Wild animals often leave their young for extended periods of time.

Do not touch or try to “help” the animal. 

It is more than likely not orphaned. GFP does not take these animals and rehabilitation does not work.

There are three laws that cover this type of situation; the first two deal with dispatching the injured animal, while the other covers the disposition of the animal.

41-1-12.   Euthanasia of animal injured in motor vehicle accident. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person who has seriously injured a wildlife animal in a motor vehicle accident or any person who comes upon a wildlife animal that has been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident may euthanize the seriously injured animal so that it will not suffer needlessly if that person has the means, skill, and will to euthanize the animal humanely.

41-1-13.   Report of euthanasia to department. Any person who euthanizes a wildlife animal pursuant to § 41-1-12 shall report the event to the Department of Game, Fish and Parks or any conservation office within twenty-four hours.

41-1-5.7.   Disposition of deer and antelope killed by motor vehicle. If any deer or antelope is killed by a motor vehicle on a public highway, any person who desires to possess that animal shall notify a conservation officer, as defined by § 41-15-10, prior to taking possession of the animal. The conservation officer may give a dated and written authorization allowing possession of the animal. The conservation officer may give verbal authorization to take immediate possession of the animal prior to receipt of the written authorization. The written authorization allows the possession and disposal of the animal. The written authorization shall remain with the carcass while in processing or storage. No part of an animal so obtained may be sold, bartered or traded. There is no fee for the issuance of such authorization.

Please contact your local conservation officer for additional questions or for more information.  

Yes, the captive game bird regulations and permit application can be found here.

For specific information regarding the current elk population in the Black Hills; check out our elk information page. 

GFP conducts surveys during the spring and fall migrations. 

The spring migration is typically fairly quick.

GFP is active at getting field reports on Facebook. Visit www.facebook.com/sdgfp/ to engage in the conversation and learn more.

For more information on aquatic invasive species, please visit: https://sdleastwanted.sd.gov/.

Boats over 12 feet long and motorboats of any length, including those using electric trolling motors, must be registered to be operated on public waters. Boat registration, transferring of boat ownership and replacing lost boat registration stickers are done through your local county treasurer office. New boat owners have 45 days from the date of purchase to complete the licensing and registering process through their local treasurer’s office.  Boats purchased from a private party or dealership must have current registration prior to being operated on the water.  A temporary permit can be purchase through your local treasurer’s office. 

Boats are registered for a one year period. Fees are based on the length of boat and the type of propulsion. All registration needs to be done at the county treasurer's office in the county of residence, not where a boat is kept or primarily used.

Boats registered in another state may be in South Dakota for 60 consecutive days before registration is required in South Dakota. However, nonresident boats need to be licensed in South Dakota if they have been subject to a contract for a berth for a period of more than sixty consecutive days during any calendar year in marina facilities located within this state.

All motorized boats, regardless of length and construction materials, and all non-motorized boats over 18 feet in length must be licensed and numbered.

Non-motorized boats over 12 feet  and under 18 feet in length must have a validation sticker, but boat numbering is optional.

Non-motorized boats 12 feet in length or less are not required to be licensed or numbered.

Vessels registered in another state may be in South Dakota for 60 days before registration is required in South Dakota.

Vessels documented with the U.S. Coast Guard and on South Dakota waters for less than 60 consecutive days within on calendar year do not need South Dakota registration.

Vessels berthed at a South Dakota marina must have a South Dakota registration if the contract for the berth is for 60 or more consecutive days within one calendar year.

Please contact your local treasurer’s office or the Department of Motor Vehicles at 605.773.3541 or visit http://dor.sd.gov/Motor_Vehicles/.

The South Dakota Boating Handbook has all the information you need and the requirements for boating in our state. Pick one up today or download a copy online.

Call 1.800.710.2267 or visit Go Outdoors South Dakota to make a camping reservation.

Reservations for campsites, cabins, and picnic shelters can be made within 90 days of arrival. View the 90-Day Reservation Calendar for dates. Exceptions include: Custer State Park, Lewis and Clark Recreation Area Group camping and Modern Lodges, Cabins, and Suites, all of which accept reservations one year in advance.       

You may purchase your park entrance licenses online, by calling 1.800.710.2267 or at any state park or recreation area offices, entrance booths, or self-serve entrance kiosks. Information on park entrance license options, prices, and discounts can be found here.    

