South Dakota Prairie and Ruffed Grouse Hunting

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to read or print these publications. Hunting Handbook (PDF file) Public Hunting Areas (PDF file)

South Dakota residents will need an annual small game, 1-day small game, youth small game, combination, or junior combination license to hunt grouse/prairie chickens.  Click >HERE< for license costs.

Nonresident adults need a nonresident small game license. The cost is $110 and is valid for two, five-day periods that are designated when applying.

Resident youths who are at least 12 years of age or will turn 12 before Jan. 1 may apply for or buy licenses and may hunt in any open season beginning on or after Sept. 1.  Hunter safety cards are required only for youths ages 12 to 15.  Anyone younger cannot hunt in South Dakota.  A parents or guardian must accompany the youth when obtaining the license.

Nonresident youths under 16 years of age need a copy of their hunter safety card or a copy of a current or or a previous hunting license issued to them from any state.  The fee for the nonresident youth small game license is $25.  The license is valid for two, five-day periods, the same as the adult license.  It is for nonresidents ages 12 through 15.  A parents or guardian must accompany the youth when obtaining the license.

Resident and nonresident small game licenses are available over-the-counter from License Agents

Dog requirements: Dogs being brought into South Dakota are required to have a health certificate from their local veterinarian indicating that all shots are up-to-date and they are disease-free animals. Dog owners who have any questions concerning these requirements may call the Animal Industry Board at (605) 773-3321.

A Bit About Grouse and Prairie Chickens in South Dakota

The grasslands of central and western South Dakota are home to two species of prairie grouse, the sharptail and prairie chicken. Under the state's regulations, the two birds can be hunted as prairie grouse, without having to differentiate the species.

Hunters who hope to bag a prairie chicken as part of their limit would do best to concentrate their efforts on the south-central part of the state. Prairie chickens can be found mixed with sharptail east of the Missouri River in most of the area open to hunting, and west of the Missouri from Haakon and Stanley counties south to the Nebraska border.

Scattered coveys of grouse can be found on public lands east of the Missouri, but the best hunting is usually farther west. In extreme western South Dakota, sharptails are present, but are not usually as abundant as in the west-central counties. Hunters with pointing dogs will find that grouse will hold well for their dogs in the early part of the season, especially on hot days with light winds.

Grouse Aren't Like any Other Bird

If you aren't experienced at hunting prairie grouse, there's something you need to know. Sharptails and prairie chickens aren't like any other gamebirds. And hunters who hope to bag them will have to fit their tactics to the birds' habits.

It's only natural that a bird that's lived on the prairie for centuries would be adapted to it, but many hunters overlook that fact. For instance, neophyte grouse hunters can often be seen looking for them in the heavy vegetation at the bottom of a draw or perhaps trudging through a shoulder-high field of sweet clover, in military-like drives.

But prairie grouse, like most other prairie wildlife, are dependent on their eyes for safety. You'll find them sitting where they can see, even if the cover is thinner. And since the wind is always present on the prairie, they'll often take shelter from it on the downwind side of a ridge, especially if that spot offers a good view. Only when the sun's heat is oppressive will they head for thick cover that offers shade.

As a hunter, you'll just have to start thinking like a bird whose habits are a product of a mixed grassland environment. Understand that while they'll often fly long distances to feed in row crop fields, they'll do their share of walking in search of a diet that includes large quantities of insects, berries and green vegetation.

Wind makes them spooky, probably because they can't hear, and when cold weather prompts them to gather in large coveys, you aren't likely to get within gun range without being seen. They're unique, frustrating and very, very special, kind of like the prairie that produces them.