BROOKINGS – Hunting season in eastern South Dakota is in full swing right now, and South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Conservation Officer Jeff Grendler wants to remind everyone to dispose of hunted game properly.

In the photo above, dead geese are seen floating in the Big Sioux River near Brookings on Oct. 8.

According to Grendler, this is a pretty common method of “garbage disposing.” This occurs when a hunter, or group of hunters, goes out and kills some amount of game. With “good intentions,” the game is often brought back, cleaned, but then maybe “something will come up” and the remaining carcass is left for a while. The hunter will then dispose of the game improperly, whether that be in a body of water or along the side of the road in the ditch.

This can be an “eyesore,” and despite what some may think, this is not the correct way to dispose of a carcass. According to Grendler, hunters should dispose of game carcass in the green trash bins provided by the city or bring the game directly to the dump.

Grendler said the dumping of killed game “has become a bit of a problem” and wants to remind hunters that fines for “garbage disposing” of this nature can be severe, depending on the case. According to South Dakota Codified law (41-1-4), “No person may wantonly waste or destroy any of the birds, animals or fish of the kinds protected by the laws of this state. A violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor.”

Dumping or disposing of game is also considered littering, according to Grendler, and could also result in fines.