South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Licenses
To purchase a hunting license online, create a Go Outdoors South Dakota account through the Department of Game, Fish & Parks. You can also download the free Go Outdoors SD mobile app with Google Play or the App Store to renew, purchase and store your licenses and reservations on your smartphone or tablet. Visitors will want to obtain the Nonresident Hunting & Trapping License (different fees apply depending on the species you’re hunting, the number of days and the hunters’ ages).
Please note: GF&P has a new registration system, so anyone with a pre-2022 account will need to create a new one. No problem! Whether you’re buying your first license or your 40th, it’s easy to set up your new account before you buy your license.
Resident & Nonresident Licenses
There are differences between resident and nonresident licenses, but the buying process is the same. Take note of the different season dates, get your license and plan your outdoor adventure.
Youth-Only Pheasant Season
Start Date: September 27, 2025
End Date: October 5, 2025
Resident-Only Pheasant Season
Start Date: October 11, 2025
End Date: October 13, 2025
Traditional Pheasant Season
Start Date: October 18, 2025
End Date: January 31, 2026

Buy in South Dakota
Hunters can buy licenses from more than 250 registered sales agents in South Dakota (like select gas stations and bait shops). Find locations online or call SD GFP at 605-223-7660 and they’ll point you in the direction of the nearest agent.

Buy Online
Save some time by purchasing your South Dakota pheasant hunting license online. To apply, set up your Go Outdoors SD account and follow the steps.
Always Carry Your License While Hunting
The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks requires every hunter to carry their small game, fishing or trapping license while hunting. Instead of a paper copy, you can carry a digital copy of your license. Paper copies are still valid, but the digital version’s barcode can be scanned and recognized as your official license. Do this by logging into your GF&P account on your smartphone, taking a screenshot of your license from your GF&P online account, or by downloading the free Go Outdoors SD mobile app.

Nonresident Licenses Special Information
Nonresident licenses are for anyone who does not live in the state of South Dakota. They are redeemable for two 5-day hunting periods. A little tip for selecting your dates: Choose your first hunting period for when you plan to visit South Dakota. Then, if you aren’t sure when you’ll be back for the second trip, choose the last week the calendar will allow. You can always move these dates up on the calendar, but you can’t move them back.

Nonresident Shooting Preserve Licenses
Shooting Preserve Licenses allow nonresidents to hunt on licensed shooting preserves and take the small game for which that preserve is licensed. They are available for the following periods: one day, 5-day period, season long.

Bringing Your Dog to South Dakota
Your hunting buddy is welcome in South Dakota! And while a rabies vaccination for your dog is mandatory, you don’t need to bring a health certificate if you’ll be here for less than 30 days. Check out the Hunting and Trapping Handbook for details.




Best SoDak Towns For Pheasant Hunting
South Dakota has more than 5 million free-access acres open to hunting. Some are federal and state-owned grounds, while even more are private areas leased for public hunting. Scout your outing with SD Game, Fish & Parks satellite maps. Some of the more sought-after areas in the state for pheasant hunting lie within the Central Missouri River region and the Northeast Glacial Lakes & Prairies region.
Premier pheasant hunting destinations in the Central region to set up your basecamp for hunting season include: Mobridge, with its 1960s Pheasant Drive-In movie theater; Winner and its vast Tripp County farmland (ranked #1 in South Dakota for pheasants harvested); Mitchell (home to the Pheasant Country Chapter of Pheasants Forever); the reservation lands and national grasslands of Pierre; and Chamberlain/Oacoma, known for one of the top pheasant-producing spots in South Dakota.
Towns best known for top-notch pheasant hunting in the Northeast are: Huron (known as "Ringneck Nation" and home to the World's Largest Pheasant statue); Aberdeen, with the most Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) walk-in hunting land in the state; Watertown; Brookings; and Redfield, aka the "Pheasant Capital of the World."
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Free South Dakota Hunting Packet
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Jace pestered his grandfather Jerry to find a place to hunt pheasants. One contest victory later, generations of hunters were in the fields of South Dakota, making memories, traditions and friends while realizing how a passion for hunting can make anyone feel young.
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Three (3) days of guided pheasant hunting and four (4) nights of lodging & meals...
South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Season Information
Learn about South Dakota pheasant season and licenses available to residents and nonresidents. Details on the pheasant hunting seasons are below. For more complete information, check out the South Dakota Hunting and Trapping Handbook.