A state park entrance license allows you to enjoy over 60 state park and recreation areas throughout South Dakota. The license is required of all motorized vehicles for entrance into designated state parks, recreation areas, and lakeside use areas. It does not cover camping costs or additional fees. 
 

South Dakota State Parks offers lifetime state park entrance licenses for disabled veterans who are residents of South Dakota and are deemed 100% disabled.  Approved applicants will also receive a 50% discount on camping fees.  The application and additional information can be found here.  

If you require a replacement pass, email your contact information to parkinfo@state.sd.us. 

State parks are open year-round and offer a variety of activities you can do all year long.  

Some amenities such as showers, flush toilets and other water systems may be unavailable between October 1 and April 30.  Please contact the park directly or check their Facebook page for current status.  Vault toilets usually remain open year-round.  

When operating off-road vehicles in the parks or campgrounds, the requirements are the same as an automobile. They must: have a South Dakota license, park entrance license, stay on designated roads, be operated by a person with a valid driver’s license.  Additional information and regulations can be  found here.

For information on licensing regulations, contact the Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles at 605.773.3541 or online.    

If off-roading on federal land, contact local law enforcement agencies for regulations.  Contact information for federal office to obtain permit and maps can be found here.
 

Yes. Find out if the state park or recreation area near you rents kayaks/canoes use our state park filtering tool or handbook amenities pages. 

When renting a canoe or kayak in a state park do not take canoes out in windy and/or stormy conditions. Make certain there is at least one adult in the canoe.  Make certain that all lifejackets fit properly and are zipped/hooked correctly.  Do not stand in a canoe.  Save the horseplay for off the water.  Stay out of the swimming area.  Stay close to shore, especially when just learning to canoe.

If there are no water-specific length restrictions for a species of fish, anglers may clean and cook those fish while on the ice in accordance with daily and possession limits while on that lake.

For example, anglers fishing on a lake with a minimum size limit for walleye would not be able to clean and eat walleyes. They would be able to clean and eat yellow perch and northern pike, but any fish eaten would count towards their daily limit.

Residents: 18 years old.

Nonresidents: Nonresidents under age 18 do not need a fishing license and may take their own limit of fish.

If the fish was caught on Lake Oahe, email your name, tag number, boat ramp used, general catch location, fish length, and date of catch to oahetags@gmail.com, or call 605.223.7656. If you would like background information on when and where your fish was tagged, please indicate an email or mailing address to send it to.

Ice houses must display the name and address of the owner in letters at least two inches high on the outside of the shelter. Portable shelters removed from the ice daily are exempt from the marking requirements.

Except for South Dakota-Minnesota border waters, there is no date after which shacks must be removed from the ice. On South Dakota-Minnesota border waters, shelters must be removed from the ice by Midnight of March 5^th. After this date, shelters may remain on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise only when occupied or attended.

The pond is not open to the public. It is used for educational purposes only so you would need to be registered for a fishing or kayaking class.  

The station is open on spawn days during the month of October.

Regional fishing reports and updates can be found online in the various regions.

Black Hills and Badlands: blackhillsbadlands.com

Missouri River and Central South Dakota: sdmissouririver.com

Northeast Fishing: sdglaciallakes.com

Southeast Fishing: southeastsouthdakota.com

There are four reservoirs on the Missouri River: Lake Oahe (Mobridge and Pierre), Lake Sharpe (Fort Thompson), Lake Francis Case (Chamberlain) and Lewis and Clark Lake (Yankton). 

Family Park is an urban fishery in and near the Sioux Falls city limits. The Eastern South Dakota Shore Fishing Guide is also a great tool to reference on other fishing locations and opportunities in the area.

The Black Hills Fishing Guide is the best resource for this information.

The GFP Division of Wildlife regional offices may be able to assist with this information. GFP also partners with the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources as well as Health on these matters:

Fish Consumption Advisories: http://denr.sd.gov/des/sw/fish.aspx or http://doh.sd.gov/food/fish-advisories.aspx. 

Click here for the most up to date fishing regulations.

No.

No.

Tournaments may be held at times and places which require that special conditions be imposed. These provisions may be included after the sponsor or organizer has applied for the permit through discussion with a department representative. Special provisions may include but not limited to:

• Designating a safe start area or establishing a no-wake zone.
• Requiring weigh-in areas away from high traffic areas
• Limitations for catch and release tournaments.
• Requiring reduced limits for tournaments.
• Prohibiting catch and release tournaments where fish are taken into possession and not immediately released for walleye and all salmon tournaments June 1 through September 15.
• Requiring special parking areas for tournament anglers.
• Requiring specific hours for events involving boats.
• Other conditions as imposed by local GFP official.

