Senate panel approves expanding hunting safety zones

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A bill seeking to expand the safety zone for hunting and trapping around private property passed through committee on Tuesday morning.

In a vote of 4-3, the bill passed through the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources and now heads to the Senate floor, the Senate will be the bill’s final stop in the legislature, if passed there the bill would then go to the Governor’s desk for approval.

House panel says no to McCook Lake fund

House Bill 1236 would seek to expand the safety zone within which hunting and trapping are restricted. The bill would increase the safety zone from 660 feet to 1320 feet or a quarter mile from an occupied dwelling.

The bill states that only the owner of an occupied dwelling, church, or schoolhouse or a person who has written permission from the owner of the occupied dwelling may use such highways or rights-of-way for the purposes of discharging any firearm or for the purposes of hunting within a one-quarter mile safety zone surrounding an occupied dwelling.

Speaking in favor of the bill was prime sponsor of the bill, Republican Rep. Rebecca Reimer said the bill attempts to calm and ease and friction between hunters and landowners all while still honoring still honoring those hunting traditions that we pass from one generation to the next.

“Hunters must ensure not only their safety but that of their surroundings, whether it’s other hunters, motorists, dwellings, neighbors, your children, livestock,” Reimer said. “Land orders should Have a say of how far or how close a firearm is discharged from your home and this is an attempt to ease the tension between hunters and landowners while keeping a South Dakota tradition alive.”

Meade County Sheriff Pat West said this bill is a necessary and responsible public safety measure.

“When the original 660 foot safety zone was established, it was based on the capabilities of firearms and ammunition of that time,” West said. “However, advancements in weaponry and ammunition have far surpassed those early standards, increasing both range and accuracy. The current safety zone does not adequately account for the extended reach and power of modern firearms.”

Speaking in opposition of the bill was the South Dakota Wildlife Federation and South Dakota Waterfowl Association. George Vandel said he is opposing the principles of physics and ballistics.

“Shotshell pellets can’t do any damage beyond the 660 feet or at the 660 feet,” Vandel said. “The current law is adequate in providing the safety of people and the proof I have in that is there’s never been a documented case where it hasn’t.”

Also speaking in opposition was the Executive Director of the South Dakota Wildlife Federation, Dana Rogers, who said the issue isn’t with the size of the zones it’s a prosecution and enforcement issue. He added this bill only hurts those who follow the rules and does nothing to stop those who hunt illegally.

“Over the last 5 years, there were only 19 to 20 tickets on average issued annually statewide for illegal shooting inside an unmarked safety zone,” Rogers said. “When signs were put up, well, it was marked specifically, the safety zones only had an average of 4 tickets a year statewide.”

Republican Sen. Kevin D. Jensen said he thought the bill was just a little too far.

“You would effectively kill almost any road hunting in Minnehaha County and any road hunting in my entire district,” Jensen said.” I just think that 1,320 feet is way too far in because it is arbitrary, it has nothing to do with the shot fall range.”

Republican Sen. Sydney Davis responded saying they need to balance the concerns of landowners, law enforcement, and livestock owners.

“To the concerns about hunting and availability, there are 1,400 landowners that have voluntarily allowed and enrolled their ground, 1.2 million private land acres into the Game, Fish, and Parks walk in access program,” Davis said. “I think that’s a sign that landowners want this hunting tradition should be preserved and they want to do it safely and with respect to their property.”

Republican Senator Curt Voight said he thinks they need to extend those rights to protect those properties.

“We have 6 million acres of access for hunting, we have 6 county sheriff officers indicating that there is a problem,” Voight said.” Signage is a joke they tear it down or shoot at it repletely, the reason it’s gone is because they are violating the intent of what that signage says.”

Republican Sen. Tom Pischke  said the bill was just very excessive

“I’ve hunted many times, I’ve had pellets fall on me. This is about balancing our privilege to hunt and fish and trap and public safety, but think of all of the other times we have that balance, we have it if we are driving in our car and yet look at how fast we can go,” Pischke said. “I just have a hard time with this, I think it goes too far.”