While hunting for small game in the state is fairly limitless in how many hunting licenses are issued, the big game are a little tougher to come by. To hunt deer in South Dakota you must apply for a license before you can hunt deer as the GFP controls the number of animals to be harvested. The Game Fish and Parks (GFP) offers many different types of tags – including west river deer, east river and archery tags. There is a deadline to apply for these (and all other) tags, a random drawing is held and the winners are announced. In the event there are leftover tags after the drawing those will go up for sale as well.
Regardless if you are a resident or non-resident, if you are interested in deer hunting you are encouraged to check out the Game Fish and Parks "Limited Issue Licenses" deadlines to know when you need to have your applications in by. The list of deadlines can be found here. This also applies for antelope, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, turkey and nonresident fall waterfowl.
Applying for a License
- Apply for a South Dakota Deer License Online
- Print and mail-in an application for a license.
Learn About Rates
To learn about the big game hunting rates check out the GFP site for more details on Deer Hunting Licenses.
