[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 197 (Thursday, November 30, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5684-S5685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Pheasant Season

  Mr. President, on another subject, there are some things that are 
timeless, that are cherished by every generation, things that never get 
old, no matter how long they have been going on. In South Dakota, one 
of those things is our pheasant hunting tradition. It has been a part 
of South Dakota's way of life for over a century.
  Over the years, as the pheasant population grew, so did the State's 
reputation as the ``Pheasant Capital of the World.'' Today, hunters 
come from all over to participate in the annual hunting season, and the 
season opener, which falls on the third Saturday in October, is all but 
an official State holiday.
  Pheasant hunting is a tradition in a lot of South Dakota families, 
including my own. I can't remember a time when I didn't look forward to 
the start of the pheasant season. We call it pheasant opener.
  My dad would take my siblings and me out hunting. He taught us how to 
bag a rooster and work together as a team in the field. He wasn't one 
to miss a pheasant season, even into his late nineties.
  Over the years, I have enjoyed sharing this tradition with my 
daughters and, later, with their husbands, and I am looking forward to 
passing it on to the next generation, when my grandchildren are old 
enough.
  I was able to get out pheasant hunting over the Thanksgiving holiday, 
and I can say that there is nothing like a crisp fall day in South 
Dakota spent in our great outdoors with friends and family. I think 
that is what keeps so many hunters coming back every year. Of course, 
they also come for the challenge of the hunt and, hopefully, to limit 
out--in other words, to get a limit--on pheasants, roosters.
  Like I said, folks come from all over for South Dakota's ringnecks. 
Last year, if you look at the actual number of people who came into 
South Dakota who hunt pheasants, there were 127,000 hunters who got 
licenses, came through our State, and bagged over a million roosters, 
and this year looks like it is going to be another great hunting 
season.
  There is no shortage of satisfied hunters in South Dakota this time 
of year, but pheasant season's benefits go far beyond the hunters. For 
communities in the heart of pheasant country, the hunting season has a 
significant economic impact. In just over 100 days of hunting, pheasant 
season contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to our State's 
economy, and folks in a lot of these small towns, these small 
communities--places like the one I am from--always make sure that out-
of-State hunters feel welcome. It is just part of who we are in South 
Dakota.
  There could hardly be so many satisfied hunters each fall without the 
conservation efforts of so many landowners and agricultural producers 
in South Dakota. The size of our famed pheasant population is thanks, 
in no small part, to land conservation efforts that provide quality 
habitat for birds to roost.
  A good hunting season in the fall depends on the spring nesting 
season and the ability of pheasants to hide their nests to protect 
their brood. And South Dakota's farmers and ranchers make sure there is 
habitat for that nesting.
  A lot of the conservation efforts in our State are supported by the 
Conservation Reserve Program, which is the cornerstone of Federal 
conservation programs. It plays a critical role in South Dakota by 
supporting farmers who take environmentally sensitive land out of 
production.
  Taking this land out of production protects against soil erosion, 
improves water quality, and provides habitat--including for pheasants--
and it includes an economical alternative for farmers, who would 
otherwise have to invest in expensive fertilizers and other inputs to 
keep this land in production.
  I have been a longtime supporter of the CRP, and I am working to make 
sure this program is strengthened and supported in the next farm bill 
so that more farmers and ranchers can access its benefits and, of 
course, so that future pheasant seasons are as good as seasons past.
  It might seem that pheasant season is the pride of South Dakota, and 
we are certainly proud of that. But the pride of our State is really 
our way of life. It is our values, and it is our work ethic.
  From the plains to the ponderosa pines and the Black Hills, there is 
so much to appreciate about our State and its people. South Dakotans 
cherish our freedoms, and we love our country, and we recognize that 
with freedom comes responsibility. We recognize that sometimes you have 
got to step up

[[Page S5685]]

and do the work and that you need to help your neighbors when they are 
in need.
  These values have been forged in our small towns, the kind of places 
where everyone knows each other and everyone does their part. These are 
the timeless treasures that make life in South Dakota so good. They are 
a big part of what makes me proud to serve our State here in the U.S. 
Senate, and they are the values that my wife Kimberley and I have tried 
to instill in our daughters and that I am confident the next generation 
of South Dakotans will continue to uphold.
  Whether gathered around a meal of fresh pheasant in our great 
outdoors or gathered around the Thanksgiving turkey, there is a lot to 
be thankful for as a South Dakotan, and I am grateful--very grateful--
to be a son of our great State.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lujan) . The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Oregon.
  (The remarks of Mr. Wyden pertaining to the introduction of S. 3367 
are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. WYDEN. I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.