South Dakota Archery Deer & Antelope Seasons

2008 SEASON DATES

NOTE: The 2008 application process for archery permits will be open in early July.

Education:  To be able to apply for a SD archery big game license, all big game archery licensees 11 through 15 years of age, all first-time archery big game licensees regardless of age, and all archery elk licensees must possess a National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) certificate or certification of completion from a bowhunter education course approved by any state or provincial government. (Applicants who have held a big game archery license in the past may apply for deer and antelope without completing an NBEF course if they indicate on the application the year and state of a former archery license held.)

ARCHERY DEER

• South Dakota's archery deer season is open in late September through the following January 31, statewide. (See application for exact dates). To receive a license in time for opening day, archery deer applications must by submitted at least one week before Sept. 1.
   
• Although there is an unlimited number of archery licenses and no deadline, all licenses must be either purchased at the Licensing Office in Pierre, by paper application via postal mail, or online with a credit card (see links above). Archery deer licenses may be purchased throughout the archery season.

Residents and nonresidents are eligible: 

• Hunters may possess one statewide "any deer" archery license (Unit ARD-ST1-01) or one East River (ARD-ER1-01) and/or one West River (ARD-WR1-01) "any deer" license. Hunters with the statewide "any deer" license may not purchase either the East River or West River "any deer" license. Hunters may not purchase more than one East River nor more than one West River "any deer" license.

• Hunters may also purchase "any antlerless deer" licenses (either single or double-tag licenses) that are valid statewide. "Antlerless deer" licenses are valid for a person to harvest a deer without visible antlers.

• An individual may have a maximum of five archery deer licenses regardless of type.

• All unfilled archery deer licenses become "antlerless" tags beginning Jan.1, except for a few areas: See current archery application for exceptions by clicking here

ARCHERY ANTELOPE

• The archery antelope season usually opens mid-August and goes through the end of October.  Archery antelope is open in the same area in both East and West River that will be open during the firearms antelope season. The precise area is not determined until the firearms antelope season is established (usually mid-July), so see information on firearms antelope. Archery antelope hunting is closed in areas during the firearms antelope season.
   
• Although there is an unlimited number of archery licenses and no deadline, all licenses must be either purchased at the Licensing Office in Pierre, by paper application via postal mail, or online with a credit card (see links above). Archery licenses may be purchased throughout the archery antelope season. A person may have one (1) SD archery antelope license.