PIERRE - The 2007 edition of the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department's hunting and trapping handbook is now available.

The 64-page handbook is packed with information about South Dakota's hunting seasons and license requirements as well as a wealth of other information that includes a listing of state refuges, sources for maps and a sunrise-sunset schedule.

The handbook is available from Division of Wildlife offices and retail license agents. Listings for both sources can be found on the GF&P Web site. Wildlife Division offices can be found at http://www.sdgfp.info/wildlife/GFPOffices.htm. License agents can be found at http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Agents/Index.htm.

Handbook readers should note three areas that need clarification. On pages 22 and 45 the handbook incorrectly states that "Coated lead shot does NOT qualify as lead shot." This sentence should be: "Coated lead shot does NOT qualify as nontoxic shot."

Nontoxic shot is required for all waterfowl hunting and shotgun hunting for all game on most public lands. Approved nontoxic shot includes steel shot, bismuth-tin, tungsten-polymer, tungsten-matrix and any combination of tungsten-iron-nickel-tin-copper-bismuth.

Copper or other metal-plated lead shot has not and will not be approved as a nontoxic shot type. The thin layer of metal is easily eroded by a bird's digestive system resulting in the same lead poisoning effect as that caused by non-coated lead shot. The bottom line is that hunters cannot use coated lead shot or any form of lead shot for waterfowl hunting or in areas ruled to allow nontoxic shot only.

On page 32 of the handbook, some dates are incorrect for the beaver trapping season. Beaver trapping is open year-round in West River except for federal land in the Black Hills Fire Protection District where the season runs from Nov. 3 to April 30. The East River dates in the handbook, Nov. 3 to April 30, are correct.

Poor reproduction on a hunting season chart on page 16 and 17 cut off some season dates. Those seasons include: pheasant and quail, Oct. 20-Jan. 6; cottontail and tree squirrel, Sept. 1-Feb. 29; ducks in the South Zone, Oct. 13-Dec. 25; ducks in the High Plains, Sept. 29-Jan. 3; fall turkey, Oct. 1-Jan. 31; and mountain lion, Nov. 1-Dec. 31.