8 Things South Dakotans Know About Pheasant Season That Nobody Else Does
Pheasant season is in full swing, and the fields are filling up with hunters.
South Dakotans who’ve hunted for years have picked up details that visitors may not catch on their first trip.
Here’s what locals know about the season that nobody else seems to.
Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Season dates, limits, and license fees are subject to change, so confirm the current rules with South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GF&P).
1. Out-of-State Hunter Numbers
In 2025, more nonresidents than residents hunted pheasants in South Dakota.
GF&P’s county table lists an estimated 82,574 nonresident pheasant hunters and 57,076 residents for that year.
That puts nonresidents at about 59% of those hunters.
In Brown County, the estimate is 5,931 nonresidents to 3,088 residents.
2. Top Harvest Counties
Brown County led the 2025 table with 80,859 pheasants harvested.
Beadle County came next at 75,131, followed by Brule at 68,785 and Spink at 66,283.
Those four counties add up to 291,058 birds.
That is more than a fifth of the 1,351,081 pheasants GF&P’s table lists for the whole state.
3. Resident-Only Days
Residents had the pheasant season to themselves on public land for three days this year, Oct. 10 through 12, according to GF&P’s 2026 Hunting and Trapping Handbook.
Travel South Dakota lists the traditional season as opening Oct. 17 and running through Jan. 31, 2027.
A youth season ran Sept. 26 to Oct. 4 before that.
On the resident-only days, the daily limit was 3 rooster pheasants and the possession limit was 9.
Psst! How much do you know about pheasant country? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Pheasant Country Pop Quiz
Answer these questions on South Dakota’s pheasant history and hunting numbers. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
How long did South Dakota’s first open pheasant season, back in 1919, last?
4. Late Shooting Hours
Pheasant shooting hours open at 10 a.m. Central Time.
GF&P says they run to sunset all season and that Central Time is used for opening shooting hours statewide.
Many locals plan their morning around the late start.
Where Mountain Time Starts
Pheasant season's shooting hours are set in Central Time, and part of the state sits in Mountain Time.
Under Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 71.7(b), the dividing line begins at the North Dakota-South Dakota boundary.
The line follows the main channel of the Missouri River to the original Chicago & North Western Railway crossing near Pierre.
Mountain Time runs an hour behind Central, so if you hunt on Mountain Time, 10 a.m. Central works out to 9 a.m. on your clock.
5. Fifth-Day Possession Limit
GF&P lets you take 3 rooster pheasants a day, with a possession limit of 15.
But 15 birds may not be possessed until after the fifth day of hunting.
The limit accrues at 3 birds a day, so it takes five days at three birds a day to reach 15.
A two-day weekend tops out at 6 birds.
6. Late-Opening Refuges
Sand Lake plus the Renziehausen, Gerken and White Lake areas open to pheasant hunting well after the traditional season starts.
According to the GF&P pheasant page, Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Brown County is open Dec. 14 through Jan. 31.
Renziehausen Game Production Area and Game Bird Refuge in Brown and Marshall counties opens Dec. 1.
So do Gerken Game Bird Refuge in Faulk County and White Lake Game Bird Refuge in Marshall County.
Sand Lake opens last, nearly two weeks after Renziehausen, Gerken and White Lake.
7. Non-Toxic Shot on Public Land
Which shot you can use for pheasants depends on who manages the land.
GF&P requires non-toxic shot for small game hunting on State Game Production Areas, lake and fishing access areas, and state park system areas.
The same rule covers U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Wildlife Production Areas managed by GF&P.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges and Waterfowl Production Areas fall under it, too.
Lead shot may not be possessed while hunting on those areas.
It isn't required on U.S. Forest Service National Grasslands, School and Public Lands, or most GF&P Walk-In Areas, CHAP and CREP land, though non-toxic shot is encouraged for all hunting.
8. Redfield's Tailfeather Contest
The Redfield chamber calls the town the Pheasant Capital of the World, and its season comes with a contest for the longest tailfeather.
Anyone can register their longest tailfeather at ACE Hardware for a chance to win.
Winners are announced weekly.
When the hunting season ends, the weekly winners get a chance at the grand prize.
The 2026 Outlook
GF&P's 2026 Upland Outlook expects this season to be much like last year, with good production and favorable habitat conditions.
Reduced snowfall last year should again result in high overwinter survival and an abundance of hen pheasants available for nesting in 2026.
Shooting-Preserve Season
A licensed shooting preserve offers pheasant hunting well past the traditional season's Jan. 31 end.
The shooting preserve season runs from Sept. 1 until March 31 of the following year.
Shooting hours on preserves run from sunrise to sunset, rather than starting at 10 a.m. Central.
In its 2026 Upland Outlook, GF&P lists 400,000 additional pheasants harvested on preserves in 2025.
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