By Mark Watson, Black Hills Pioneer 07/23/2007

NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA - South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks officials said the antelope population in western South Dakota is growing rapidly which should make for a good hunting season. So rapidly in fact, that the GF&P commission increased the number of resident tags by 2,855 over 2006, and it increased the number of nonresident tags by 227 for the upcoming season. Archery licenses are currently unlimited for both residents and nonresidents.

Archery season is less than a month away, kicking off Aug. 18, and rifle season begins Sept 29. "Every indication is we are putting more antelope on the ground than we can even harvest in the fall," said John Kanta, a wildlife biologist with the GF&P. "So our population is increasing whether we like it or not. We estimate 60,000 plus antelope currently in western South Dakota."

The largest population of "speed goats" is in Harding County with GF&P estimates putting the herd between 10,000 and 12,000. Butte, Perkins and Meade Counties run a close second, Kanta said. Wildlife managers use a variety of tools, from airplanes to harvest reports, to estimate and model the population. "Every spring we conduct an aerial antelope survey," he said. "We try to get it off the ground May 1 and will run through the middle of June if we have to. The survey is dependant on the spring green up. We look for nice green fields because the pronghorn are easier to detect on that green background."

In addition, harvest surveys, and doe/kid viewings are used to project the herd. Currently 120 to 130 kids are born each spring to 100 does indicating that a good portion of the population is birthing twins. "What we found is the only mortality that we are experiencing is from the hunting season," Kanta said.

Coyotes and harsh winters rate high in antelope mortality, but that hasn't been the case lately. Coyotes have been hit hard by two diseases, mange and plague dropping their numbers. Coupling that with the aggressive GF&P coyote control program designed to help area ranchers with coyotes that kill sheep and cattle, the coyote population has declined, Kanta said.

"The other mortality that you normally would experience is the winter mortality that you suffer on a normal or extreme winter," he said. "But in the case of these mild winters we've had the last six or seven years, we've seen some phenomenal survival in our pronghorn population."

Historically every 10 years the area is hit by a harsh winter and large die-offs occur. Most recently in 1996, about 6,000 licenses were sold. Hunters were about 70 percent successful as they have been in the past, but that year, a harsh winter killed large portions of the population. The next year only about 3,000 tags were offered. Step back a decade when in 1985, approximately 12,000 licenses were sold. Winter hit hard again and the next year slightly more than 1,000 were offered, "If we do have a hard winter, what we expect is that a lot of our antelope won't survive," Kanta said. "So it is hind of a waste, rather than a hunter taking those antelope they will die of starvation or a harsh winter."

Last year nearly 12,000 rifle licenses were available. Slightly more than 9,000 were sold and 67 percent of hunters were successful. Approximately 1,600 archery licenses were sold and about 25 percent of hunters were successful. The GF&P hopes to reduce more of the population with more licenses being offered.

©The Black Hills Pioneer, Newspapers, South Dakota, SD 2008