
HUNTING SEASONS IN SOUTH DAKOTA 2025–26: Deer Hunting, Big Game and Small Game, Licenses, and Regulations Guide Plan your 2025–26 SD hunt with our state‑by‑state guide—season dates, bag limits, licenses, bow & rifle rules, and key game species from whitetail deer to pronghorn to ducks. Whether you’re glassing a rutting buck on the Missouri River breaks, slipping decoys for teal over prairie potholes, or tracking coyote year‑round on private ranchland, South Dakota’s prairie grasslands, badlands, and wetlands deliver premier big game and small game opportunities under clear regulations. What Is There to Hunt in South Dakota? South Dakota supports a wide array of species: Big Game: Whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, Rocky Mountain elk, moose (Unit 1 draw), bighorn sheep (draw), mountain lion (quota), wild turkey (limited draw) Small Game & Upland Birds: Cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, ring‑necked pheasant, sharp‑tailed grouse, gray partridge, fox & gray squirrels Water
Post: 23 July 14:39