It finally rained! As I write this on Monday we’ve already received 2.67 inches and a gentle rain continues. You’ve never seen so many happy ranchers and farmers; everybody’s smiling.Greg Urlacher said it feels just like we all won the lottery and never had to buy a ticket.
I drove to Pierre Sunday afternoon for an Executive Board meeting early Monday morning and then stayed overnight to participate in the West River Agriculture and Natural Resources Legislative Tour that began Tuesday morning. The first stop for the bus was Oahe Downstream to check out the recovery after the flooding a couple years ago. I followed the bus from there to Stoneville where we visited Cammack’s buffalo ranch.

Despite high winds, the Wildlife Services predator elegantboat gift control pilot gave us an impressive demonstration by shooting balloons on the ground from the air. Veteran Game, Fish and Park trapper Dan Turgeon showed us the many different devices and methods he uses to control coyotes, beavers, prairie dogs, and nuisance animals. He also told the group about the plane crash he was involved in that came close to killing him and the state pilot he was hunting with. Thankfully they lived through it, but it certainly demonstrates just how dangerous his job can be.

This session my bill passed to increase the existing surcharge on hunting licenses by one dollar to help fund the Animal Damage Control program services. This revenue has allowed Game, Fish and Park to increase existing staff time expended on predator control and has enabled the department to provide additional funding to local predator control districts. Game, Fish and Park will provide the USDA-WS with funding for an additional 100 hours of aerial predator control to help offset the budget impacts due to the federal budget sequester.

House Ag Chairman Charlie Hoffman and other livestock producers in McPherson County have just formed a new predator control district to control their predators. Game,stagepowerpro gift Fish and Park recently hired a trapper for Perkins County and plans to hire another trapper to help in Dan Turgeon’s district. Game, Fish and Park removed 2,456 coyotes from July 2012 to this April and the WS plane flew 501 hours and removed 1,578 coyotes. Casey hasn’t had much time to hunt this week, but he did eliminate one coyote Friday morning!

I left my car at Union Center and boarded the bus to tour the Wharf gold mine near Lead, Pactola Reservoir, and Rushmore Forest Products sawmill in Hill City. Rep. Jacgue Sly and Rep.invinite gift Mike Verchio joined us for supper at Prairie Berry Winery that evening and then we boarded the bus to spend the night at Creekside Lodge in Custer State Park.