Fishing tournaments are not permitted from 8 a.m. on Friday to 8 p.m. on Sunday of Free Fishing and State Parks Open House Weekend (usually the weekend prior to Memorial Day weekend in May) or on Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day, or on associated weekends when those holidays fall on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday.

Applications will be accepted no earlier than November 1 of the year preceding the planned tournament or event, but no later than 30 days prior to the planned tournament or 15 days before the planned special event.

Tournament and Special Event permit requests are processed as they are received.

There is always the possibility that the date(s) and public access area you request may have already been permitted to another tournament or event.

If the event you are planning involves 200 or more participants or 100 or more boats, or the event is determined to involve a high risk of injury to participants or others, liability insurance and waivers of liability signed by each participant will be required. See the fishing tournament application for more details.

Fishing tournaments may generate concerns of the non-tournament public. This requires a positive approach by the tournament organizers and anglers. While a single tournament may not have a significant impact on fish population, collectively they are part of the total angling impact sustained by a fish population. Catching and releasing large numbers of fish, hauling fish in a livewell for several hours or improper handling may result in unnecessary fish mortality.

Public perception of fishing tournaments is important to consider and there are several actions which participants may take to improve those perceptions. Tournament sponsors should incorporate appropriate catch and release format, proper handling techniques, and reduced daily creel limits as ways to minimize criticism while maintaining ethical tournament practices. One or more of these practices may go a long way in generating positive attitudes toward tournaments.

A fishing tournament is any organized competitive angling event involving 20 or more boats or, if boats are not involved, 50 or more people, conducted on the public waters of this state, for the purpose of awarding prizes or for personal gain or promotional consideration. Junior fishing clinics or achievement contests for youths under age 17 are not considered to be fishing tournaments regardless of the number of participants.

The application and review process for a permit allows GFP to determine that the event being planned:

1) is allowable within the statutes, rules and policies which apply;

2) will not harm the resources involved;

3) is compatible with the facilities available;

4) does not conflict with other, previously scheduled events;

5) does or does not carry a higher than usual risk of injury to participants or others and greater liability for event organizers and employees of the state.

Any tournament over 19 teams/boats or 50 people needs a permit, any tournament over 99 boats or 200 people need to have insurance.

Fishing Tournament Regulations

Application Details 

The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks does not post contact information for each fishing tournament on the website. That information can be obtained by calling 605.773.3391.

No, these are not legal for hunting. These devices are not considered bows or crossbows, nor are they considered a legal air rifle.  

Customers not receiving their stamp should call Amplex within 30 days of purchase, so that we will have time to get a replacement stamp to the customer prior to the temporary permit expiring.  The temporary permit expires within 45 days of purchase.  There is no cost to the customer for a replacement if the stamp has been lost in the mail, or returned due to an incorrect address.  We do not provide replacement stamps due to customer negligence, to include stamps that are damaged, lost, or thrown away.  

Amplex is not authorized to extend or re-issue the 45 day temporary permit.

Any stamps that are returned by the Postal Service due to an incorrect address are logged into a returned stamp file, and are filed by date and alphabetically.  Customers that call due to an incorrect address issue will be asked to provide the correct mailing address, and the returned stamp will be re-addressed with the proper address and mailed out again the same day.  The customer will then be referred to the State Agency to update their address.  

If Amplex receives a call from a customer and an order file cannot be located for the customer, they will be referred to the State Agency.    

Amplex Customer Service:  1-800-852-4897 or Duckstamp@amplex.com.

Call 605.223.7660 or email wildinfo@state.sd.us and provide detailed information about the situation.

Yes you can. 

Take a photo of the paper copy and save it, or better yet, download the GFP mobile app, log into the licensing system and show or view your license that way. The bar code seen on your license allows South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) conservation officers to electronically scan the license on smartphone devices while in the field in lieu of a paper copy.

If you choose to print and carry a paper copy of your small game, fishing or trapping license, that is still fine.

NOTE: This does not apply to federal waterfowl stamps, tags and licenses mailed to you from the department's licensing office. Stamps, tags and licenses must be carried with you while you are hunting and all tagging requirements apply.  

If you bought your license online, you can use your user profile to get a copy of your license. 

Any licensing agent can replace your license if you don’t have a user profile (purchased it from an agent). You may be charged a fee for this. 

