Public Pheasant Hunting in South Dakota

The South Dakota tourism website reports that pheasant hunting in the state is available on a mixture of private and public land. In terms of public land, almost 5 million acres of land in South Dakota support pheasant hunting.

History

The state bird of South Dakota is the Chinese ring-necked pheasant, which was introduced to the state in 1908. Pheasant bred and adapted to the South Dakota habitat quickly enough that by 1919 the state held its first one-day pheasant hunt, according to the South Dakota website. Between 1926 and 2009, there were only 21 pheasant hunting seasons with a harvest of less than 1 million pheasant.

Season

Pheasant are traditionally hunted in the late fall and winter, with certain state controlled habitats having a shorter season than open public land. The South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks website says the pheasant hunting season traditionally opens on the third Saturday of October. In the 2010 season, shooting on public land is permitted between noon and sunset.

Geography

The South Dakota website reports that pheasant are found on public land throughout the state. However, pheasant are found in large groups in the winter months on land in the eastern 2/3 of state land. Areas such as wetlands, agricultural fields and tree strips are the favored habitat of South Dakota's pheasant population.

References

• South Dakota: Pheasant Hunting
• South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks: Pheasant
• South Dakota: Hunting in South Dakota