Six men are all vying to be South Dakota's governor in 2010. But will the state's next big shot reveal the names of the people who are attending the governor's big pheasant hunt?

The cackling over the annual governor's pheasant hunt in South Dakota hasn't stopped since the state adopted a new open records law.

The list was the center of controversy back in 2007 when the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled that the names could be kept confidential because state law didn't require officials to maintain the list.

That state law has now changed and officials are still denying the public the list under the new open records law. State officials say the economic development event should be kept a secret because companies from out of state who attend don't want their communities to know they are looking into moving their business. The candidates running for governor say that would change if they're elected. 

"If someone is so uncomfortable about their identity being reveled, they shouldn't come to the governor's hunt," Democratic gubernatorial candidate Scott Heidepriem said.

Heidepriem wants the list to be made public and says the purpose of the hunt has been lost since Governor Mike Rounds took office.

"I think it was a valuable tool. I think for many years it was a valuable tool and it sort of morphed into a reward for people who supported this administration," Heidepriem said.

Heidepriem's colleague across the aisle in the South Dakota Senate is majority leader Dave Knudson, who is running for governor as a Republican. Knudson agrees that the list should be open and thinks the hunt is no longer an economic development tool. 

"I think over the years it has become less and less economic development and more political friends, so I would like to see it more back to its original purpose and be focused on economic development," Knudson said.

Knudson, who wrote the new open records law, even goes as far as saying that the list should be public under the new law.

"As a governor I wouldn't see that that's a proprietary list. I think that's something that the public ought to be able to see," Knudson said.

But, Lieutenant Governor Dennis Daugaard is defending the hunt, saying it's still an economic development tool that is valuable to the state. 

"It truly is a good recruitment tool. There are so many economic development people out there beating on the doors of companies who are looking at places to establish and this is one way we can separate ourselves," Daugaard said.

And while Daugaard says he would let the public see some of the names on the list, he still thinks the names of businesses looking at coming to South Dakota should stay a secret.

"It's more important to get someone's business here, get jobs here, than it it to satisfy someone's idle curiosity about this guy or that guy being in the hunt and try and find some insidious reason for that person being there," Daugaard said.

Republican candidate Ken Knuppe says the governor's hunt may not even exist anymore if he's elected governor.

"I don't know if I'd plan on having a pheasant hunt. I think I'd rather have a governor's ride," Knuppe said.

The Buffalo Gap rancher says if he decides to keep the event around he would have no problem telling the public who he's hunting with.

"No, I wouldn't keep it private. I don't understand it at all and it should be open," Knuppe said.

Democratic candidate Ron Volesky of Huron doesn't even know if he'd have the pheasant hunt if he's elected.

"The governor's hunt is a tax funded good time for a bunch of elites," Volesky said.

Pheasant hunting is something Scott Munsterman is not opposed to, but he says he may change the format of the hunt if he takes office. 

"I love to hunt pheasants, so it's nothing against pheasant hunting. Whether I would use that venue or not, or the donations, maybe instead of raising money for campaigns, we'll raise money for a good cause within the state of South Dakota," Munsterman said.

And Munsterman says the cackling over the list would end under his administration.

"You would find me to be very open as your new governor," Munsterman said.

That's why the 2010 gubernatorial election could make it open season on the information from the annual event.

The candidates for governor will debate this topic and many others in the coming months as they kick off their campaigns. The primary will be held June 8, with the general election being held November 2.