Before heading into the field this fall, log into your GFP online licensing account from your smartphone device to view your small game, fishing or trapping license and take a picture or screenshot of it with your device (Android, iPhone, etc.). This electronic version is an acceptable method of carrying a small game, fishing or trapping license.

If you have lost a big game license contact our licensing office at 605.223.7660 or via email at wildinfo@state.sd.us.

You must have a fixed and permanent domicile in the state and have lived in the state for at least 90 consecutive days prior to making application. You must make no claims of residency in any other state or foreign country and have transferred your driver's license and all your motor vehicle registrations to South Dakota.

The licensing office in Fort Pierre will need to void the preference point purchase first and then you can apply for a license. Please send an email to wildinfo@state.sd.us to address the situation.

The licensing office in Fort Pierre will need to make this change for you. Please send an email to wildinfo@state.sd.us to address the situation.

A Disabled Hunter Permit authorizes qualifying individuals to lawfully shoot game animals from a stationary motor vehicle. This includes big game animals such as deer, antelope, elk, and turkey, and small game animals such as grouse, pheasants, partridge, rabbits, and waterfowl. 

Applicants, veteran or non-veteran, for the reduced fee permits must be a resident of South Dakota and meet at least one of several different requirements. View the application and learn more.

A Crossbow/Draw-lock Permit is available to any person who is permanently incapable of using a bow and arrow due to the loss of or use of one or both arms, caused by birth defect, injury, disease, or who is confined to a wheelchair.

Residents and non-residents at least 12 years old, or who will turn 12 by December 31, may hunt any season they are licensed for after September 1. They must possess a Hunter Safety Card (or in case of non-residents, a copy of a current or previous hunting license issued to them from any state). 

GFP does not license hunting or fishing guides. No person, acting as a hunting guide, may guide any hunting activity on state-owned or managed lands, including: 

• Game Production Areas
• State Parks and Recreation Areas
• Lakeside Use Areas
• Federal land leased or under agreement to South Dakota
• Land posted as a Game Production Area and managed for wildlife purposes
• Waterfowl Production Areas
• Federal Refuges
• Private land leased or under agreement to GFP for the purpose of providing public access
• Highways or other public rights-of-way within this state. However, the hunting guide or employees of a hunting guide may guide a hunting activity on the road right-of-way immediately adjacent to property owned or leased by the hunting guide.

Yes, effective July 1, 2020, nonresident waterfowl licenses may be split into two five-day periods.

You may put the last five days of the hunting season and then change the privilege dates when you know what dates you will be hunting.

 On December 15 the next year’s licenses are available for sale.

The process is simple, please send an email to wildinfo@state.sd.us and your information will get routed to the appropriate staff member. Or submit the HunSAFE replacement card form yourself online.

Several public hunting lands require nontoxic shot for all shotgun hunting of small game. 

Public road rights-of-way are open for the hunting of small game and waterfowl. No person may hunt within 660 feet of schools, churches, occupied dwellings and livestock. The hunter or the small game animal being shot should not be within the 660-foot safety zone.

The public right-of-way along a section line or other highway is open for hunting if:

• The right-of-way has been commonly used by the public for vehicular travel, as demonstrated by the existence of a well-worn vehicle trail.
• An intentional alteration or adaptation has been made to the right-of-way to enhance the natural terrain's utility for vehicular travel or to permit vehicular travel where it was not possible before.

Fences may not be placed on a right-of-way boundary, and occasionally, there is no fence. Most section line rights-of-way are 66 feet wide. Some acquired rights-of-way are wider.

Please email wildinfo@state.sd.us to request more information about your situation.

Please email wildinfo@state.sd.us explaining your situation.

 

Applications for Black Hills turkeys are available here.

Applications must be submitted ahead of your planned hunt and leave enough time to receive your license through the mail (7-10 days). Nonresidents are eligible for one Black Hills turkey license.  

Contact the Rapid City GFP office at 605.394.2391 for current information on the Black Hills turkey populations.

Waterfowl must include at least a head or fully feathered wing.

Small game- unless processed by a licensed wildlife processing facility (pheasants, grouse or prairie chicken) - must have at least a head, fully feathered wing or foot.

Fish must be readily counted. Frozen fish must be packaged individually; two fillets are the equivalent of one fish.

Details can also be found in either the hunting or fishing regulation handbooks. 

