RAPID CITY, S.D. – Nearly 5,600 pounds of meat have been donated to Feeding South Dakota as a result of this winter’s annual City deer harvest.
Nearly 55,000 pounds of meat (54,442) have been donated to Feeding South Dakota over the past 10 harvest seasons, including more than 25,000 pounds of meat (25,659) over the past four seasons dating back to the winter of 2020-21.
Based on City surveys and the recommendation of the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, a total of 200 deer were harvested this winter as part of the City’s Deer Management Program. Last year, 6,401 pounds of meat from 237 deer were processed and donated to Feeding South Dakota.
The City’s deer harvest program is administered by the City’s Parks Division and 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.
“We had fewer tags provided this year but a lot of meat was processed and donated,” said City Parks Division Manager Scott Anderson. “This program is always a win-win for the community. The meat from the deer harvest gets donated 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. This donation program could not be successful without the efforts of the two sportsmen groups contributing resources towards the processing costs, which enables the meat to be donated to Feeding South Dakota.”
In December, the Rapid City Council approved the harvest recommendation of 250 deer with concurrence from the City’s Urban Wildlife Committee and Parks Division. The state returned 200 tags to the city for the program.
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.
