South Dakota pheasant season 2026: dates, limits and public land
South Dakota's 2026 traditional pheasant season runs October 17, 2026 to January 31, 2027, after a youth and mentored season September 26 to October 4 and a resident-only season October 10 to 12, by GFP's key dates; shooting starts at 10 a.m. Central Time, and the daily limit is 3 roosters. In 2025, GFP's harvest survey counted 1,351,081 pheasants taken by 57,076 resident and 82,574 nonresident hunters.
Data updated October 2026. Seasons and rules: GFP's key dates, pheasant and hunting areas pages, checked October 23, 2026. Harvest: GFP's 2025 harvest survey. Land: FilledTag's count of GFP's 2025 public lands file, less the 2026 removals (October 23, 2026).
1 to 4,9995,000 to 14,99915,000 to 29,99930,000 to 49,99950,000 pheasants or moreNoneLake or river
| Traditional season | October 17, 2026 to January 31, 2027 |
|---|---|
| Youth and mentored season | September 26 to October 4, 2026 |
| Resident-only season | October 10 to 12, 2026, public land only |
| Shooting hours | 10 a.m. Central Time to sunset, every season |
| Daily limit | 3 roosters |
| Possession limit | 15 roosters (9 in the resident-only season) |
| Pheasants taken, 2025 | 1,351,081 (GFP harvest survey) |
| Walk-In Area and CREP land | 2,645 parcels, 1,498,131 acres (by county) |
When is pheasant season in South Dakota in 2026?
Three seasons, all with the same daily limit and shooting hours. The traditional season is the long one: October 17, 2026 to January 31, 2027, open to residents and nonresidents on all of South Dakota except the refuges that open late (below).
| Season | Dates, 2026 | Who can hunt | Where | Possession limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth and mentored | September 26 to October 4, 2026 | Resident and nonresident youth 12 through 17 with a hunter safety certificate, and mentored youth under 16 | Private and public land statewide; road rights-of-way closed except the half next to public hunting land | 15 roosters |
| Resident only | October 10 to 12, 2026 | South Dakota residents | Public land only, from GFP's list (below); road rights-of-way only where they adjoin public hunting land | 9 roosters |
| Traditional | October 17, 2026 to January 31, 2027 | Residents and nonresidents | All of South Dakota, with the late openings below | 15 roosters |
Sources: GFP, Key Dates (2026); GFP, Pheasant (2026).
What are the shooting hours and limits?
Shooting runs from 10 a.m. Central Time to sunset all season, and GFP uses Central Time for the opening hour statewide. The daily limit is 3 rooster pheasants. The possession limit is 15 roosters in the youth and traditional seasons; in the traditional season it builds at 3 a day, so 15 cannot be held until after the fifth day of hunting. In the resident-only season it is 9, reached after the third day (GFP, Pheasant (2026)).
Which areas open later in the season?
| Area | Open for pheasants |
|---|---|
| Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Brown County) | December 14 to January 31 |
| Renziehausen Game Production Area and Game Bird Refuge (Brown and Marshall counties) | December 1 to January 31 |
| Gerken Game Bird Refuge (Faulk County) | December 1 to January 31 |
| White Lake Game Bird Refuge (Marshall County) | December 1 to January 31 |
Source: GFP, Pheasant (2026). Everything else is open from the traditional opener.
Where can residents hunt in the resident-only season?
Public land only. GFP's list: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl production areas, Corps of Engineers land along the Missouri River, national grasslands, Bureau of Reclamation land, school and public lands, state parks (unless the handbook says otherwise), recreation areas and lakeside use areas, game production areas open in the regular season, Walk-In Areas and CREP land. Road rights-of-way are open in this season only where they adjoin and are part of public hunting land (GFP, Pheasant (2026)). In the youth season, every public road right-of-way is closed to pheasant hunting except the half next to public hunting land.
Can you hunt pheasants from road ditches in South Dakota?
Yes, on foot, outside the resident-only and youth limits above. GFP's rules for public road rights-of-way (GFP, Hunting Areas Information (2026)):
- Rights-of-way are open for small game (except doves) and waterfowl, taken on foot, with the hunter inside the right-of-way and the bird flushed from or flying over it.