One person’s gifts of organ, eye and tissue donation can help up to 75 people. In addition to the recipients whose lives are restored, donor families often share that their loved one’s gifts of donation help them in their grief journey. You can become an organ donor by registering online.

Register for Organ Donation

Remember to share your decision with your family so they know your wishes. If you have questions, call 1-888-5-DONATE. For questions about eye and tissue donation, please contact LifeSource or Dakota Lions Sight and Health.

When you purchase a license and/or permit through the system, you may be asked if you would like to upgrade to a durable card for $5. This optional, durable card is a valid form of proof of purchase that will not be damaged by water, sun, dirt, or regular wear and tear like the traditional paper document. The card is made of credit card-like material that contains your customer and license information on one side, and on the other side features artwork from Terry Redlin, America’s most popular outdoor artist and South Dakota native.

Cards are mailed within 5-10 business days of purchase to the customer mailing address on file. At the time of printing, eligible licenses currently held by the customer will print on the card. Hunters are still required to carry the physical tags for big game in addition to the collector’s card. Current licenses that will be printed on the card include: habitat stamp, annual fishing, annual small game, combination, furbearer, predator/varmint, and migratory bird.

Two artwork options are available to print on your collector’s card at this time. You may order one of each design, if desired, at time of purchase. GFP intends to offer new artwork on the collector’s cards each year, so start with the first one!

Once you complete a purchase through the new system, you may be asked to sign up for auto-renew. This is a feature that allows you to automatically renew any applicable licenses/permits when they are about to expire using a stored payment method. If you choose to enroll, you will receive an email 10 days in advance notifying that your eligible licenses will be renewed using Auto-Renew. You may adjust your auto-renew settings (including stored payment) at any time before your license(s) expires through your customer profile. 

Licenses eligible for auto-renew include resident small game, annual fishing, combination, and furbearer licenses. The habitat stamp will be automatically added to your cart and auto-renew with your other licenses you have selected. Nonresident annual fishing, shooting preserve, and predator/varmint licenses are also eligible for auto-renew.

As part of the system transition, there are new mobile app versions available for download. If you have the previous mobile app, please update the app through the app store. If you do not have the app already downloaded, search for “Go Outdoors South Dakota” to find GFP’s official mobile app for iOS and Android. Note: users will not automatically be updated to the latest app version. To access the latest version of the app each user must manually update/download the Go Outdoors SD app.

The app will allow you to purchase licenses and access your license information, no matter where you are. You may download multiple customer licenses to offer one secure digital license document location for families, groups, and more. This will also be a legal means of carrying your licenses in the field. In addition to storing multiple customers’ documents, you are able to sign up for season reminders and access regulations documentation.

We have several private lands biologists across the state.

For information on all things habitat in South Dakota visit: http://habitat.sd.gov/ or http://habitat.sd.gov/advisors/docs/habitat-advisor-map.pdf. 

Contact the GFP regional office where the GPA is located.

• Northeast – Watertown 605.882.5200
• Southeast – Sioux Falls 605.362.2700
• Central – Fort Pierre 605.223.7660
• Western – Rapid City 605.394.2391

Yes, a person who is ten years of age or older may be granted a hunting preference point. A person who is eleven years of age and who will become twelve years of age during the period of September 1 to December 31, may be granted a hunting license or preference point and may be allowed to hunt beginning September 1.

No, any individual who has a HuntSAFE certification and has written permission from the parent or legal guardian can mentor a child.

Mentors must be unarmed except for concealed handgun permittees.

Each youth is different but for new hunters, try a season where you can control what shots are taken, when they are taken and where they are taken. For example, sitting in a blind deer, turkey or antelope hunting, you can control the mentee's shots and even talk to them while they are getting ready to take the shot.

The hunting party may not exceed six people, including mentors and mentees.

The mentor is issue the tag. Mentorship licenses do not interfere with a mentor's eligibility for their own game licenses.

The mentored hunting program is designed so parents can make the decision on when their child is ready to go hunting for the first time. By emphasizing one-on-one interaction between the beginning hunter and the experienced hunter, safety, respect for wildlife and solid conservation ethics are passed to the conservation leaders of tomorrow.

Any resident youth is not required to possess a hunting license as long as accompanied by a hunting mentor while in the field hunting. This is for residents only. No license required for the mentored hunter nor is a hunter education class required.

The mentored hunter must be accompanied by unarmed mentor. 

The injunctions put in place on specific water bodies remain in effect until such time as they are removed by additional court action; which currently includes Duerre v. Hepler and Parks v. Cooper. More specifically, these Day County water bodies include: Duerre Slough, Jesse Slough, Schiley Lake, Long Lake and Parks Slough.

