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South Dakota Eases Archery Restrictions
Equipment
Contributors to this thread:
JL 13-Jul-18
Brotsky 13-Jul-18
Mark Watkins 13-Jul-18
Charlie Rehor 13-Jul-18
rattling_junkie 13-Jul-18
greg simon 13-Jul-18
Brotsky 13-Jul-18
12yards 13-Jul-18
MathewsMan 13-Jul-18
Brotsky 13-Jul-18
Franklin 13-Jul-18
grizzly 13-Jul-18
JusPassin 14-Jul-18
From: JL
13-Jul-18

JL's Link
I didn't know SD had these restrictions in place. To me, they seemed a little too restrictive.

GFP Eases Archery Equipment Restrictions NewsEngine | July 12, 2018 | Archery Hunting News | No Comments

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Commission removed several archery equipment restrictions at their July meeting in Pierre.

The Commission expanded the list of legal equipment and removed a variety of regulations. Modifications of the rules allow archers to make equipment decisions based on personal preference, performance and tailor equipment to fit their needs.

Archery hunters will no longer find restrictions on:

Arrow rests; Compound bow let off; Axle to axle length; Minimum arrow weight; and Minimum arrow length.

With this finalization, archery hunters are now required to use a broadhead when hunting any big game, including turkeys both in the spring and fall seasons. Archers can still possess an arrow tipped with any point while in the field for practice.

In addition, archery hunters must use a bow with a minimum of 40 pounds of draw weight when hunting elk and 30 pounds when hunting all other big game animals.

From: Brotsky
13-Jul-18
It's a lot more complicated than that, and it was not a good change. It was opposed by most archers in the state including our state bowhunting org.

From: Mark Watkins
13-Jul-18
Doesn't make sense to me, but in this day and age where govt. wants to try and "please everyone" its unfortunately not surprising.

North and South Dakota have always been two of my favorite states in light of their logical approach to many topics (including pro business and a favorable taxation structure)!

Mark

Mark

From: Charlie Rehor
13-Jul-18
No good in these changes.

From: rattling_junkie
13-Jul-18
Brotsky do you care to expand. As someone interested in hunting South Dakota one day I am curious on why these amendments were opposed by the archery community.

From: greg simon
13-Jul-18
You guys have me curious now too. What is the negative here?

From: Brotsky
13-Jul-18
We had some excellent common sense rules in place that are now gone. The rules were:

Minimum arrow weight of 275 gr. (removed) Minimum arrow length of 26" (reduced to 20", this one wasn't such a big deal as long as we had the minimum weight) Minimum poundage to shoot mechanical broadheads of 40 pounds for deer and 50 pounds for elk (removed) (minimum poundage is now 30 and 40 and no minimums for mechs)

We did get them to remove the proposal that would make sights like the Garmin Xero legal in SD and allow electronic devices to attach to your bow for range finding, etc so that was a win.

From: 12yards
13-Jul-18
Who uses a 20" arrow or a 275 gr. arrow anyways?

From: MathewsMan
13-Jul-18
crossgun people

From: Brotsky
13-Jul-18
The guy who doesn't know any better and sets his kid up with a 30 pound bow, a 200 gr arrow and then tips it with a Rage. Then comes back and posts about how the broadhead doesn't work:)

From: Franklin
13-Jul-18
Get rid of the mechanicals....problem solved.

From: grizzly
13-Jul-18
But how would people be able to tune their bows then ?

From: JusPassin
14-Jul-18
LOL, just ban any bow that has a hex screw, problem solved.

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