- No hunting within 660 feet of a school, church, occupied dwelling or livestock; neither the hunter nor the bird may be inside that 660-foot zone.
- A section-line right-of-way is open only where it shows a well-worn vehicle trail or has been altered for vehicle travel. Most section-line rights-of-way are 66 feet wide, and the fence is not always on the line.
- Park as far right as you can. To shoot, stand more than 50 yards from the vehicle, with the doors on the road side closed; closer than that, every door must be shut and the engine off.
- No shooting at a bird that flies from the right-of-way over a federal refuge or tribal trust land.
- A bird that falls on private land may be picked up by an unarmed hunter on foot.
On Walk-In Areas the 660-foot rule does not apply: GFP says there is no limit on hunting a Walk-In Area within 660 feet of anything, cattle included (GFP, Walk-In Area questions (PDF, 2025)).
Do you need nontoxic shot for pheasants?
On game production areas and waterfowl production areas, yes: GFP's nontoxic shot table marks upland birds "Yes" for both. It marks them "No" for BLM land, national forests and grasslands, school and public lands, Walk-In Areas, CREP, CHAP and cooperative areas (GFP, Hunting Areas Information (2026)). GFP also says lead shot is allowed for small game on Walk-In Areas, CREP and CHAP land, while nontoxic shot is still required for waterfowl (GFP, Walk-In Area questions (PDF, 2025)).
How much is a South Dakota pheasant license in 2026?
A nonresident small game license is $142 and covers two five-day periods; a resident small game license is $36. GFP's 2026 list:
| License | Price, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Resident small game | $36 |
| Resident combination (small game and fishing) | $60 |
| Resident one-day small game | $15 |
| Resident youth small game (12 to 17) or mentored (under 16) | $5 |
| Resident habitat stamp | $10 |
| Nonresident small game (two five-day periods) | $142 |
| Nonresident youth or mentored small game | $10 |
| Nonresident habitat stamp | $25 |
Source: GFP, 2026 Upland Outlook (PDF). Nonresident start dates must be named when the license is bought (GFP, Pheasant (2026)).
How did the 2025 pheasant season go?
GFP's 2026 upland outlook reports 1.35 million pheasants taken in 2025 by nearly 140,000 hunters, the highest harvest in recent history, with 9.7 birds per hunter, the most since 2011. Another 400,000 were taken on shooting preserves. GFP says pheasants are most abundant in east-central South Dakota (GFP, 2026 Upland Outlook (PDF)). These are past results, as GFP reported them.
Which counties had the most pheasants taken in 2025?
Brown County (80,859), Beadle County (75,131) and Brule County (68,785) led GFP's 2025 county table. The top 10 counties together account for 42% of the state's 1,351,081 birds. Walk-In Area and CREP parcels and acres are FilledTag's count of GFP's 2025 public lands file, less the 2026 removals (October 23, 2026).
| County | Pheasants taken, 2025 | Taken by nonresidents | Hunters, 2025 | Walk-In and CREP parcels | Walk-In and CREP acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 80,859 | 61% | 9,019 | 323 | 56,643 |
| Beadle County | 75,131 | 57% | 6,646 | 52 | 8,614 |
| Brule County | 68,785 | 66% | 6,447 | 2 | 105 |
| Spink County | 66,283 | 67% | 5,567 | 69 | 9,611 |
| Tripp County | 52,776 | 78% | 4,888 | 3 | 1,044 |
| Aurora County | 51,748 | 60% | 4,291 | 5 | 1,776 |
| Lyman County | 47,407 | 78% | 5,043 | 22 | 8,756 |
| Miner County | 45,945 | 42% | 3,487 | 4 | 632 |
| Hughes County | 44,154 | 65% | 4,763 | 6 | 4,012 |
| Faulk County | 39,905 | 74% | 4,129 | 9 | 9,131 |
| Brookings County | 37,731 | 28% | 3,737 | 23 | 2,764 |
| Edmunds County | 37,644 | 56% | 3,145 | 26 | 7,890 |
| Charles Mix County | 37,528 | 58% | 3,679 | 11 | 1,602 |
| Kingsbury County | 34,229 | 41% | 3,243 | 11 | 1,238 |
| Sanborn County | 32,077 | 52% | 2,775 | 30 | 5,000 |
Sources: GFP, 2025 pheasant hunters and harvest by county; GFP, 2025 South Dakota Public Lands file (last modified March 23, 2026), less the 15 removals dated July 22 to October 21, 2026 in GFP's hunting atlas removals layer. GFP rounds each figure.
