South Dakota
Deadly Pneumonia Hits Bighorn Sheep in Prime South Dakota Unit
Wildlife biologists discovered symptomatic and dead sheep in the Hell Canyon herd while conducting a collaring project. The die-off could be significant, officials say
Pneumonia was discovered in a premiere bighorn hunting unit in South Dakota. Photo by tomolsonphoto.com / Adobe Stock
South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks wildlife division director Tom Kirschenmann interrupted a commission meeting Thursday to share some troubling news with attendees: the Hell Canyon herd of bighorn sheep is likely in the early stages of a pneumonia outbreak.
SDGFP biologists were recently conducting a collaring project in Hell Canyon (not to be confused with Hells Canyon in Idaho, where sheep pneumonia has also been an issue) when they noticed sheep coughing and exhibiting lethargy, Kirschenmann says. As biologists investigated further, they discovered multiple dead sheep.
“It’s always troubling and discouraging to give you bad news,” Kirschenmann says. “In Hell Canyon, one of our premier units that we offer licenses for hunting opportunities, our capture crew witnessed multiple sheep coughing and not doing well. We had the opportunity to deploy 22 radio collars on bighorn sheep in that particular area. Many of them were coughing. We did locate a few mortalities as well.”
Biological samples are currently undergoing testing to determine for sure that any one of the many bacteria that cause sheep pneumonia is to blame, Kirschenmann says. Biologists deployed all the radio collars, which will be used to further monitor the herd — particularly for more deaths.
“Based on the number, we would anticipate … a significant event. We’re going to watch it closely,” he says. “We’ve had so many success stories related to bighorn sheep management in South Dakota. We’ve made great strides in bringing bighorn sheep numbers back. But unfortunately we are witnessing something right now that could be a significant mortality event, so we’re going to continue and watch it over the next 30 days.”
Pneumonia in sheep is 50 to 80 percent fatal. Unfortunately, like most other wildlife diseases, no known cure exists, and the only management option is to try keeping wild sheep from contracting the disease in the first place. Breakouts usually occur when wild sheep come in contact with domestic sheep that carry the pathogen. Wild sheep can then pass the pathogen to their offspring, resulting in low lamb recruitment in previously-impacted herds.
Meanwhile, SDGFP has been considering a proposal to increase the number of bighorn sheep tags available to hunters, including for the Hell Canyon herd. But this discovery could affect tag allocations. (Only South Dakota residents are currently allowed to hunt bighorn sheep in the state.) In 2023, more than 12,600 resident hunters applied for just seven ram tags in the Black Hills, which contains the Hell Canyon herd. A 2020 report from the SDGFP commission noted the Hell Canyon bighorn population contained a maximum of 76 sheep.
Kirschenmann assured the commission there would be an update on the pneumonia outbreak at the next meeting in early April.
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“We did have the number of rams available for some unique hunting opportunities and we wanted to provide that wonderful experience to our bighorn sheep hunters,” Kirshenmann says. “We will learn a lot over the next few weeks to next month.”
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.
Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.
She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.
“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”
Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.
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South Dakota
USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial and technical assistance to South Dakota farmers and livestock producers who may have been impacted by the recent winter storms.
“I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.” said Richard Fordyce, Production and Conservation Under Secretary.
FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners with financial assistance to restore damaged land and conservation structures or forests.
“Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.” said Jessica Michalski, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in South Dakota.
For more information about the disaster assistance program, click here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, left, and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen unveil a plaque for retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams in the Hall of Honor at the Capitol in Pierre on March 25, 2026. (Photo by Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight)
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) — There’s a new name in the South Dakota Hall of Honor at the state Capitol building.
One-hundred-year-old South Dakota native and retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams was celebrated at a Wednesday ceremony where a plaque honoring him was unveiled, although Williams did not attend.
“In spite of being outnumbered and facing incredible danger, Captain Williams engaged the enemy with courage and skill,” said Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden. “Our state has always had a strong tradition of service, and Captain Williams is the very best of that tradition.”
President Donald Trump awarded Williams the Medal of Honor, the country’s highest military honor, at the State of the Union address earlier this year. The medal honors actions by Williams that had been classified for decades.
“His story was secret for over 50 years, he didn’t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew,” Trump said during the speech in February. “But tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”
On Nov. 18, 1952, over Korean coastal waters during the Korean War, then-Lt. Williams, from Wilmot, South Dakota, led three F9F Panthers against seven Soviet MiG-15s. He disabled three enemy jets and damaged a fourth.
The Soviet jets, according to the U.S. Naval Institute, were “superior to the F9F in almost every fashion.” The mission was the only direct overwater combat between U.S. Navy fighters and Soviet fighters during the Cold War.
Williams, one of 11 Medal of Honor recipients from South Dakota, now lives in California. The Hall of Honor at the South Dakota Capitol is located in the hallway that visitors enter immediately after going through security.
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