Traditional Pheasant Season
Dates:
October 18, 2025–January 31, 2026
Daily Limit:
3 Rooster Pheasants
Possession Limit:
15 Rooster Pheasants
Shooting Hours:
10 a.m. Central Time to sunset for the entire season
(Central Time is used for shooting hours statewide)
License Requirements:
Residents: Small Game License, any Combination License, Youth Small Game License or 1-Day Small Game License.
Nonresidents: Nonresident Small Game License or Nonresident Youth Small Game License (each valid for two 5-day hunting periods; start dates must be identified before license issued). Multiple licenses may be purchased to hunt more than the two 5-day periods allowed by one.
A Habitat Stamp is required for your first license purchase. Learn more about the Habitat Stamp in our FAQs.

Resident-Only Pheasant Season
Dates:
October 11–13, 2025
Daily Limit:
3 Rooster Pheasants
Possession Limit:
9 Rooster Pheasants
Shooting Hours:
10 a.m. Central Time to sunset
License Requirements:
Residents: Small Game License, any Combination License, Youth Small Game License or 1-Day Small Game License

Youth Pheasant Season
Resident and nonresident youth can hunt before the opening weekend when accompanied by an unarmed adult. Find more information about eligibility, season rules and license requirements from South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks.
Dates:
September 27–October 5, 2025
Daily Limit:
3 Rooster Pheasants
Possession Limit:
9 Rooster Pheasants
Shooting Hours:
10 a.m. Central Time to sunset.
Where Can I Hunt?

Private Lands & Public Access Areas
In addition to all the private ground you can hunt with landowner permission, South Dakota has millions of acres of free-access public lands. Find your field and see what land is open to the public on our Public Hunting Areas page.

Public Road Rights-of-Way
Road rights-of-way, excluding the Interstate highway system, are open for the hunting of small game and waterfowl. However, you may not shoot within 660 feet of an occupied building, church, schoolhouse, or livestock unless you are the owner or have written permission from the owner. More rules about hunting on public roads can be found in the South Dakota Hunting Handbook.

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Learn about South Dakota pheasant season and licenses available to residents and nonresidents. Details on...
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Days End Campground & RV Park is a Sturgis camping destination conveniently located just off of Interstate I-90’s exit 30. Whether you’re planning to tour Black Hills area attractions like Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial, checking out local events like Kool Deadwood Nites
Public Access Hunting Areas

Picking Your Spots
Not all public land is created equal. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you scan the atlas and consider where to hunt.
Is the land next to crops?
The best cover is usually adjacent to corn or beans where pheasants can grab a bite.
Is it off the beaten path?
You will generally have more success by choosing spots that have had less hunting pressure. Look for public land that is further away from larger towns or cities.
Size matters, often in unexpected ways.
Small parcels of land are great options because they are too often overlooked. Find an area with several small pockets to walk and you are likely to bag some birds.
Is it edgy enough?
Pheasants often hang out on the edge of habitats: near sloughs, treelines, and on the border of any kind of cover.
For late-season hunts:
Look for food plots that didn’t get harvested or thick cattails. The walking can be arduous, but thick cover means more birds when the mercury drops.
Have patience.
No two hunts are the same. A field can be empty one day and ripe with roosters the next. Trust the process and put yourself in position to make safe and wise shots.
Don’t shy away from open grasslands.
During the last hours of shooting time, concentrating on grasslands adjacent to unharvested crops can be rewarding as pheasants move from the food to the roosting habitat.

