Hunt

Resident License Information

Residency

To be eligible for a resident license, a person must meet all the following criteria:

  • Have a domicile within this state for at least 90 consecutive days immediately preceding the date of application for purchasing or attempting to purchase any hunting, fishing or trapping license/permit. A domicile is a person’s established, fixed and permanent home in which the person physically lives, and whenever absent, has the present intention of returning;
  • Make no claim of residency in any other state or foreign country for any purpose;
  • Claim no resident hunting, fishing or trapping privileges in any other state or foreign country;
  • Transfer the applicant’s driver’s license and motor vehicle registrations to South Dakota prior to any application.

EXCEPTIONS: The following persons are deemed to be residents of this state if they continue to meet any of the conditions set forth below:

  • Any person who previously had a domicile in this state who is absent due to business of the United States or of this state or is serving in the armed forces of the United States or the spouse of an active duty military person; 
  • Any person who previously had a domicile in this state who is absent due to the person’s regular attendance at a post high school institution as a full-time student or in a medical or dental residency program;
  • Any person in the active military of the United States, or that person’s spouse, who is continuously stationed in this state; 
  • Any person who is a patient in any war veterans’ hospital within this state;
  • Any person who is an employee of the veterans’ administration or any veterans’ hospital in this state;
  • Any person residing on restricted military reservations in this state;
  • Any person attending regularly a post-high school institution in this state as a full-time student for 30 days or more immediately preceding the application; 
  • Any foreign exchange student over 16 years of age attending a public or private high school who has resided in the state for 30 days or more preceding the application; 
  • Any foreign exchange student between the ages of 12 and 16 who has completed a hunter safety education course and has been issued a certificate of competency upon completion of instruction and who has resided in the state for 30 days or more preceding application for a license; 
  • Any person who is a minor dependent of a resident of this state; 
  • For the purpose of acquiring resident small game and fishing licenses, any person who does not reside in South Dakota, but who is a member of the South Dakota National Guard or of any other unit of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States located in South Dakota. 

Proof of Residency

To buy a license, a resident age 16 or older needs a valid South Dakota driver’s license or a state-issued and expiration-dated South Dakota ID card.

Either can be obtained at a state driver’s license office. Hunters under age 16 are required to provide a certificate of completion from a hunter safety education course unless participating in the mentored hunter program.

Termination of Residency

A person (other than a person who fits into one of the above EXCEPTIONS) is deemed to have terminated their South Dakota resident hunting, fishing, and trapping status if the person does any of the following: 

  • Applies for, purchases or accepts a resident hunting, fishing, or trapping license issued by another state or foreign country;
  • Registers to vote in another state or foreign country;
  • Accepts a driver’s license issued by another state or foreign country;
  • Moves to any other state or foreign country and makes it the person’s domicile or makes any claim of residency for any purpose in the other state or foreign country;
  • Resides in any other state, territory, or country for an aggregate of 180 or more days in a calendar year.

However, a person who has lawfully acquired a resident hunting, fishing, or trapping license and who leaves the state  after acquiring the license to take up residency elsewhere may continue to exercise all the privileges granted by the license until the license expires if the person’s respective privileges are not revoked or suspended.

Military General Fishing and Hunting License

Any resident who is on active duty in the armed forces of the United States and who is stationed at a location outside the state may fish and hunt small game without payment of a fee or the applicable hunting and fishing license authorizing the activity. However, if the resident is hunting migratory birds, the resident shall obtain a State Migratory Bird Certificate and Federal Waterfowl Stamp (when necessary). While engaged in the permitted activity, the resident shall possess and display appropriate military orders indicating the resident is on active duty stationed outside of South Dakota and a valid military identification card. This section does not apply to any person who is serving on active duty for training as a member of the armed forces reserve or National Guard. 

Military Big Game License - Active Duty 

Any person in the armed services of the United States who is absent from this state on active duty during the entire time for making application and is otherwise qualified and a resident of South Dakota, may apply for and shall receive deer, turkey, and antelope licenses. In addition, any spouse and minor dependent child of such a person in the armed services who are also absent from this state during the entire time for making application and are otherwise qualified, may apply for and shall receive deer, turkey, and antelope licenses.

Big Game License

Big game licenses allow the licensee to hunt prairie dog, jackrabbit, gopher, ground squirrel, crow, porcupine, marmot, red fox, grey fox, coyotes, skunks, opossum, and other unprotected species through Jan. 31. For a big game license to be valid to hunt these species, the licensee must retain the top portion of the big game license.

Habitat Stamp

A person eighteen years of age or older shall purchase a habitat stamp when applying for or purchasing a hunting or fishing license. A person is not required to purchase more than one habitat stamp in a license year. Purchase of the habitat stamp is not required for the 1-Day Resident Small Game License, the 1-Day Resident Fishing License, any youth hunting license, any landowner hunting license, any reduced fee disabled license or purchasing preference points.

