By Nick Simonson

Through the efforts of family and friends over the past several years, the legacy of a devout public land hunter was honored with the creation of the latest area open to sportsmen near Pierre, SD.
As part of the Pheasants Forever (PF) Build a Wildlife Area Program, the creation of the 560-acre John Stengle Tract of the Frozen Man Creek Game Production Area came together over the past two years, through the efforts of Stengle’s daughter, Nicole, and his wife, Karen, along with close friends and hunting buddies who helped raise the funds to purchase the land and convert it to public access with the assistance of multiple PF chapters, businesses, and organizations in the Pierre and Fort Pierre area.

“When my parents moved to Pierre they didn’t have money or land, they didn’t know anybody with money or land, and so my dad really relied on those walk-in areas,” relates Nicole Stengle, “with this land now, we can eternally host people.  Even after we are dead and gone, our land will be hosting people who want to hunt, and kids, and dogs, and all the wonderful things that come with hunting,” she adds.

John Stengle was an avid hunter and beloved member of the Pierre community, who chased multiple upland and big game species around South Dakota each year.  Introduced to the pastime after college and not having land of his own, he relied on the state’s network of public lands to pursue his passions in the field.  Each autumn, he would be regularly out hunting with his friends and family members seeking pheasants and other game, passing on the tradition to younger hunters, and sharing many memories with them in the field. The new tract of public land named in his honor is located in the heart of his regular hunting area near Pierre. John died in 2019 at the age of 71.

The purchase, creation, and transfer of the land to the South Dakota Game, Fish, & Parks Department (GFP) was facilitated through the PF Build a Wildlife Area program which is the organization’s permanent habitat protection and public access program assisting with land acquisitions which would benefit both wildlife conservation and hunter access. The John Stengle tract consists of short-grass and mixed-grass prairie habitat, and currently supports populations of upland game such as ringneck pheasants and prairie grouse, big game species such as mule deer and pronghorn, and other wildlife including songbirds and multiple pollinator species.  Management of the property will be handled by GFP going forward and the agency will determine any improvements or restoration efforts needed as part of a habitat management plan for the property.

“We are grateful for support from other conservation-focused nonprofit organizations such as the Mule Deer Foundation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, National Wild Turkey Federation, and High Plains Wildlife. We are also grateful for the forward thinking of local businesses and groups such as the Pierre Business Improvement District, who generously contributed to this project, understanding that providing more public access to quality habitat draws in more visiting hunters to the Pierre and Fort Pierre community, creating positive outcomes and impacts to the local economy,” said Jake Hanson, PF Director of Development.

Hanson added that PF was initially contacted by the previous landowners who expressed their desire to ensure that this property remained in habitat and protected for wildlife. Nicole and Karen Stengle generously donated a lead gift of $150,000 to start the project, which in turn helped bring in the support of other individuals, businesses, and partners to complete the effort.  The tract was approved to be added to South Dakota’s system of public lands by the GFP commission at its June 2023 meeting, and a stone memorial has been erected in John Stengle’s honor at the entry to the property.  A formal dedication will occur in the summer of 2024.

“It’s just been so cool to see how it has come together and to see how many names are on that plaque and to see how many chapters really believed in it and believed in what we believed in.  I’m just so thrilled that it’s going to be there forever. It’ll outlive me, it’ll outlive my god kids and it will be enjoyed forever,” states Nicole Stengle of the property.

More information on the John Stengle Tract of the Frozen Man Creek Game Production Area and other public hunting opportunities in South Dakota can be found at gfp.sd.gov/hunt. To learn more about the Pheasants Forever Build a Wildlife Area program, visit: pheasantsforever.org/buildawildlifearea.

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.

Featured Photo: A Group Effort.  Many individuals and organizations worked to put together the John Stengle Tract in his honor. Pictured at the parcel’s monument are: (L to R) Jess Wright, Randy Wright, Nicole Stengle, Ross Wright, Karen Stengle, Jim Stolp, Julie Stolp, Jennifer Carter and Kamden Carter.  Photo by Casey Sill.