Walk in Areas

So I am no fan of mowed /grazed wia(or any public ground) but the reality is all ground has to be managed.
As for S.D. most of the state is in a multiple year drought and that hay is needed. I do dislike it but better to cave in and let them hay then to have them pull it out of wia and then hay it.

I know of 1 wia that hasn't been huntable for pheasants in 6 years. Person could try and hunt waterfowl or dove or deer so....

1 very good wia came out 2 years ago. I wrote a email chiding the state for losing a very good wia. A wia that got used by pheasant hunters ,duck hunters,archery and rifle deer hunters. It is now once again wia.

I talk to the Co here and do tell him about these wias. I also tell him about what I see when hunting. River otters can be found in some funny places and they want to know about them. Birds like Sandhill cranes and tundra swans aren't native but are coming around more often. The co wants to know where they are.

Yesterday I hunted a wia that has been partially hayed. It will be in the future also as a small field is alfalfa. There is native grasses sedge and cattails in the balance. A little waterway has some willows and other smaller trees. Maybe 40 acres total.
I saw 7 roosters and 6 hens!
Corn field on 1 side is still in and it has a great continuation of the waterway. So this wia may only get better!
 
In drought years I can see emergency haying, but what I noticed (mostly last year) was that the entire WIA areas were mowed ... edge to edge and it was essentially everyone unit. This was western MN, NE SD, and all parts of ND's pheasant range. I also noticed that only a fraction of the CRP fields NOT entered into walk in access programs were cut (often adjoining the WIA).

I did see some mowing in a ery few ND PLOTS this year but it more like 35% - 40% of the unit was mowed ... which actually creates some edges and is more manageable to hunt with a couple of guys and a dog. MN WIA that I have observed have all been untouched in 2022.

I am sure these game and fish departments fear a mass exodus of participants if they lay in too many rules, but I think if mowing is limited to say 50% (even 67%) it becomes more manageable for everyone.
 
The walk in areas I saw looked over the top awesome compared to years past, that being said I bet they get pounded.
 
Weimdogman said:
So I am no fan of mowed /grazed wia(or any public ground) but the reality is all ground has to be managed.
As for S.D. most of the state is in a multiple year drought and that hay is needed. I do dislike it but better to cave in and let them hay then to have them pull it out of wia and then hay it.

I know of 1 wia that hasn't been huntable for pheasants in 6 years. Person could try and hunt waterfowl or dove or deer so....

1 very good wia came out 2 years ago. I wrote a email chiding the state for losing a very good wia. A wia that got used by pheasant hunters ,duck hunters,archery and rifle deer hunters. It is now once again wia.

I talk to the Co here and do tell him about these wias. I also tell him about what I see when hunting. River otters can be found in some funny places and they want to know about them. Birds like Sandhill cranes and tundra swans aren't native but are coming around more often. The co wants to know where they are.

Yesterday I hunted a wia that has been partially hayed. It will be in the future also as a small field is alfalfa. There is native grasses sedge and cattails in the balance. A little waterway has some willows and other smaller trees. Maybe 40 acres total.
I saw 7 roosters and 6 hens!
Corn field on 1 side is still in and it has a great continuation of the waterway. So this wia may only get better!
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The states have a tough job balancing the competing priorities, particularly during the droughts. On balance, I think SD has done well. I never hunted SD in the golden age of pheasant hunting so perhaps I would feel differently if I had. However, as a non-resident, I am thankful to the state for providing me with the opportunity to experience pheasant hunting on my own terms. I had a great time with friends I don't get to see as often as I would like, met a lot of great people along the way and had fun hunting in a beautiful state. Killing birds was secondary to me.
 
Keep in mind a wia is often enrolled for income off fallow ground. A adjoining crp may well be owned by a different party who doesn't need the hay or money enrolling in the wia program provides. They also may just be a conservation minded individual.
 
If there is livestock on a Walk-In Area, the 660' rule doesn't apply. You can shoot.
If the habitat on a Walk-In Area is disturbed (mowed, grazed, etc.) the landowner forfeits the vast majority of his payment that year.
Much of Walk-In Area habitat is also enrolled in CRP, which in many cases has a contract requirement to mow/graze/burn/etc. in order to maintain the quality of the habitat.
 
