Prairie Dogs in South Dakota

Link to Final Prairie Dog Management Plan (pdf)  

PRAIRIE DOGS

SEASON/OPEN AREAS

Prairie dog shooting is prohibited from March 1 through June 14 on public lands generally open to hunting in South Dakota. These lands include lands owned by the U.S. Forest Service (national forests and national grasslands), the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks’ Game Production Areas, the South Dakota Office of School and Public Lands, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Waterfowl Production Areas. Public lands generally closed to hunting include national parks and black-footed ferret reintroduction areas.

GFP does not have a landowner listing.

LIMITS/LICENSES

During the open season, there is no limit on the number of prairie dogs you may shoot. Residents must have a predator/varmint license, a furbearer license, or any other current-year South Dakota resident hunting license. Nonresidents must have a SD nonresident predator/varmint license or any other current-year, South Dakota nonresident hunting license. Click <HERE> to see the listing of hunting licenses and the respective fees.

Youths: A parent, guardian, or a responsible adult (at least 18 years old) must accompany juveniles under age 16 (under age 18 for mourning doves) while hunting.

Resident youths who are at least 12 years of age or will turn 12 by Dec. 31 may buy licenses and hunt in South Dakota. Hunter safety cards are required only for youths ages 12 to 15 years of age.  Anyone younger cannot hunt in South Dakota. A parents or guardian must accompany the youth when obtaining the license.

Nonresident youths who are 12 to 15 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.

PLAGUE
In 2004, this disease was documented in prairie dogs in the wild (sylvatic plague). Since that time prairie dog die-offs have been documented in Shannon and Dewey Counties. Occurrence and spread of sylvatic plague and human cases of plague are being monitored by the SD Department of Game, Fish and Parks and SD Department of Health. More information...

CONATA BASIN FEDERAL LANDS CLOSED TO SHOOTING
Effective August 1, 1998, the U.S. Forest Service closed their lands in the Conata Basin to prairie dog shooting. Lying just south of the Badlands National Park, since 1978, formerly Badlands National Monument, in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, the basin was shut off due to heavy prairie dog shooting that substantially reduced the number of dogs available as prey for released black-footed ferrets. There is also concern for the shooting of ferrets in that area. Privately-owned lands in the Conata Basin are open to prairie dog shooting year-round.

FIREARMS
Any caliber rifle or handgun is legal. Note: Guns must be unloaded and cased when in the Badlands National Park, and no shooting is allowed in the park.

TRIBAL LANDS
State licenses are not valid on tribal trust lands, unless authorized by the tribal council. Individual tribes may require a tribal permit to hunt on their lands. Contact the individual tribes to find out what licenses they offer and the cost.

Not all the land inside the South Dakota reservations is under tribal jurisdiction. If you hunt on private land deeded to non-Indians you must have a state license.

Lower Brule--605/473-5666
Pine Ridge--605/455-2584
Rosebud--605/747-2289
Cheyenne River--605/964-7812
Standing Rock--701/854-7236
Yankton--605/384-3804
Crow Creek--605/245-2187
Sisseton/Wahpeton--605/698-3911
Flandreau Santee Sioux--(605) 997-5123

ACCOMODATIONS
Contact the South Dakota Department of Tourism, Capitol Lake Plaza, Pierre, SD  57501 for a free copy of the Vacation Guide, which contains listings of camping and motel facilities.

PRAIRIE GUMBO
In most areas you must drive on dirt trails to get to prairie-dog towns.  It is a good idea to have a  4-wheel drive vehicle. You definitely want to avoid shooting during or right after rainy weather when trails become impassable. Wait until the ground has dried, or you may become stuck in South Dakota's notorious gumbo mud. Not only would you have a long walk but leaving large ruts in the trail would make for an unhappy landowner.

PRIVATE LAND
Shooting on private land requires permission from landowners. Be sure to introduce yourself to the ranchers and get permission before you hunt on private land.

PRAIRIE DOG ECOSYSTEM
Prairie dog towns provide food, shelter, and foraging areas for many wildlife species.   The reintroduced black-footed ferret depends almost completely on this ecosystem, rearing its young in prairie dog burrows and preying on prairie dogs.
The burrowing owl nests in abandoned prairie dog dens, feeding on insects and small mammals.  The swift fox sometimes lives in or near prairie dog towns.  These are just three of the many protected species that may be found on prairie dog towns.   Prairie dog shooters should be sure of their targets before shooting to avoid injuring or killing nontarget species.

FINDING PRAIRIE DOGS -- Link to National Grasslands
Although found on private, public, and tribal lands, the largest concentrations are found on tribal lands and on national grassland areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service.   Maps are available from the grasslands offices. To order, call the appropriate grasslands office.  (The Grand River Ranger District map includes the Grand River National Grassland in South Dakota and the Cedar River National Grassland in North Dakota).

• Buffalo Gap National Grasslands (605-745-4107) in southwestern South Dakota,
• Fort Pierre National Grasslands (605-224-5517) in central South Dakota,
• Grand River National Grasslands (605-374-3592) in northwestern South Dakota.