PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department is asking state lawmakers for permission to issue mentored hunting licenses to youths less than age 16.
The department also wants enforcement authority changed so that people guilty of wildlife violations no longer can take advantage of a legal loophole to avoid losing their hunting, fishing and trapping licenses.
GFP deputy secretary Scott Simpson explained the reasons on Thursday to the state Game, Fish and Parks Commission.
On license eligibility, he said, people found guilty of violating state game and fish laws pay their fines, but judges can in turn suspend their sentences and instead place them on probation.
The result in those instances, according to Simpson, is that the department can’t revoke their license eligibility for at least one year, and, depending on the degree of seriousness of the violation, for as long as three years.
HB1023 would change that, according to Simpson, by making clear that a suspended imposition of sentence is a conviction.
Commissioner Jim White of Huron spoke in support of the change — “I think it’s the absolute right thing to do,” he said — but added that, based on his experience while a legislator, he expects that lawmakers will ask where the state Office of Attorney General stands on it.
Simpson said that the department’s attorney is considered a member of the AG’s staff. ”We’ll double-check and make sure we’ve got the stamp of approval,” Simpson said.
The department’s other legislation, SB41, would allow the department to issue licenses to children who have permission to participate in the GFP’s mentored-hunting program.
Currently, children in the program hunt using their parents’ or mentors’ licenses, and any game the children harvest is considered part of their parents’ or mentors’ bag limit.
The original law was passed in 2008. According to Simpson, the proposed change would allow the department to better assess the effectiveness of the mentored-hunting program.
“We know that this is a safe operation. It doesn’t remove any of the requirements. The parent still needs to be there. The parent still needs to be unarmed,” he said.
The 2025 session of the Legislature opens on Tuesday, January 14.
