MITCHELL - Members of the state Game, Fish and Parks Commission will decide next week whether to extend the pheasant-hunting season in South Dakota, a proposal that is prompting much discussion throughout the state, according to a commission member.

Tim Kessler of Aberdeen said he's been receiving comments daily about the issue.

"I've been getting a lot of input," he said. "I'm all ears."

The proposal calls for extending the season to Jan. 31, which could be as much as three weeks longer than the current closing date - the first Sunday in January. The commission will make its decision at its next scheduled meeting April 3-4 in Brookings at the Days Inn.

Kessler said he's heard from landowners on both sides of the issue. Most of the sportsmen that have communicated with him have been in favor of the proposal, since it would give residents a better chance to hunt without competition from nonresident hunters.

"As the season goes on, the residents tend to hunt a little later than nonresidents," he said.

However, Tripp County landowner Tresh Swedlund said he's against the proposal.

The season, he said, "is plenty long now."

For Swedlund, the extension of the pheasant season would simply mean more work in monitoring his land for illegal hunting or littering. During the season, he or his wife patrols parts of their 2,000 acres daily to ensure that hunters aren't using their land without permission.

While he enjoys hunting, Swedlund said the process of patrolling is tedious.

"It just seems that you have to patrol anything because people get mixed up on where they're supposed to be or what they're supposed to be doing," he said. "It gets to be real frustrating having to worry about it."

He's also concerned about the effect an extended season could have on county and township roads. January precipitation could lead to torn up roads that would place a burden on local officials who would have to spend more of their budget on road repair.

"Townships and counties end up paying for that and (they) don't see any of that money back," he said.

Swedlund isn't alone. On the western side of the state, GF&P Commission member Jeff Olson, of Rapid City, said the majority of landowners he's spoken with have been against the proposal, although an executive meeting with the Black Hills Sportsmen's Club showed an almost even division of opinion.

Olson wouldn't say where he stands on the issue, but said he's unsure about the proposal, considering the West River sentiment that all hunting seasons are too long.