Certainly. Question #5. I've just emailed the State to see if it applies to WPA, GPA & CREP as well.
Here you go. https://gfp.sd.gov/userdocs/docs/WIA_FAQ_Updated.pdf

Interestingly, some folks are uncertain about the different "names" of "public land" in South Dakota. I ran into a guy from Wisconsin last weekend who said he'd hunted the WPA I was on the day before. Him, "So glad we can shoot lead here." Me, "No, you got lucky. No lead allowed on a WPA." Him, "But it clearly says you can shoot lead for pheasants on walk-in." Me, "This isn't a Walk-In Area. It's a federal Waterfowl Production Area." And proceeded to explain the differences.
 
Since the habitat stamp is being discussed.... I have some information obtained from a local on my last trip late Oct. He was told by the local warden that stamp monies in this area were being used for private land projects.. I thought this money was for habitat in general and funds being directed at public type hunting habitat? Sounds like its nothing more than a money game.
 
BeirlSetters said:
Since the habitat stamp is being discussed.... I have some information obtained from a local on my last trip late Oct. He was told by the local warden that stamp monies in this area were being used for private land projects.. I thought this money was for habitat in general and funds being directed at public type hunting habitat? Sounds like its nothing more than a money game.
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Sorry but I go by - Everyone is a liar except for me and you,and I ain't so sure about you.

I suppose there could be cases where wildlife/fisheries issues have to be addressed on private ground. Such as the meandered waters issues.

I would like to know more about the instance you mention.
 
Weimdogman said:
Sorry but I go by - Everyone is a liar except for me and you,and I ain't so sure about you.

I suppose there could be cases where wildlife/fisheries issues have to be addressed on private ground. Such as the meandered waters issues.

I would like to know more about the instance you mention.
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This is what I was told by a local. Is he a liar? I don't have a clue what the gain would be to lie about something like this. I know I am not lying about being given this info. Either way I will pay the fee for a license and a stamp. Just thought I would pass it along to the group. It doesn't affect my decision to continue to hunt SD every fall.
 
BeirlSetters said:
This is what I was told by a local. Is he a liar? I don't have a clue what the gain would be to lie about something like this. I know I am not lying about being given this info. Either way I will pay the fee for a license and a stamp. Just thought I would pass it along to the group. It doesn't affect my decision to continue to hunt SD every fall.
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First of all the liar thing is a joke.
I have read where in some cases public money is being used on private ground.
2 cases improving planting on landscape bordering lakes to protect water quality- think buffer zone. The other use is improving public access to public ground-think road improvements/easements.
 
Well for my 2 cents SD has always had the worst “walk in “ program of any of the pheasant states even back 25 or 30 years and I expect it has only gotten worse. you can find much better cover on wia’s in Mt, Nd, Neb, or even Kansas than Sd, I don’t know about Mn or Iowa. but better cover on walkinareascan be found in many states. That said SD still has the most birds. You can kind of pick your poison, few birds with few hunters over lots of good cover or more birds in marginal cover with more hunters. I kind of like a bit of each.
 
Alaskan swamp collies said:
Well for my 2 cents SD has always had the worst “walk in “ program of any of the pheasant states even back 25 or 30 years and I expect it has only gotten worse. you can find much better cover on wia’s in Mt, Nd, Neb, or even Kansas than Sd, I don’t know about Mn or Iowa. but better cover on walkinareascan be found in many states. That said SD still has the most birds. You can kind of pick your poison, few birds with few hunters over lots of good cover or more birds in marginal cover with more hunters. I kind of like a bit of each.
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MN - WIAs much, much, better cover than SD. Very rare you pull up to a mowed or planted WIA in MN. But like you said, SD (primary pheasant range) just has the right conditions (soils, weather/wind) for growing birds. I think it's a shame - they could put just a touch of effort in the public lands in SD and it would have a huge impact on the bird hunting.
 
We are giving SD extra money last few years in the form of habitat stamp. No excuse for the public land to be in bad conditions, but still are. Hopefully get things straightened out soon.
 
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