41:09:01:02.  Release of male birds required -- Harvest limited. The permittee must release a minimum of 600 male pheasants on each of the permittee's shooting preserves. However, the required minimum release is reduced to 300 male pheasants on each of the permittee's shooting preserves if the permittee has not received a shooting preserve operating permit any time prior to the current permit or no portion of land contained within the current permit has been a part of a previously permitted shooting preserve.

          Only male birds released from August 1 to March 31, inclusive, may be counted toward the required minimum and included on the game release records. A shooting preserve may release hens; however, no such hens released may be shot. Pheasants released must be Chinese ring-necked pheasants. "Jumbo" Chinese ring-necked pheasants may not be released. Turkeys released must be wild turkeys as defined by subdivision 41:06:00.01:02(15). Prior to any harvest, birds of that species must be released on the preserve. At no time following the required releases may a permittee allow the number of wild and released birds harvested to exceed 100 percent of the number of birds which have been released. All birds must be healthy when released.

          Source: SL 1975, ch 16, § 1; 3 SDR 13, effective August 25, 1976; 5 SDR 46, effective December 11, 1978; 10 SDR 76, 10 SDR 102, effective July 1, 1984; 12 SDR 170, effective April 28, 1986; 13 SDR 26, effective September 10, 1986; 14 SDR 114, effective March 9, 1988; 16 SDR 148, effective March 21, 1990; 23 SDR 20, effective August 13, 1996; 25 SDR 193, adopted July 19, 1998, effective July 1, 1999; 28 SDR 24, effective August 28, 2001; 31 SDR 191, adopted May 18, 2005, effective April 1, 2006.

          General Authority: SDCL 41-2-18(2)(16).

          Law Implemented: SDCL 41-2-18(2)(16), 41-10-2, 41-10-14.