Hunting Unharvested Corn or Soybeans

[Pajay 1962]

I have searched all over but cannot find anything on regulations in South Dakota regarding the legality of hunting standing corn or soybean on state controlled land. Can we hunt pheasants by walking through unharvested corn or soybeans on state lands? If not, can we send our dogs into it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mr_Tibbs]

If you use the state’s walk in atlas GIS online or get the hard paper version, there are some WIA areas that have a red outline or blue hashing through them. Those have special regulations, and one of them is related to no hunting in I harvested crops. It’s not every property, but some will have that restriction. These rules don’t show on OnX. If it’s state owned ground (except for school lands) those are good plots on GPAs and are fair game. School lands, what few have crops in them, may not have any crop regulations. But they are leased by private operators and it would be good practice to avoid hunting them until the crop is out. There are only a handful of those school lands out there that have crops in them though.

 

[waterdog09]

Any state school land you can hunt, asked the question about cattle years ago with a CO and he stated that even though the cattle are out there the 650ft rule didn't apply because it is state ground. He said you may run across people that run their cattle on the state ground and they tell you to leave but they have no right to do so as it's state owned land.

 

[Pajay 1962]

If you use the state’s walk in atlas GIS online or get the hard paper version, there are some WIA areas that have a red outline or blue hashing through them. Those have special regulations, and one of them is related to no hunting in I harvested crops. It’s not every property, but some will have that restriction. These rules don’t show on OnX. If it’s state owned ground (except for school lands) those are good plots on GPAs and are fair game. School lands, what few have crops in them, may not have any crop regulations. But they are leased by private operators and it would be good practice to avoid hunting them until the crop is out. There are only a handful of those school lands out there that have crops in them though.

Thanks for the information. I'll look more closely at the state maps. Do they normally have a sign at the property stating that, or is it up to the hunter to find it on the map and know that they cannot go through it?

 

[IdahoCountryBoy]

I’ve found that the signs will just tell you what kind of property it is whether WIA, CREP, WPA, etc. I have never seen a sign for school land though. It is up to the hunter to know the rules for each type of property though and I’ve found that the printed map SD F&G put out is the best way to do that. You’ll see numbers sometimes in the map and look in the notes at the bottom of the map for explanation.

 

[chad.vis]

I would not hunt unharvested crops on CREP or WIA regardless of rules. These two options are private land leased by the state. Food plots on GPAs are open game and make for some great late season hunting.

 

[Pajay 1962]

Thanks everyone.

 

[Answerguy8]

I just came back from South Dakota and some public areas that had corn growing had signs up saying "No Hunting in Unharvested Crops".

 

[Bob Peters]

I just came back from South Dakota and some public areas that had corn growing had signs up saying "No Hunting in Unharvested Crops".

Can you walk the edge and send the dog in?

 

[Answerguy8]

Can you walk the edge and send the dog in?

I'm going to say no hunting in crops covers the dog too.

 

[birddude]

I grew up on a farm. Most of my buddies were farmers, and although I detest what farming has become, at an early age I was taught the hard way to stay out of someone's field. Latter I learned that most farmers didn't mind if I alone wandered about in standing corn but don't knock any stalks down. But to stay out of standing beans because when they get dry, they will explode when you walk through them. So, walking standing crops is a quick way to get all hunting shut down on a piece of ground. That being said I don't think anyone would mind if your flushing dog made a pass-through standing corn. But I wouldn't turn a young pointing dog loose in one, because the birds won't hold. You would basically be encouraging it to go out there and just have some fun flushing and chasing all you want! Then be pissed an hour later when it's flushing birds out of range!

 

[Pajay 1962]

I grew up on a farm. Most of my buddies were farmers, and although I detest what farming has become, at an early age I was taught the hard way to stay out of someone's field. Latter I learned that most farmers didn't mind if I alone wandered about in standing corn but don't knock any stalks down. But to stay out of standing beans because when they get dry, they will explode when you walk through them. So, walking standing crops is a quick way to get all hunting shut down on a piece of ground. That being said I don't think anyone would mind if your flushing dog made a pass-through standing corn. But I wouldn't turn a young pointing dog loose in one, because the birds won't hold. You would basically be encouraging it to go out there and just have some fun flushing and chasing all you want! Then be pissed an hour later when it's flushing birds out of range!

Thanks - the last thing I want to do is get a farmer mad and they shut down more area to hunting.

 

[Answerguy8]

Let me add that some corn is planted and never harvested because it is specifically for the wildlife to eat. The problem is I don't how one would recognize the difference.