Which counties have the most Walk-In Area acres?
The most Walk-In Area acres are in Butte County (247,164 acres), Harding County (187,253 acres) and Perkins County (116,312 acres). GFP says rangeland in the program mainly serves deer, elk, pronghorn, prairie grouse, prairie dogs and coyotes, and can also hold pheasants, depending on the habitat around it (GFP, Walk-In Area questions (PDF, 2025)). Every county is on the South Dakota Walk-In Areas page.
| County | Walk-In Area parcels | Walk-In Area acres | CREP acres | Pheasants taken, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte County | 43 | 247,164 | 0 | 1,471 |
| Harding County | 60 | 187,253 | 0 | 3,347 |
| Perkins County | 124 | 116,312 | 0 | 17,946 |
| Corson County | 68 | 83,704 | 0 | 6,822 |
| Meade County | 21 | 80,055 | 0 | 2,734 |
| Fall River County | 42 | 63,081 | 0 | 1,712 |
| Haakon County | 23 | 52,876 | 0 | 5,411 |
| Ziebach County | 23 | 51,962 | 0 | 5,726 |
| Day County | 189 | 41,835 | 24,658 | 17,192 |
| Dewey County | 29 | 38,663 | 0 | 8,788 |
| Custer County | 9 | 37,411 | 0 | 1,824 |
| Marshall County | 113 | 28,360 | 21,750 | 7,873 |
Sources: GFP, 2025 South Dakota Public Lands file (last modified March 23, 2026), less the 15 removals dated July 22 to October 21, 2026 in GFP's hunting atlas removals layer; GFP, 2025 pheasant hunters and harvest by county.
Questions hunters ask
What time does pheasant hunting start in South Dakota?
10 a.m. Central Time, in every pheasant season, and it ends at sunset. GFP uses Central Time for the opening hour statewide, including the part of the state on Mountain Time.
How many roosters can you shoot a day in South Dakota?
Three. The possession limit is 15 roosters in the youth and traditional seasons and 9 in the resident-only season, by GFP's pheasant page.
Can nonresident kids hunt the South Dakota youth pheasant season?
Yes. The September 26 to October 4, 2026 season is open to resident and nonresident youth 12 through 17 with a hunter safety certificate and a small game license, and to youth under 16 in the mentored program. A nonresident youth license covers two five-day periods; five days can be used in the youth season.
When does Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge open for pheasants?
December 14, and it stays open to January 31. The Renziehausen, Gerken and White Lake game bird refuges open December 1, by GFP's pheasant page.
Get a South Dakota pheasant plan
South Dakota pheasant plans can be ordered now: one county and one day in GFP's traditional season, October 17, 2026 to January 31, 2027, for $9.99. The plan lists patches of pheasant cover on land GFP maps as open to public hunting, each with legal parking on a public road and the walk from the truck, plus GFP's terms for each parcel. Check your hunt first; the check is free. A person looks over every South Dakota pheasant plan before it is sent.
Check my South Dakota pheasant hunt See a real small game plan
The free map works in South Dakota too, on your phone with no signal.
Where these numbers come from
- Seasons, hours, limits, late openings and the resident-only lands: GFP, Key Dates (2026); GFP, Pheasant (2026).
- Road rights-of-way and nontoxic shot: GFP, Hunting Areas Information (2026). Walk-In Area rules: GFP, Walk-In Area questions (PDF, 2025).
- Licenses and 2025 results: GFP, 2026 Upland Outlook (PDF). Harvest by county: GFP, 2025 pheasant hunters and harvest by county.
- Walk-In Areas and CREP: GFP, 2025 South Dakota Public Lands file (last modified March 23, 2026), less the 15 removals dated July 22 to October 21, 2026 in GFP's hunting atlas removals layer; areas in an equal-area projection, inside U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county lines.
FilledTag is not part of South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. GFP's hunting pages and its handbook are the final word on every rule.
South Dakota hunting South Dakota Walk-In Areas Brown County Beadle County Brule County Spink County Tripp County Aurora County