Rural Lobbyist: Coyotes Beware, SB 58 Passes the House.

 Having received a majority vote in both houses, Senate Bill 58 has been sent to the Governor’s desk. SB 58 attempts to address the current problems with the growing coyote population in South Dakota.

The bill is an example of compromise within the legislative process as the legislation has been amended numerous times in both the Senate and the House. In its current form, the bill now states, “a landowner or occupant and no more than two guests accompanied by the landowner or occupant may use an artificial light and night vision equipment on the owner’s or occupant’s land,”… and also “a landowner or occupant, eighteen years of age or older, and no more than two guests accompanied by the landowner or occupant may use night vision equipment on the owner’s or occupant’s land, a firearm using a cartridge with a bullet diameter below .224 inches, in the taking of jackrabbits, coyotes, beaver during its hunting season, foxes, raccoons, opossums, badgers, skunks, or rodents;”.

These new rules should help producers better address the present coyote problem. It should be noted that the bill in its current form does not allow for the use of the spotlights in conjunction with the use of non-rimfire weapon. Ultimately the bill has allowed for one additional guest in a hunting party and the use of a bullet diameter below .225 inches in conjunction with the use of night vision equipment.    

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Last Modified: 03/04/2016 5:44:45 pm MST