PRIVATE LAND OPEN FOR HUNTING
Walk-in areas and other leased lands exist through partnerships between landowners and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. They're funded through Federal Aid money and hunting license sales. Here is a short rundown of the types of land you can hunt for free. For more in-depth explanations, visit South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks hunting areas page.
Walk-In Areas
Walk-In areas are privately owned lands where you don’t need landowner permission to hunt. No driving is allowed on Walk-In areas except on designated trails and parking areas.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Private CREP lands are leased to the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Every acre enrolled in CREP is open to the public hunting and fishing.
COOP Management Areas
Mostly found in the northeast part of South Dakota, COOP Management Areas are working farms and ranches leased for public hunting. Only hunters with a disabled hunting permit can drive in these areas.
PUBLIC LAND OPEN FOR HUNTING
Game Production Areas
GPAs are state-owned lands managed specifically for hunting. They are marked red on the South Dakota Hunting Atlas.
Waterfowl Production Areas
The 1,000 WPAs in South Dakota are managed specifically for waterfowl but are home to various wildlife.
Public Road Rights-of-Way
Public Road Rights-of-Way, excluding the Interstate highway system, are open for the hunting of small game and waterfowl. However, you may not shoot within 660 feet of an occupied building, church, schoolhouse, or livestock unless you are the owner or have written permission from the owner. For more rules about hunting on public roads, check out the South Dakota Hunting Handbook.
Others
Most acres under the Bureau of Land Management and the School and Public lands lie west of the Missouri River and outside prime pheasant range.



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Pheasant Recipes
Our Favorite Recipes
A general rule of thumb for eating wild game is, "The more corn an animal eats, the better that animal is going to taste." Maybe that's why pheasant has been a staple on the tables of kings and royalty for centuries.

Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Pheasant
How can you go wrong with cream cheese and bacon? Answer: you can't. Try this appetizing recipe that makes for an unbeatable halftime snack.
INGREDIENTS:
Cream cheese
Terrapin Ridge Farms jam
Excalibur Smokehouse BBQ Rub
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Tenderizing mallet
Plastic wrap
DIRECTIONS:
1) Lay pheasant out flat on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap or flexible cutting board.
2) Pound breast until flat; to assist in this, make sure your strikes are angled towards the edges.
3) Mix cream cheese with Terrapin Ridge Farm jam or other seasoning/additive you have decided to use.
4) Place a dollop of the cream cheese in the middle of the pheasant breast and roll the breast around the cream cheese.
5) Sprinkle Excalibur Smokehouse BBQ all over the outside of the pheasant. (This can be done after wrapped in bacon if you choose.)
6) Wrap bacon around the breast and hold in place with a toothpick.
7) Smoke for 30 minutes at 225º with dampers open and no smoke or humidity.
8) Add smoke and humidity and smoke until internal temperature is 165º.

Pulled Pheasant Sandwiches
If you're looking for a rib-sticking recipe to feed everyone in your family, you must try pulled pheasant. It's simple, delicious and can be customized to fit anyone's tastes.
INGREDIENTS:
Cleaned pheasant breast
Chipotle Ranch marinade
Excalibur’s Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce
Sandwich bread/buns
Beer of Choice
DIRECTIONS:
1) Remove the skin from the pheasant breast; this should simply pull right off. There is also a tendon on the underside of the breast that should be removed.
2) Place all pheasant in a crockpot and cover with the chipotle ranch marinade.
3) Pour beer over everything and mix until all seasoning dissolves.
4) Cook on high for 3.5 hours.
5) Drain 90% of the water and use a pork puller or two forks to pull your pheasant. By now, the high temperatures and long cooking times should have broken down all the collagen and connective tissue so it should pull apart easily.
6) Add some Excalibur Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce and mix.
7) Cook on medium for 30 minutes.
8) Add in more BBQ sauce if desired.
9) Plate and enjoy!

