Game, Fish and Parks 3rd annual Nest Predator Bounty Program begins today

The third year of the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Nest Predator Bounty program begins today (April 1, 2021).

As part of Gov. Kristi Noem’s Second Century Initiative, tails from raccoon, striped skunk, badger, red fox and opossum will be eligible for $10 per-tail payments with a maximum total payout of $500,000. The per-tail payment $5 more that was paid last year.

Tails eligible for submission can be harvested via trapping or hunting. Participants need a hunting, furbearer or fishing license to be eligible to participate in the bounty program. Landowners harvesting nest predators for the program on their own land and youth under 18 are exempt from this license requirement.

“New to 2021 is the Youth Participation Trap Giveaway,” said GFP Department Secretary Kevin Robling. “On a weekly basis, our team will host a drawing from all tails submitted by youth trappers under the age of 18 and giveaway a prize package of three live traps, a knife and a trapping booklet to participating youth under the age of 18. Hunting, trapping and land management play a big part in our outstanding quality of life here in South Dakota and we hope this is one more way to make this an exciting opportunity for families to get out and enjoy the outdoors.”

Dates, times and locations for tail submissions can be found on the GFP website at: https://gfp.sd.gov/userdocs/docs/2021_bountyprogramcollectiontimes.pdf.

For bounty submissions outside of these office locations and times, please contact your local wildlife conservation officer or wildlife damage specialist.

“In the last two years we removed nearly 80,000 nest predators predominantly from the eastern part of the state ” said Robling. “When trapping is done at high intensities, during the primary nesting season at a localized level, predator removal has positively influenced nest success of ducks and pheasants. With favorable weather conditions during the winter months, enhanced efforts on habitat management and the continuation of the nest predator bounty program we should expect to see fantastic bird numbers for the 2021 pheasant season.”