFP Fisheries biologists, Chris Longhenry and Jason Sorenson to talk fishing on Lake Francis Case, Lewis and Clark and other area spots. We talk fish movement, bait, timing, and more.

OnX, the online outdoor mapping and hunting tool company is offering a great offer to all SD hunting license holders! We sat down with Ben Brettigan, OnX's Hunt Regional Manager, to talk roosters, dogs, using maps to gain confidence and more.

We sit down and talk to the BIG boss, GFP Secretary Kevin Robling. Kevin talks about his background, passions, Dept. challenges, and what drives him.

The East River Deer hunting season is a big deal in South Dakota. I sat down with Nick Rossman, Regional Wildlife Manager for NESD, and Jeremy Roe, Conservation Officer Supervisor for SESD and talked about the health of the herd, deer activity, EHD, tag number allocation, transportation, baiting and everything else a deer hunter wants to know.

The waterfowl migration is coming! We are talking ducks, migration and the new 3-duck license with Sr. Waterfowl Biologist, Rocco Murano. Not to be outdone, we are talking Black Hills deer with deer guru, Steve Griffin. Also some EHD and CWD discussion as well.

South Dakota has a new waterfowl license option for new and inexperienced waterfowl hunters. SD GFP's Senior Waterfowl Biologist, Rocco Murano explains what this option can is, and why SD GFP hopes this will introduce new hunters to the duck hunting game.

We sit down and talk with Eileen Dowd-Stukel and Lacy Elrod about what to do with baby animals that are "stranded"...believe us, it's a big deal with GFP this time of year!

You've fallen through the ice....now what? Law enforcement specialist, Joe Keeton explains the 1-10-1 rule, and why keeping calm and surviving that first minute is key.

Law enforcement specialist Joe Keeton joins in and gives an interesting and introspective look at a different career path to becoming a game warden....the coast guard. Joe also talks about ice and boating safety and what happens and what to do if you fall in extremely cold water. Joe then talks about the Turn In Poachers program and shares some cool cases.

We sit down with Pheasants Forever SD Director Matt Morlock and GFP Habitat and Access Coordinator Mark Norton and discuss CREP...What is CREP? If you are a pheasant hunter, you better find out! Also, Nick Harrington and Allie Ellingson (two of SD GFP's finest) talk about Snapshot SD, a photo contest in it's second year. If you are a outdoorsy person, and always are taking pics of your catch, critters or just awesome scenery, this contest is for you.

A brief discussion with GFP commissioner, Russ Olson on the thought process behind extending the SD pheasant season through January.

A conversation with GFP Commissioner, and Eagan native, Russ Olson

The 2019 South Dakota Legislative Session brought the passage of a habitat stamp. We have been getting a TON of questions regarding the "stamp" so Nick Harrington and Chris Hull sat down to relay some of the most frequently asked questions.

We got the chance to sit down with GFP Secretary Kelly Hepler and talk about where GFP has been, and where we are going in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

Deer and elk hunters in South Dakota will be seeing some new rules in place when transporting harvested critters. I invited SD GFP big game biologists Chad Switzer and Steve Griffin to explain some real life situations on what hunters need to do while transporting and disposing of carcasses.

Ever had to take an EMERGENCY bathroom break outside? Well our resident potty expert Derek Klawitter has some tips on what to do! Then, GFP biologist and awesome dog trainer, Hilary Morey talks at length about picking out a puppy and training. If you are even THINKING about getting a puppy...better have a listen!

Sr. Fisheries Biologist, Bob Hanten discusses stocking and spawning fish this spring/summer and then discussed mercury levels in SD lakes. Then we take on several of your questions regarding fishing, littering, and more.

Adams Homestead naturalist, Jody Moats captured an amazing picture of a group of snakes that has gone viral to the tune of nearly 23 million views. Here her talk about the pic, snakes and the Adams Homestead. Then Fishstories.org creator Buddy Seiner talks about the tradition of telling fishing stories and his drive to preserve them. Buddy also talks about fly tying and fly fishing for things other than trout.

We are getting TONS of questions regarding GFP activities during this pandemic. Communications guy Nick Harrington joins me to help answer some of your questions. We also have a clip from Sec. Kelly Hepler and the GFP Commission regarding the "Are you closing fishing and hunting seasons?".

Yes, we know it's been a while, but we are back! Zebra mussels have been found on the Missouri River's Lake Sharpe. What does that mean for boaters and the future of the fishery? Also, possible BIG changes coming for South Dakota deer and elk hunters in the way they transport their big game from the field.

As flood waters rise in southeastern South Dakota, I sat down with GFP park supervisors Jeff VanMeeteren and Jason Bowman to discuss flooding and how it effects their parks and visitors. I also talked with Thea Miller Ryan and Emmett Keyser about flooding at the Outdoor Campus East. To wrap things up, I talked with northeastern South Dakota fisheries manager, Mark Ermer about winterkill and what can or cant be done to help lakes.

The snowgoose migration is in full swing. I sat down with Sr. Wildlife Biologist Rocco Murano to talk a little bit about this cool bird. For more snowgoose migration reports, go to https://sdgfp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5ad358119f5e457ea0e632d4d7602429 or visit the SD GFP Faceboook page and look for Blizzard Watch 2019!