The law now specifically prohibits "recreational use" of marked (closed) waters. Casting a lure into marked (closed) waters is a recreational use of those waters and is a violation of Section 5 of HB 1001.

Yes, if the waters are marked as closed.

Public trust is a term used to describe things that cannot be owned as personal possessions. The Supreme Court of SD upheld that water is a public trust resource, but also stated that it was the legislature’s responsibility to determine what that water could be used for.

These discussions have been limited.

This idea was discussed by members of the nonmeandered waters legislative summer study committee and may be discussed further in the future.

Landowners who want to close nonmeandered waters must mark closed areas with signs provided by GFP and/or buoys that meet the standards provide by administrative rule. Marking requirements can be found here. The landowner must also notify GFP of the closure so staff can ensure the marked area is properly indicated on the closure map.

It is up to each individual to know where they are and if they are authorized to be there. 

Hunting on the ice above private land on nonmeandered waters is prohibited without permission from the owner of the flooded land. Wading on nonmeandered waters is also prohibited without permission. Waterfowl hunting from a boat is allowed on any unmarked area as long as the hunters remain in the boat.

Ice anglers need permission to fish on waters marked as closed to recreational use.

It is the responsibility of the landowner or his/her designee to monitor the areas that have been closed. Law enforcement will investigate claims of trespassing on properly marked nonmeandered waters. 

Casting into unmarked (open) water from a legal point of access is legal. Any contact between recreational equipment and private property underlying any unmarked (open) nonmeandered lake incidental to a lawful recreational use is not a criminal trespass.

Nonmeandered water over a road right-of-way is open to recreational use, including all types of fishing, and cannot be closed by marking. It is the responsibility of the person recreating to ensure they are in fact over the road right-of-way. 

Yes, there is a map available showing current nonmeandered water closures. Some of the waters may be fully or partially closed. Individuals are asked to please pay attention to posted signs.

Waters over section lines that have not been vacated are open to recreational use.

Per statute, landowners cannot charge a fee for fishing nonmeandered waters that are marked as closed. 

All waters not marked as closed are open to recreational use. The bed of nonmeandered lakes cannot be used without permission of the landowner. Hunting on ice of nonmeandered lakes is also prohibited, unless permission is granted by the owner of the lakebed.

GFP will provide the signs utilized to mark closures. The landowner will purchase any buoys that may be necessary to mark open water areas. The landowner is responsible for installing and maintaining the signs and buoys.

Meandered lakes are waters that at the time of the original survey of South Dakota, the U.S. government surveyor estimated to be larger than 40 acres and of a permanent nature. Land within the defined meander line, or surveyed boundary, became state trust property.

• Meandered Lakes List: This list of meandered lakes in South Dakota was compiled by reviewing original survey plats from state archives and should not be considered a complete list.

Water overlying private property that flooded after years of rainfall and that are not part of a meandered basin. Nonmeandered waters do not include rivers, streams, man-made lakes or meandered lakes.

A Section 8 water is one of the 27 nonmeandered water bodies identified in Section 8 of House Bill 1001 as being open to recreational use by the public due to previous public use and established boat ramps on those waters. These waters are open to public use unless the GFP Commission authorizes a landowner to close part of the water body overlying their deeded land through a petition process. Listed below are the 27 nonmeandered bodies of water that were reopened for recreational use with the passing of HB 1001.

• Casey's Slough, Cottonwood GPA, Dry #1, Dry #2, Round, and Swan in Clark County;
• Deep and Goose in Codington County;
• East Krause, Lynn, and Middle Lynn, in Day County;
• North Scatterwood in Edmunds County;
• Three Buck in Hamlin County;
• Bullhead, Cattail-Kettle, and Opitz in Marshall County;
• Island South in McCook County;
• Keisz in McPherson County;
• Grass, Loss, Scott, and Twin in Minnehaha County;
• Twin in Sanborn County;
• Cottonwood and Mud in Spink County;
• Cottonwood in Sully County; and
• Dog Ear in Tripp County

A non-Section 8 nonmeandered water is any other nonmeandered water that is not listed above.

The process is different for a Section 8 nonmeandered water than it is for a non-Section 8 nonmeandered water.

• A Section 8 water cannot be closed, except through GFP Commission action. Landowners may petition the Commission requesting closure on part of a Section 8 water. The Commission may grant, deny or modify the petition.
   
