South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks offers free food plot seed.
OK, so this isn't exactly news. Not for everyone anyway. The South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks department started its food plot program nearly 50 years ago. The program was established to assist landowners in providing winter food sources for wildlife.
As part of the program, seed is given to hunters to plant each spring. The department will even supplement some of the costs of planting the food plot. Many other states do the same.
New for 2018 is the addition of a brood mix of seed. This mixture is an annual blend of cover crop species including canola, flax, millet, radish, and sunflower. These species make for fantastic habitat for pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies.
A pheasant chick's diet is comprised primarily from insects like these, making this a nearly ideal habitat for pheasants. Ultimately, the state expects this program and this mixture in particular to contribute to a healthy pheasant population.
The ringneck pheasant is the state bird of South Dakota. Not many states will allow you to shoot the state bird, let alone encourage it and provide free seed to help you do so.
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