Popcorn Pheasant
There are plenty of ways to cook pheasant to make it delicious and tender. This usually involves marinating or injecting the breasts with a seasoning that includes phosphates and then slowly cooking it over medium to low heat. Another easier way to get delicious tender pheasant is to cut it into small pieces and deep fry it in oil to make popcorn pheasant.
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 oz of Bloody Mary Wing Shake
4 whole eggs
1/3 cup of water
2 lbs of pheasant breast
8 cups of peanut oil (Can use other oils with high smoke points)
DIRECTIONS:
1) Mix Bloody Mary Wing Shake into 3 cups of all-purpose flour.
2) Thouroughly whisk 4 eggs and 1/3 cup of water to create egg wash.
3) Cut pheasant breast into small bite-size pieces.
4) Dip pheasant pieces into flour mixture first, then into the egg wash and then back into the flour. To increase coverage and thicken the breading put pheasant back into the egg wash again and then back into the flour.
5) Heat peanut oil (or other oil with high smoke point) to 350º on burner or stovetop.
6) Have a plate with layers of paper towel ready to hold the finished product.
7) Drop pheasant into oil, making sure it fully submerges in the oil and let it cook. With small pieces this should only take a few minutes. When pieces are close to done they will begin to float and the outside will be a nice golden brown.
8) Drip dry pieces over the oil and then transfer to plate with paper towel.
9) Squeeze some fresh lemon onto pheasant and enjoy with or without a dripping sauce.

Pheasant Greek Orzo Salad
This recipe is perfect for any time of year. Make it with cold pheasant and pasta in the summer and warm pheasant in the winter! The light freshness of the salad lends itself to any type of poultry.
For additional authenticity and flavor, try adding feta cheese for a salty creamy taste. You can also add pepperoni for a bit of spice.
INGREDIENTS:
Cyclops Greek Marinade
8 oz of pheasant breast
8 oz of dry orzo
1/4 cup of olive oil
20 Kalamata olives
8 Roma tomatoes
1 English cucumber
1 lemon
DIRECTIONS:
1) Cut pheasant breast into small, bite-sized pieces. We like to cut the breast across the width of the breast instead of the length.
2) Measure out 1/2 oz of the Cyclops Greek Marinade and thoroughly dissolve it in 2 oz of cold water.
3) Place cup of pheasant breast in a vacuum bag, pour in marinade, vacuum seal and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours. If you do not have a vacuum sealer, simply marinate pheasant the night before and leave it in the refrigerator.
4) Cook 8 oz of orzo pasta al dente until it’s just short of being fully soft. Remove from heat and run cool water over pasta to chill. (If desired, add Feta cheese to pasta once it has cooled.)
5) Slice up 20 Kalamata olives into slices as thin or thick as desired.
6) Slice your cucumber and Roma tomatoes into small pieces. Mix all vegetables and orzo pasta in a large bowl.
7) Mix 1/4 cup of olive oil with the juice of one freshly squeezed lemon and add salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle over the pasta and vegetables and mix thoroughly.
8) Heat up 2 tsp of olive in a cast iron or nonstick pan over medium heat and add your cut-up pheasant. Cook slowly — we want the pheasant to remain moist and prevent it from drying out, so take your time but make sure internal temperatures reach 165 degrees for food safety.
9) Once pheasant is fully cooked, you can either chill pheasant in the fridge or add it to your pasta hot. We like adding it hot as it creates a nice contrast with the cooled pasta.