• A non-Section 8 water can be closed by the landowner marking the water with signs and/or buoys that are outlined in administrative rules established by the GFP Commission. The signs and/or buoys must be placed in a manner that makes it clear to the public that it is closed. Landowners are required to notify GFP within a reasonable timeframe when posting a non-Section 8 nonmeandered water as closed, so that the department can add the water to the closure map on the GFP website. The notification should include a legal description of the waters the landowner is closing. This notification can be done through the Pierre office, GFP field office or a local Conservation Officer.

Yes. These were finalized by the GFP Commission on November 3, 2017, and can be viewed here.

Yes. Signs will be red with white lettering and will be provided by GFP to landowners in order to provide a consistent and recognizable sign. Buoys must be red in color, with contrasting letters stating “CLOSED” painted or marked on them. They must be a minimum of 14.5 inches by 19.5 inches. Purchase of buoys will be the responsibility of the landowners and can be purchased through several vendors.

Landowners will be responsible for placement and maintenance of both signs and buoys.

More details can be found here.

Markers that are improperly placed either intentionally or accidentally should be reported to GFP so they can be rectified. 

The Legislature gave the GFP Commission the authority to decide on requests to restrict nonmeandered lakes. The process provides landowners with lakebed property on one of the 27 Section 8 lakes the ability to formally make those requests by petitioning the GFP Commission.

Petitioning landowners must first complete and submit the petition form.

Upon submission of the form, the Commission will schedule and post a hearing date based on the availability of the landowner and the Commission. The hearing agenda will be publicly posted and the hearing will be open to the public.

Following the hearing, the Commission will adopt a resolution that grants the petition in part or full, or denies the petition stating its reasons for partial or complete denial. State law requires the Commission to consider privacy, safety and substantially affected financial interests of the landowner as well as history of use, water quality and quantity and the public’s interest in recreational use of the water.

Yes, starting in 2018 there have been and continue to be several access agreements signed to create access to nonmeandered waters. For the most up to date and complete list of access agreements please contact Rhet.Russell@state.sd.us.

Check out the map here for more details and the most up to date closures.

Historically, the pheasant hunting season begins on the third Saturday of October each year.

The South Dakota Public Hunting Atlas is a quality resource when it comes to identifying game production areas, walk in areas, school and public lands and more. Where you choose to hunt is up to you. Be sure to check out the most recent information on the pheasant outlook.

Walk In Areas are privately owned lands, operating as working farms and ranches.

Walk-In Areas are leased for public hunting access by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks using money from the sale of hunting licenses and Federal Aid money from a tax on hunting equipment sales to pay the leases. No further permission from landowners is needed to hunt these areas.

No driving is allowed on Walk-In Areas except on designated trails and parking areas. 

National Grassland areas in western South Dakota, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, are popular hunting destinations. Please contact these grassland offices for information on travel restrictions. The Buffalo Gap National Grasslands can be reached at 605.279.2125.

Native American Tribal lands host some of the state's best prairie dog hunting opportunities. State licenses are not valid on tribal trust lands, unless authorized by the tribal council. Individual tribes may require a tribal permit to hunt on their lands. Contact the individual tribes to find out what licenses they offer and the cost. Not all the land inside the South Dakota reservations is under tribal jurisdiction. If you hunt on private land deeded to non-Indians you must have a state license.

The draw pool you will go into is determined by how many years preference you have (prior to cubing), and it does not include the current year’s application.

To figure out how many times your name will be in the draw, take the number of preference points you have and add 1. 

Then take that number times itself 3 times. 

For example, if you have 9 years preference, you would take 9 (years preference) +1 (for current application) = 10. 

Then you would cube 10 which equals 1,000 (10 X 10 X 10 = 1000). 

So your name would go in the draw 1,000 times.

Find information on the draw pools for the elk seasons here.

Find information on the draw pools for all other seasons here.

When applying for Limited Issue Licenses (including Deer, Antelope, Turkey, Nonresident Waterfowl and Paddlefish), applicants can choose whether or not they want to purchase a preference point if they are unsuccessful in the first drawing. Learn more.

GFP is cubing preference points in the draw to give those people with the highest number of points within a draw pool a greater chance of drawing over someone in the same draw pool with fewer preference points.

No. 

All of the draw structures will remain the same.  The only thing that will change is after applicants have been placed in their respective draw pools, GFP will cube the number of times the person is in the draw.

