Ideal News and Views

Ideal News and Views

The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks sent a publication to me . It is to help soften the criticism of the ranch owners in the north west part of the state, particularily the Harding county ranchers.

The ranchers up there close their lands to open hunting. The reason is they do not want the Conservation Officers of the Department tramping in on their lands to "check"violaters of game laws without asking permission of the land owner. Perhaps the game warden(conservation officer) sees red clothing, a dog or two scouting , or a gun shot , and a parked SUV and must "check it out" without asking the land owner.

The Department is trying to solve the problem by better relations, viz publications to improve relations with the ranchers. The Department selected and held meetings with a group to ask how best to improve the rancher relations.

IN this publication are three or four articles: 1. Trapping available for ranchers: Abandoned Mines are animal habitat;Goose depredation programs available: and Viet Nam War Memorial to be held in Pierre.

The bats in the Mine, trapping the animals of terror, and attracting Bird Avian flue in the slough, publishing alist of the "game Wardens" (printed with a heavy background of brown) that I can' see to think about might be able to K O a hard fissted rancher -BUT--- THE VIET NAM DISPLAY?

Honoring the efforts o the Viet Nam hunter should never be a part of the Departments publication. Reason is that the present Governor is seeking re-election this fall in November and this open season for huntng for votes is obvious. So campaigning by the Department for the Governor is a dastardly approach and misuse of the hunting license fees?

The executive is fishing for votes, gaming the Viet Nam hunter and great expexctations of parking his SUV beside the Pierre goose pond for another four years
(The Governor's mansion is on the front lawn of the "goose pond").

Perhaps the deparment had an article on the exposure to Avian flu via the residents of the "goose pond" might be more appropriate. Or an article on the Avian flu and the Pheasant population that creates $ for the department.Or perhaps a possible research program to contain the possibility of introduction of the disease to the wild pheasant population by outside the State pheasant hatcheries.
LH

Ideal News and Views

Ideal News and ViewsS. Dak Game, Fish and Vietnam?

The local mail arrived with a publicaton from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks,--Wildlife Divison located in Pierre. S. D. The Department has had serious confrontations with the local ranchers up there in the northwest part of the State, near Buffalo and other ranchers in Harding County. The game the hunters seek is the antelope and deer(trophy). The discussion centers on the Game Warden (called Conservatiion officers -polite talk) The Game Wardens are hunting hunters who might or might not be obeying the rules of the Department covering limits and licenses .

The argument begins, can a warden enter private prope;ty without trespassing to check red coated hunters or those who look like hunters or are carrying guns or being followed with a dog or two? Does the warden have to have permission of the owner or does he actutally have to witness a game violation.

Landowners in that area have limited hunting access and the ranch land has been closed for general hunting by the owners. The S. D . Department has attempted to resolve the problem by transfering a game conservationist (warden ) who has been on that area assignment for many years in hopes of softeningthe argument.

The Department selected a number of persons in the State to study the problem and come up with a method to delete the problem. One method to try was to inform the public through a publication to land owners the role of the game warden. I am on the receiving end of the publication. Well let me continue.

In the four page format of a nineteen by seventeen folded publication there is on page one; "State Trapping Program Available to Ranchers and Farmers" ; on page two,"Abandoned Mines are Wildlife Habitat"; on page three," Vietnam War Memorial to be Held in Pierre Septemeber 15 and16" and " Goose Depreditation Programs Available;and on the back page a one third page advertising "Viet Nam War Memorial" with a shadow photo of an American flag, an eagle on wing and a Viet Nam Veteran. Several side box statements are along the pages too and one states,"The aAverage annual expenditure of the WDM progam spent in answering lanowner complaints is in excess of $2.5 milion". Another page has a long box listing the Conservaton officers Statewide. BUT-- the shadow color makes the names almost unreadable, probably to DE-EMPHASIS THE ROLE OF THE 'GAME WARDENS'?

So if bats in the caves need to be protected, as they consume the West Nile mosquito or plant game plots for a dollar or two to attract the migratory geese who may harbor the Avian flu this fall heading back to the Platte river or to Arkansas,--great --- but VIET NAM VETERANS WAR MEMORIAL?

It has occured to my mind that to honor the hunter in the land of the Viet Nam is out of joint in this publication.

The Governor Rounds had announced earlier that in September a Memorial program would be held for the Viet Veterans and the recent session of the Legislalture put $100,000 of sales tax(include the tax on food) to celebrate the hunters in Viet Nam.

The real hunt is for vet's vote as the Gov is doggen for votes for his second time around as the Governor of South Dakota.

Great moments in history? After returning Stateside from the WWII I recalled the moment when the final standdown of the Squadron was reviewed by Killer Kane of the Polesti Oil raid debacle that the crew member on our plane thumbed his nose as he reviewed the troops from a slow sideslippen Piper Cub a few feet off the tarmack.

All show no understanding. The politics of war or the war of politics?

The need is for a few more code talkers to carry the message during the war of political strategy using veterans memorials.
LH

Wring in the Spring

The old timers speak of a month of wetting the prairie with rain, fog and snow sniffles. Back in the saddle again as the two and half inches of moisture brought by wet snow in several main features and even a mantinee or two has caught the mid -Dakotans with the familiar problem of spring calving.

Cattlemen are busy day and night with the arrival of the newborn calves. Pulling future dollars from the heifers or from the experienced senior herd member is familiar. Calves come forward and backward on their time not yours. Cowboys in denims are the OBY's on the prairie.
If it takes two to Tango it oft times takes two to untangle the problem delivery of a calf. DVM's are far away so a partner of the operation is the wife ( Medi-Vet )who can wind the puller or help sew em up after pushing the container back in place.

A report of a "mad" Santa Gertrudis cow recently. The ID program is not in place to trace the origin of the outbreak. I had a report that Ted Turner was at the Winner slaughter plant to negotiate the "South Dakota Certified Beef" that would be prepared at the plant. Turner(buffalo owner) has restaurants that would feature that branded product. The sheep industry has ID requirements for tracing scrapie, a form of that "mad cow" disease. I have a numbered tag to install in the lambs that is recorded at every sale transaction. The serial number of the tag is recorded by USDA.

A research fund has been awarded to a South Dakota college to study why buffalo may be immune to that "mad Cow" disease.

LH