41:06:16:07.  Goose hunting season, Conservation Order, and August Management Take established -- Shooting hours -- Exceptions -- Open units -- Closed areas. The light goose hunting season is open statewide for 86 consecutive days beginning on the last Saturday of September. A Conservation Order is open statewide for 79 consecutive days beginning on the 106^th day from the Saturday closest to November 1. Only light geese, as defined in § 41:06:16:06.01, may be taken during a Conservation Order. As used in this article, a Conservation Order is a Congressional Order which amends the Fish and Wildlife Service regulations based on a 1999 Congressional action (Pub. L. No. 106-108,) effectively reinstating regulations intended to reduce the population of mid-continent light geese (MCLG). The law authorizes the use of additional hunting methods (electronic calls and unplugged guns) to increase the take of MCLG. As a result, a Conservation Order for the reduction of the MCLG population was authorized.

          Additionally, an August Management Take for the taking of Canada geese is open to South Dakota residents for 23 consecutive days beginning on the first Saturday of August in the counties of Brookings, Brown, Clark, Codington, Day, Deuel, Hamlin, Hanson, Hutchinson, Grant, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Marshall, Minnehaha, Miner, Moody, Roberts, Spink, Turner, and Union.

          The white-fronted goose season is open statewide for 86 consecutive days beginning on the last Saturday of September.

          The dark goose season is open statewide as specifically provided for in this section and the special Canada goose hunting units in § 41:06:16:08:

          (1)  Unit 1: the counties of Campbell, Marshall, Roberts, Day, Clark, Codington, Grant, Hamlin, Deuel, Walworth, that portion of Dewey County north of Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 8, Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 9, and the section of U.S. Highway 212 east of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 8 junction, that portion of Potter County east of U.S. Highway 83, that portion of Sully County east of U.S. Highway 83, portions of Hyde, Buffalo, Brule, Charles Mix, and Bon Homme counties north and east of a line beginning at the Hughes-Hyde county line on State Highway 34, east to Lees Boulevard, southeast to the State Highway 34, east 7 miles to 350^th Avenue, south to Interstate 90 on 350^th Avenue, south and east on State Highway 50 to Geddes, east on 285^th Street to U.S. Highway 281, south on U.S. Highway 281 to State Highway 50, east and south to State Highway 50 to the Bon Homme-Yankton county boundary, McPherson, Edmunds, Kingsbury, Brookings, Lake, Moody, Miner, Faulk, Hand, Jerauld, Douglas, Hutchinson, Turner, Lincoln, Union, Clay, Yankton, Aurora, Beadle, Davison, Hanson, Sanborn, Spink, Brown, Harding, Butte, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Shannon, Jackson, Mellette, Todd, Jones, Haakon, Corson, Ziebach, Tripp, McCook, and Minnehaha. The season is open for 107 consecutive days, less the number of days set aside for the Early Fall Canada Goose season as established in chapter 41:06:50 beginning October 1;

          (2)  Unit 2: the counties of Perkins, Gregory, Charles Mix, Brule, Bon Homme, Buffalo, Lyman, Stanley, Hughes, that portion of Hyde County south of U.S. Highway 34, that portion of Sully County west of U.S. Highway 83, that portion of Potter County west of U.S. Highway 83, those portions of Hyde, Buffalo, Brule, Charles Mix, and Bon Homme counties south and west of a line beginning at the Hughes-Hyde county line on State Highway 34, east to Lees Boulevard, southeast to State Highway 34, east 7 miles to 350^th Avenue, south to Interstate 90 on 350^th Avenue, south and east on State Highway 50 to Geddes, east on 285^th Street to U.S. Highway 281, south on U.S. Highway 281 to State Highway 50, east and south on State Highway 50 to the Bon Homme-Yankton county boundary, that portion of Fall River County east of State Highway 71 and U.S. Highway 385, that portion of Custer County east of State Highway 79 and south of French Creek, and that portion of Dewey County south of Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 8, Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 9, and the section of U.S. Highway 212 east of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 8 junction. The season is open for 105 consecutive days beginning on the Saturday closest to November 1;

          (3)  Unit 3: Bennett County. The season is open for nine consecutive days beginning on the second Saturday of January.

          Except for the light goose Conservation Order, shooting hours for geese are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily. The shooting hours for the light goose Conservation Order are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset daily.

          Source: 1 SDR 26, effective September 11, 1974; 2 SDR 18, effective September 16, 1975; 3 SDR 22, effective September 23, 1976; 4 SDR 15, effective September 15, 1977; 5 SDR 19, effective September 14, 1978; 6 SDR 31, effective October 2, 1979; 7 SDR 31, effective October 8, 1980; 8 SDR 31, effective September 30, 1981; 9 SDR 37, effective September 28, 1982; 10 SDR 23, effective September 22, 1983; 10 SDR 76, 10 SDR 102, effective July 1, 1984; 11 SDR 41, effective September 25, 1984; 12 SDR 50, effective October 1, 1985; 13 SDR 37, effective October 7, 1986; 14 SDR 57, effective October 21, 1987; 15 SDR 50, effective October 6, 1988; 16 SDR 44, effective September 13, 1989; 16 SDR 64, effective October 10, 1989; 17 SDR 51, effective October 10, 1990; 18 SDR 61, effective October 8, 1991; 19 SDR 48, effective October 7, 1992; 20 SDR 45, effective October 4, 1993; 21 SDR 56, effective September 29, 1994; 22 SDR 46, effective October 8, 1995; 23 SDR 38, effective September 26, 1996; 23 SDR 125, effective February 11, 1997; 24 SDR 44, effective October 14, 1997; 25 SDR 43, effective September 28, 1998; 25 SDR 108, effective February 28, 1999; 25 SDR 157, effective June 24, 1999; 26 SDR 41, effective September 28, 1999; 26 SDR 117, effective March 16, 2000; 26 SDR 174, effective July 4, 2000; 27 SDR 18, effective September 12, 2000; 27 SDR 101, effective April 18, 2001; 28 SDR 44, effective October 3, 2001; 28 SDR 48, effective October 10, 2001; 29 SDR 29, effective September 8, 2002; 31 SDR 39, effective September 23, 2004; 31 SDR 115, effective February 14, 2005; 32 SDR 45, effective September 20, 2005; 33 SDR 43, effective September 18, 2006; 33 SDR 107, effective December 27, 2006; 34 SDR 67, effective September 10, 2007; 35 SDR 47, effective September 8, 2008; 35 SDR 184, effective February 2, 2009; 36 SDR 39, effective September 23, 2009; 36 SDR 112, January 11, 2010, 36 SDR 215, effective July 1, 2010; 37 SDR 18, effective August 16, 2010; 38 SDR 8, effective August 3, 2011; 39 SDR 10, effective August 1, 2012; 39 SDR 33, effective September 5, 2012.

          General Authority: SDCL 41-2-18(17), 41-11-5.

          Law Implemented: SDCL 41-2-18(17), 41-11-5.