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March 01, 2023

City Deer Harvest Yields Record Amount of Meat for Donation

CITY DEER HARVEST YIELDS

RECORD AMOUNT OF MEAT FOR DONATION

Meat from 237 deer

donated to Feeding South Dakota

RAPID CITY, SD—A record total of 7,088 pounds of meat has been donated to Feeding South Dakota as a result of this winter’s annual City deer harvest.

            Based on City surveys and the recommendation of the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, a total of 237 deer were harvested this winter as part of the City’s Deer Management Program.  Last year, 6,401 pounds of meat from 240 deer were processed and donated to Feeding South Dakota. 

           The program provides for the management of deer within the city limits.  Initiated in 1995, the program is an effort to foster healthy deer populations, address problems associated with an overabundance of deer within the boundaries of Rapid City and to donate the meat to Feeding South Dakota. Issues with an overabundance of deer in the city include deer/vehicle collisions; landscape, garden and property damage, and public safety issues including aggressive encounters with deer.

           This year’s deer harvest was initiated in January and completed last month.  The state recommended 250 deer could be harvested this season and a total of 237 tags were filled.  None of the 237 deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease and the deer were processed with the meat donated to Feeding South Dakota.

            “This program is a win-win for the community,” said City Parks Division Manager Scott Anderson.  “It’s an opportunity to donate meat to people in need and it’s an effective way to manage deer in the city limits at a safe and healthy level.

“This program is a great partnership between the City, Black Hills Sportsmen and Sportsmen Against Hunger.  The two sportsmen groups contribute a considerable amount of money towards the processing costs, which enables the meat to be donated to Feeding South Dakota.”

            In December, the Rapid City Council approved the state’s harvest recommendation with concurrence from the City’s Urban Wildlife Committee and Parks Division.

Issues with an overabundance of deer in the city include deer/vehicle collisions; landscape, garden and property damage; and public safety issues including aggressive encounters with deer.

DEER HARVEST NUMBERS (by year):

2022-23: 250 (actual harvest: 237)

2021-22: 250 (actual harvest: 240)

2020-21: 250

2019-20: 250

2018-19: 250 (actual harvest: 226)

2017-18: 150

2016-17: 100

2015-16: 100

2014-15: 150