Individuals who did not enter a drawing or applicants who chose not to purchase a preference point will still be able to purchase a preference point even after the drawing for a particular season is completed (for example, applicants who did not purchase a preference point at the time they applied in the initial drawing may purchase this year's preference point for a big game season through January 3 at 9 p.m.).

Applicants may only purchase one preference point per year for each season in which they apply.  

Resident applicants who elect to purchase a preference point are charged a $5.00 fee.

Nonresident applicants who elect to purchase a preference point are charged a $10.00 fee. 

Just like license fees, the revenue generated from applicants who purchase preference points are used by GFP to provide a variety of department services, including hunting access, habitat development on GFP-owned lands, conservation law enforcement services and wildlife depredation assistance just to mention a few.  

No. 

The cubing of preference points is strictly an internal process during the draw and will not affect the application process or the drawing results.

This information can be filled out and entered online.

Once the form is submitted, GFP staff will process and mail the information out.

This information can be filled out and entered online. Once the form is submitted, GFP staff will process and mail the information out.

Conservation officer phone numbers can be found at the front of the most current hunting or fishing handbook and also online.

Please email wildinfo@state.sd.us and we will have the appropriate staff member look this information up and provide you with a timely response.

Yes, from January 1 to August 31 a person may use night vision equipment, but not artificial light.

Individuals are encouraged to provide comments on any WIA they have hunted.  These comments may be submitted online and must include the specific property the hunter is commenting on as well as contact information for the hunter.  Pictures may also be included in the comments as well.

Submit Walk-In Area Comment

Walk-In Areas (WIAs) in different parts of the state offer different types of hunting opportunities.  Most WIAs in the western third of the state are more suited for antelope, deer and prairie grouse hunting.

In the central portion of the state, WIAs offer the diversity of pheasant, waterfowl, prairie grouse, mule deer, white-tailed deer and antelope hunting.  

Most WIAs in the eastern half provide pheasant and deer hunting opportunities as well as some waterfowl hunting. 

Each WIA is going to be unique-even within each region.  This makes some WIAs better for certain types of game.  A hunter should not expect to find every type of game on every WIA.

No, Walk-In Areas are private land leased by Game, Fish and Parks for public hunting access.

Yes, lead shot is allowed for small game hunting on Walk-In Areas.  Non-toxic shot is still requried for waterfowl hunting on Walk-In Areas.

No

Game, Fish and Parks lease the right for the public to access Walk-In Areas for hunting purposes only.  Walk-In Areas are privately owned working farms and ranches, so normal farming and ranching activities are likely present.  

Yes, hunters can hunt Walk-In Areas while cattle are present.  Many people mistakenly think the road right of way hunting restriction within 660 feet of an occupied dwelling, church, schoolhouse, or livestock applies to hunting on Walk-In Areas.  There are no restrictions to hunting on a Walk-In Area within 660 feet of anything.

These lands primarily provide hunting opportunities for deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, prairie grouse, prairie dogs, and coyotes but can also provide turkey, waterfowl, and pheasant hunting opportunity depending on their management and the habitat on the surrounding landscape.

Cropland primarily provides field waterfowl hunting opportunity, but can also provide access to islands of habitat within a field that may contain other game species.  Sometimes croplands provide access to a piece of land locked or hard to get to public land.

75% of the funding for the Walk-In Area program comes from federal funds generated by an excise tax on the sale of most firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment created by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act.  The other 25% is from hunting license sales revenue.  Up until September 30, 2018 GFP also offered signing bonuses to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) participants to palce their CRP lands in the Walk-In Area program for the life of their CRP contracts.  These signing bonuses were funded by a grant from USDA through Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, a program taht was part of the Farm Bill.  

Walk-In Areas as well as any other public land that is open to public hunting can be found in the annually printed public hunting atlas, which is available or FREE at any sporting goods store, gas station, or other retailer that sells hunting licenses or at any SD Game, Fish and Parks office.  We will even send you a copy in the mail if you request it here.

Walk In Areas are also displayed digitally on our website through an interactive public hunting guide map.

Yes, the digital versions of the public hunting atlas depict Walk-In Areas that contain undistrubed habitat like CRP, wetlands and trees with a green outline.

If it is an animal like a coyote, badger, skunk, fox or mink and they live outside of city limits, they can call one of our GFP Wildlife Damage/Animal damage staff for assistance. If they are inside city limits, they must call their local animal control office.  

No, we do not license bat removal agencies.