If you have ever hunted any CRP ground you know it can be some of the toughest terrains to trudge through. The payoff, upland birds, and even deer find it a safe haven. This type of habitat has been around since the 1930s. If you're a history buff you'll remember something called the New Deal; it would eventually evolve into Soil Bank.

These conservation programs gave root to actions in tackling soil erosion and the Dust Bowl of the '30s. And today we know it as CRP, the Conservation Reserve Program since 1985.

Making it simple, and according to the USDA, farmers can enroll their acreage into CRP in exchange for a yearly rental payment. The landowner is asked not to plant crops but to plant species that will improve environmental health and quality in a period of 10-15 years.

The enrollment period for CRP is currently on and runs through February 12.

According to a release from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, Kevin Robling, Interim Secretary for SDGFP says, “Enrolling land in CRP creates quality wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities which, in turn, strengthens our local economies as well as our state’s deep-rooted hunting heritage.”

My first hunting experience was on Soil Bank land. I'll never forget it and I'll never forget the first pheasant I bagged.

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