Brooster's Original Pheasant Nuggets
Makes 4-6 servings. Pheasant nuggets are a delicious treat right out of the skillet. Nuggets can be used in a variety of dishes including — but certainly not limited to — lasagna, chili, soups, pizza, flatbreads, and egg bakes. They're also great in the bacon-wrapped stuffed pheasant recipe that's right below this recipe!
Ingredients:
2 pheasant breasts, boned out
½ cup flour
1 tablespoon seasoning salt
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Pound pheasant lightly on both sides, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
2) Prepare flour mixture by combining flour, seasoning salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3) Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4) Roll pheasant nuggets in flour and add to skillet. Stir-fry until pheasant is fully cooked (about 8-10 minutes).
5) Serve hot and enjoy.

Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Pheasant
Makes 4-6 servings. Decidedly decadent, double-smoked Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Pheasant will be your favorite guilty pleasure. Serve whole or slice into bite-sized appetizers.
INGREDIENTS:
2 pheasant breast, boned and pounded
½ cup dry bread crumbs
½ teaspoon seasoning salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon butter
½ cup onion, finely chopped
4 ounces pepper jack cheese
2 tablespoon sour cream
⅓ cup smoked almond, chopped
¼ cup finely chopped Brooster’s Original Pheasant Nuggets
4 strips double-smoked bacon
½ cup chicken broth or water
DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 350 to 375°.
2) Gently pound raw pheasant breasts on both sides.
3) Heat oil in pan. Brown onions for 3-4 minutes on medium.
4) Stir in pheasant nuggets and smoked almonds. Heat for one minute to combine flavors.
5) In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, seasonings, breadcrumbs, browned onions and pheasant nuggets.
6) Melt butter and stir into stuffing mixture.
7) Spoon the stuffing mixture equally in the center of each breast and place pepper jack cheese on stuffing and roll it up.
8) Wrap a slice of bacon around each rolled up stuffed breast. The back will hold it together.
9) Place in backing pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

Pheasant Rooster Roll-Ups
Makes 20-24 roll-ups per pheasant.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pheasant breast, boned
Thinly sliced bacon
Whole water chestnuts
2 jalapeño peppers, 6-8 slices
6 large queen green olives
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cup chicken broth
Favorite seasonings (e.g. garlic salt, seasoned pepper)
Round wooden toothpicks
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Slice pheasant breast into three-inch long strips (about the width of an index finger).
3. Stack bacon and cut in half, turn the slices lengthwise, then cut in half again.
4. Slice jalapeño peppers ½ inch wide and set aside.
5. To assemble, lay down a bacon strip and place a slice of pheasant on top. Add a water chestnut and roll it up. Use round toothpicks to keep ingredients secure and place roll-up in a glass pan. Alternate the process with green olives and jalapeños. If sensitive to heat, bake jalapeño roll-ups separately.
6. After all of the rollups are assembled, add ½ can of chicken broth and ¼ cup of chopped onion in the pan. Do not place too many roll-ups in baking pan. Sprinkle with your favorite seasonings.
7. Bake for 50 minutes or until bacon begins to brown. Do not overcook.

PHEASANT FAJITAS
Makes 8-10 servings. Pheasant Fajitas are sure to bring the heat even on the coldest of South Dakota nights.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 raw pheasant breasts, boned, pounded lightly and cut into bite-sized pieces
Flour mixture
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons cayenne powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Veggie mixture
1 cup onion, sliced
1 cup green pepper, sliced
1 cup red pepper, sliced
1 cup yellow or orange pepper, sliced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
12 soft shell tortillas
18 ounce container sour cream
3 tomatoes, diced
1 can black olives
Salt & pepper meat to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1) Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
2) Dredge pheasant pieces in flour mixture.
3) Gently add to oil and fry until golden and cooked through.
4) Remove from oil and dry on a paper towels. Set aside.
5) Add veggie mixture to oil.
6) Fry over high heat until onions are tender.
7) Top tortillas with pheasant, veggie mixture, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes and black olives.
8) Enjoy!

Planning Tools
Whether you’re looking for a guided lodge experience or a public land adventure, we’ve got the resources to get you started.
A general rule of thumb for eating wild game is, "The more corn an animal...