Training areas in southeast SD

[JoshNy]

Do any of you know of open access public areas for training your dog near Southeast SD.
I live in Sioux Falls and don't know have any relatives or friends with farmland or anything outside the city. I just want some open fields where I can see what my golden retriever can do. See if she picks up any birds scents, get her used to gun shots, etc.
She is only 9 wks old right now, but I am hoping to get her out somewhere this summer or fall and work with her.
I have only hunted with a dog once and it was a GSP. The dog was bird crazy and I am just wondering if my golden retriever will be anything like that. Super excited, picking up scents, flushing birds etc.
I know goldens aren't the most popular hunting dog but if I can get her to run around and flush some birds, and go retrieve them for me I will be happy as a clam.

 

[birdshooter]

The only public areas that are open for dog training are the GPA's (Game Production areas), which are state owned. If you don't have one already you will need a copy of the South Dakota Hunting atlas to locate them or maybe go to SD game and fish website to download maps.

Check here: http://www.sdgfp.info/Publications/Atlas/Index.htm

All other lands including Fish and Wildlife WPA's (waterfowl production areas) and state leased WIA (walk-in-areas) are for use during hunting season only. That is the way I understood it when I inquired a couple years ago.

I might add that the Game Production Areas are closed to all dog training from April 15th I believe, till the middle of August for the nesting season.

 

[FCSpringer]

If you live in SF you can also send in for a free training permit to the MN DNR available on there web site. Then you can get permission for any private field anywhere in the state from a land owner and fill in the township range ect. info and send it in and you always get it back right away. You can then use live flaged birds and live ammo all year, you just need access to a spot and birds. Or except between I think apr. 15th and jul.15th you can apply the same way for MN open to publics (yellow state signs) not the green and white fed WPA's, and use pigeons and live ammo too there.

 

[omsrud]

Do any of you know of open access public areas for training your dog near Southeast SD.
I live in Sioux Falls and don't know have any relatives or friends with farmland or anything outside the city. I just want some open fields where I can see what my golden retriever can do. See if she picks up any birds scents, get her used to gun shots, etc.
She is only 9 wks old right now, but I am hoping to get her out somewhere this summer or fall and work with her.
I have only hunted with a dog once and it was a GSP. The dog was bird crazy and I am just wondering if my golden retriever will be anything like that. Super excited, picking up scents, flushing birds etc.
I know goldens aren't the most popular hunting dog but if I can get her to run around and flush some birds, and go retrieve them for me I will be happy as a clam.

I don't recall the dog training rules exactly in SD on GPA during the summer, but as I recall, you can't "train" a dog on wild birds. Doesn't say anything about just letting your dog run. I had my dogs out at Lake Alvin east of Harrisburg (South of Sioux Falls) almost daily. The west end has grasslands to wander.

 

[birdshooter]

I don't recall the dog training rules exactly in SD on GPA during the summer, but as I recall, you can't "train" a dog on wild birds. Doesn't say anything about just letting your dog run. I had my dogs out at Lake Alvin east of Harrisburg (South of Sioux Falls) almost daily. The west end has grasslands to wander.

If my memory serves me you cannot train dogs on GPA's from April 15th thru I want to say middle of August. This includes just running your dogs. I believe the dogs have to be leashed if your going to be on state property during that time period. Don't quote me exactly, but that is what I vaguely remember from a couple years ago.

As far as attaining a permit to train with pen raised birds on private lands, that might be an option that is open??

 

[birdshooter]

I found an email that was sent to me from SD Game and fish concerning dog training on walk-in-areas. Along with that info is the general restrictions for training dogs on wild birds.

I am not sure that the term "running dogs" would still not apply to training dogs on wild birds as how would you differentiate them, your dog is out just running and makes game??

Tom, The only activity covered under the Walk-in contracts with private landowners is hunting. Any other activity is permitted only with permission from the landowner. If you have that permission, you may train your dogs as allowed by the landowner.

Dog training:

—No person may kill or capture any wild game birds while training or running a dog except during open seasons. Using pen-raised birds to train dogs is permitted with certain restrictions.
—No person may train dogs on wild game birds from April 15-July 31 statewide.

—No person may train a dog for the purpose of locating, pursuing or pointing wild game birds on publicly owned land or on public road rights-of-way using any form of motor vehicle, horse or type of conveyance from Aug. 1-the Friday preceding the third Saturday in September.

—No person may train a dog for the purpose of locating, pursuing or pointing wild game birds on publicly owned land or on public road rights-of-way from Aug. 1 to the Friday preceding the third Saturday in Sept., inclusive, unless the dog is owned by that person and not offered for sale. The owner of the dog may be assisted in the training if the owner is present.

—However, a person who otherwise qualifies to train dogs on public lands may apply to Game, Fish and Parks for authorization to use a horse for dog training on public lands (those public lands that are otherwise open to horseback riding) on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from the first Friday in Aug. to the first Sunday in Sept.

—No person may train more than four dogs in any one day for the purpose of locating, pursuing, pointing or retrieving wild game birds on publicly owned land or on public road rights-of-way from Aug. 1-the Friday preceding the third Saturday in Sept. In addition, a person may not use or carry a shotgun or rifle during training.

—A portion of the Fort Pierre National Grasslands north of the Sheriff Dam Road and west of US Highway 83 is closed to dog training.

—For complete rules, write to Game, Fish and Parks; 523 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501-3182.

—In addition to the above state rules, federal rules prohibit dog training year-round on federal refuges and Waterfowl Production Areas.

 

[omsrud]

â??No person may kill or capture any wild game birds while training or running a dog except during open seasons. Using pen-raised birds to train dogs is permitted with certain restrictions.
â??No person may train dogs on wild game birds from April 15-July 31 statewide.

That's the language I was thinking of. The first thing to note is these are general statewide rules, not specific to GPAs. The second thing is that you'll note that in the first section they use the terms "training or running" while in the second they use only "train". Without getting deep into legal canons of construction, I would argue that since only train was used in the second line, while running and training was used in the second, nothing prevents a person from "running" their dog anywhere statewide between April and July. The restriction is that you can't "train" on wild birds, so stay away from killing wild birds. I never had a problem "running" my dogs on GPAs but whether a person is ticketed is probably going to be dependent on the local CO and his interpretation of "train dogs on wild game."

You won't see too much wild game at Lake Alvin during the summer, anyway. I will note, though, that there were pheasants and turkeys in the grass during the early spring, and I did scratch a few pheasants out there on quick trips late in the fall when on the shore fishermen had gone home.

 

[birdshooter]

The terminology certainly leads itself to individual interpretation. Running dogs vs training dogs is indeed a gray area. The whole reason behind the restriction is to give the birds a break without disturbance during the nesting season. You may not be training your dog in the true sense of the word when just out for a run, but your dog doesn't know the difference and if he makes game and points or flushes birds it may be hard to convince a CO otherwise.