Making Room for South Dakota’s Hunters

By Rep. Stephanie Herseth

Growing up on my family’s farm near Houghton, hunting and fishing were a big part of my life.  I especially loved the fall when I would walk the fields with my dad to hunt pheasants.  Hunting was a great way to enjoy the outdoors, and to spend time with my family.

Today, it is growing harder and harder for kids to have the same experience that I took for granted growing up.  Land that is open to the public for hunting is growing more scarce and more expensive.  It is time to take some firm steps to ensure that all of South Dakota’s sports men and women have the opportunity to hunt.

First, I believe that Congress should adopt the bipartisan “Open Fields” legislation that I have cosponsored with other farm belt members of Congress.  This bill would establish a new federal program modeled on the “Walk In” program already in effect in states like South Dakota.  It would set aside $50 million each year for states to use to pay landowners who volunteer to open their land to hunters.  It will go a long way toward strengthening the partnership between hunter and landowner and it has broad-based support from hunting organizations like Pheasants Forever, the National Rifle Association, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Whitetails Unlimited as well as agriculture groups like the National Farmers Union.  

This program is a win-win for South Dakota’s hunters and landowners.  South Dakota’s current “Walk In” program already has about 1 million acres enrolled.  This bill will allow the state to dramatically expand that acreage to benefit hunters and landowners, providing new opportunities for farmers and ranchers to keep their operations profitable in today’s competitive agricultural economy.

Sportsmen’s groups estimate that this legislation could open up more than 10 million new acres of private land nationwide to the public each year.  More hunting will, in turn, pump more money into rural economies that desperately need it.  Hopefully, Congress can see its way to passing this important legislation this year.

In addition, Congress needs to continue to support common-sense conservation programs like the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  These programs have a proven track record of creating new wildlife habitat that in turn creates opportunities for good hunting. 

Like many of our state’s hunters, I’m disappointed that this year’s funding bill for the Department of Agriculture provides too little money for conservation.  We need to do a better job of investing in these programs – it’s good for producers, it’s good for the land, and it’s good for sportsmen. 

It’s been a privilege to serve as South Dakota’s lone member of the House of Representatives for the past six weeks.  As a new member of the House Agriculture and Resources Committees, I’m going to continue to work so that programs that benefit sportsmen get the support they deserve in Congress.  Working together, we can ensure that all South Dakotan sportsmen and women – as well as the next generations of South Dakotans -- will have the opportunity to enjoy hunting long into the future.