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SD Pheasant Hunting

Pheasant Information

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 Details below from SDGFP Website

About South Dakota Pheasant Hunting


Season Dates:
  • Oct. 15, 2011 - Jan. 1, 2012
Open Area: All of South Dakota except the following:
  • Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Brown County, Renziehausen Game Production Area and Game Bird Refuge in Brown and Marshall Counties, Gerken Game Bird Refuge in Faulk County and White Lake Game Bird Refuge in Marshall County are open Dec. 12-Jan. 1
  • Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge, Bennett County, is open Oct. 15-Jan 1. You must check in at the refuge headquarters to obtain a free permit before hunting. Permits are available at either entrance kiosk, or online.
Daily Limit:
  • 3 rooster pheasants
Possession Limit:
  • 15 rooster pheasants, taken according to the daily limit.
  • The limit accrues at the rate of 3 birds a day, and 15 birds may not be possessed until after the fifth day of hunting.
Shooting Hours: Central Time is used for opening shooting hours statewide.
  • 12 Noon, Central Time, to sunset Oct. 15-21
  • 10 a.m., Central Time, to sunset the rest of the season. 
Future Opening Dates:
  • The pheasant season traditionally opens on the third Saturday in October.
  • The tentative date for 2012 will be October 20.

South Dakota Pheasant Outlook


  • 2010 PHEASANT OUTLOOK
  • 2011 Pheasant Outlook will be available in late August.
The last time hunters harvested fewer than 1 million roosters during a South Dakota season was in 1992, and that was almost 970,000. Since 1926 the state's harvest total has been under 1 million birds only 21 times, and only four times under a half-million.

It is no coincidence that almost all of those occurred in a stretch from 1965 through 1990, the timeframe between the Soil Bank and Conservation Reserve Program agriculture set-aside programs. These government programs resulted in prime pheasant habitat. Prime habitat breeds prime pheasant numbers.

SD Youth Pheasant Hunting


Before the opening of regular pheasant seasons, resident and nonresident youth have an extended weekend to themselves for pheasant hunting. This is an opportunity for adults to take young people out to first-hand experience the joy of hunting as well as the responsibility.

  • Youth must be accompanied by an unarmed adult while hunting.
Season Dates:
  • Oct 1-5, 2011
Eligibility:
  • Resident and nonresident youth age 12 (or turn 12 by Dec. 31 of current year) through 17, and who possess a valid hunter safety certificate and small game license.
  • Also, resident youth ages 10-15 who are participating in the Mentored Hunt program may hunt during the Youth Pheasant season.
License:
  • Resident youth must purchase and carry the Youth Small Game License. They must have their hunter safety certificate with them when purchasing the license.
  • Nonresident youth must purchase and carry the Nonresident Youth Small Game License. This license is valid for two 5-day hunting periods. Five days may be used for this season and an additional five days must be identified for the regular season. Nonresident must have their hunter safety certificate or a valid hunting license in their name from any state when purchasing the license. Nonresident youth may purchase additional licenses for additional hunts during the regular season
License Fee:
  • Resident: $5
  • Nonresident: $25
Open Area:
  • Statewide on private and public land, including Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge. All public road rights-of-way are closed to pheasant hunting during this season, except for the one-half of the road right-of-way next to and part of public hunting lands.
Daily Limit:
  • 3 rooster pheasants
Possession Limit:
  • 15 rooster pheasants taken according to the daily limit

Shooting Hours:
  • 10 a.m. (Central Time) to sunset

SD Resident Only Pheasant Hunting


Season Dates:
  • October 8-10, 2011
  • Traditional Pheasant Season
OPEN AREA: Public lands, statewide, which include the following:
  • Hunting on public road rights of way is limited to those contiguous to and a part of public hunting lands open for hunting.
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Waterfowl Production Areas.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land adjacent to the Missouri River.
  • U.S. Forest Service National Grasslands.
  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation land.
  • State School and Public Lands.
  • State parks, recreation areas, and lakeside use areas.
  • GFP managed or leased property otherwise open to public hunting, including Game Production
  • Areas open during the regular pheasant season.
  • GFP managed and leased property designated as Walk-in Areas and land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
Nontoxic shot is required to hunt small game on most public lands

DAILY LIMIT:
  • 3 rooster pheasants
POSSESSION LIMIT:
  • 9 rooster pheasants, taken according to the daily limit.
  • Limit accrues at the rate of 3 birds a day;
  • 9 birds may not be possessed until after the 3rd day of hunting.
SHOOTING HOURS:
  • Noon (central time) to sunset