Combination License

All Combination Licenses grant the same privileges as the Fishing License and Small Game License. They do not include the State Migratory Bird Certificate. 

Disability License

The following residents may apply to the License Office to receive a Disability License that is equivalent to the Fishing License and Small Game License and is valid for four years: 

  • Persons who are paraplegics, or otherwise permanently physically unable to walk; 
  • Persons blind or visually impaired; 
  • A person who has a developmental disability (fishing only), contact the GFP License Office at 605.223.7660 or visit gfp.sd.gov. 
  • Resident veterans can qualify for a Disability License in one of four ways:
    1.    If they receive a veteran’s allotment for a 40% or more disability which is deemed a service-connected injury.
    2.    If they have received the Department of Veterans Affairs “K” Award.
    3.    If they have served on active duty in the armed forces of the United States or have served as a member of the armed forces reserve or national guard, and the resident is 40% or more disabled for the purposes of receiving social security benefits.
    4.    If they were a Prisoner of War. A person must apply on forms provided by GFP and provide proof of South Dakota residency with the application. 

Details and applications are available from GFP Regional Offices or by calling 605.223.7660 for details. 

Federal Waterfowl Stamp

The Federal Waterfowl Stamp is an additional requirement for those ages 16 and older to hunt ducks, geese, tundra swan and merganser. An electronic Federal Waterfowl Stamp may be purchased online at gfp.sd.gov. The electronic Federal Waterfowl Stamp is valid from July 1 through June 30. The electronic Federal Waterfowl Stamp will not have a physical stamp mailed to the purchaser until March 15. An electronic Federal Waterfowl Stamp can be presented to a wildlife Conservation Officer upon request via the state’s electronic licensing system under which it was purchased or a paper license (issued to the hunter/purchaser) that includes the purchase of an electronic Federal Waterfowl Stamp. Physical Federal Waterfowl Stamps must be signed while in possession to be legal. The Federal Waterfowl Stamp is part of the waterfowl hunting requirements in all states. However, hunters are required to purchase only one electronic or physical stamp. A lost or destroyed Federal Waterfowl Stamp can only be replaced by purchasing a new one. To purchase a physical stamp, check with your local U.S. Postal Office.

Note: A Federal Waterfowl Stamp is not needed to hunt sandhill crane, mourning dove, snipe, and coot; or light geese during the Spring Light Goose Conservation Order; or Canada goose during August Management Take. However, a State Migratory Bird Certificate is still required for these species.

State Migratory Bird Certificate

Except for landowners hunting on land that they own or lease, residents (including all youth small game license holders) hunting migratory birds and/or waterfowl must complete and purchase this certificate. 

Migratory birds that require this certificate for hunting include ducks, geese, tundra swan, Sandhill crane, mourning doves, snipe, and coot. This certificate should not be confused with the Federal Waterfowl Stamp. 

Hunters must choose which waterfowl regulation option (Traditional or Three- duck daily bag limit) they want to hunt with for the entire season at the time of purchasing their State Migratory Bird Certificate. 

Furbearer License

The Furbearer License is required to trap coyote, red fox, grey fox, jackrabbit, raccoon, badger, bobcat, river otter, opossum, mink, weasel, beaver, muskrat, and skunk; and when and where allowed is required to hunt bobcat, river otter, opossum, mink, weasel, beaver and muskrat. However, a Furbearer License is not required for residents to trap raccoon, skunk, badger, opossum, jackrabbit, red fox, grey fox, and coyote from April 1 - Aug. 31. No license is required for resident youth under age 18. 

Predator/Varmint License

The Predator/Varmint License is needed to hunt coyote, red fox, grey fox, skunk, raccoon, badger, prairie dog, gopher, crow, opossum, jackrabbit, ground squirrel, porcupine, and marmot. Other licenses that may be used in lieu of the Predator/Varmint License include any valid resident South Dakota hunting license or furbearer license. For a big game license to be valid, the licensee must retain the top portion of the big game license. No license is required for resident youth under age 18. 

Landowners

Resident landowners and their immediate family (husband, wife and children residing at home or on land owned or leased by the landowner) may trap furbearers and hunt their property for small game (pheasant, grouse, partridge, quail, cottontail rabbit, squirrel, mourning dove and snipe), furbearers (opossum, muskrat, beaver, mink, skunk, raccoon, badger, red fox, grey fox, coyote, bobcat, weasel, river otter, and jackrabbit) and predators/ varmints (prairie dog, gopher, crow, chipmunk, ground squirrel, porcupine, and marmot) without obtaining a hunting or Furbearer License. 

Landowners are exempt from state licensing requirements for waterfowl hunting on their property but must purchase a Federal Waterfowl Stamp if they hunt ducks, geese, swans and mergansers. All laws and rules (season dates, bag limits, etc.) pertaining to hunting and trapping must be followed. 

Landowners are also exempt from the habitat stamp requirement when hunting on their own land. 

Shooting Preserves

Residents hunting small game on licensed shooting preserves must possess a South Dakota license valid to hunt small game.