| Wednesday, 04 April 2012 14:53 |
| BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) _ The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission is issuing fewer Black Hills elk licenses for the 2012 season but is stopping short of granting requests for a moratorium on all antlerless tags. Commissioners finalized the Black Hills elk hunting season Wednesday, setting license levels at 395 any elk and 175 antlerless elk. That's a drop from 470 any elk licenses and 395 antlerless licenses issued in 2011. The Game, Fish and Parks Department had initially requested 260 Black Hills antlerless elk tags, but commissioner John Cooper asked his colleagues to further reduce that number by 85. GF&P regional wildlife specialist John Kanta estimates that there about 4,000 elk in the entire Black Hills, including Wind Cave National Park. The department would like to bring that number up to 5,500. (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
