The South Dakota Departments of Game, Fish and Parks and Tourism are collaborating on a marketing plan hoping to increase the number of pheasant hunters in the state. The marketing plan also discontinues the annual pheasant brood count survey released each August.
The 3-year plan is the result of a workgroup put together in February to examine trends of declining license sales and how to turn that tide. Workgroup members represented many agencies, including staff members from GFP and Tourism, GFP Commission members, representatives from the governor’s office, the South Dakota Wildlife Federation, the Second Century Habitat Fund Board and the South Dakota Retailers Association.
GFP will discontinue the annual brood count survey because of concern those reported numbers deter residents and nonresidents from pheasant hunting in South Dakota.
The workgroup examined many aspects of pheasant hunting in South Dakota, including current messaging and information put out by GFP, as well as R3 issues, which is a nationwide effort to Recruit, Retain and Reactivate (R3) participants in hunting, angling and shooting sports.
Over the course of three meetings, discussion was held on a number of topics, including: current marketing and its effectiveness, competition from other states, a diversified user base, an overview of license sales (residents and nonresidents), hunter and visitor surveys, analysis of annual brood count surveys, late season hunting opportunities, creative approaches and other marketing techniques.
An executive summary of the workgroup’s efforts and the presentation provided to the GFP Commission can be found online at gfp.sd.gov/commission/information in the Related Documents section. To hear more about the discussion on the discontinuation of the annual brood count, visit sd.net/blogs/archive/642020-game-fish-parks-meeting.
