Apply Online Request Paper Application/Information Print/View/Download Hunting Applications Big Game Seasons Index Mountain Lion Information Hunting Index Map Showing 2005 - 2007 Lion Harvest Locations Harvest Status (click here to see # of lions harvested to date.       Toll Free # for harvest status        (866) 895-9067 To report a harvested mountain lion, call: Rapid City Regional GFP Office, 3305 West South Street, 394-2391. Mon. through Fri. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rapid City State Radio at 393-8121 for after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

License Fee: $15 for statewide unit.

Season Dates: Jan. 1, 2009 -- March 31, 2009. The mountain lion season will end earlier if the limit of 35 total mountain lions (males plus females), or 15  females, is met at an earlier date. Females harvested will count toward the limit of 35 lions.

License Eligibility: Only South Dakota residents are eligible.

Individual License Quota: Residents are allowed one mountain lion permit valid for taking one mountain lion.

Reporting Mountain Lion Kill: It is mandatory that all harvested mountain lions be reported to GFP personnel within 24 hours of harvest. In the Black Hills, the harvested lions can be checked in at the Rapid City GFP Office (3305 West South Street). Hunters who are successful in taking a mountain lion must call (605) 394-2391 during weekday office hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.), or call State Radio at (605) 393-8121 during nights and weekends. Arrangements can then be made to have a GFP representative meet the hunter at the Rapid City GFP Regional Office.

• Mountain Lions with spotted coats (kittens) may not be harvested.

• Any mountain lion accompanying another mountain lion may not be harvested.

• All mountain lions taken in the Black Hills Unit, including carcass and pelt, must be presented to GFP staff at the Rapid City GFP Regional Office (3305 West South Street) within 24 hours of the kill for inspection and pelt tagging.

• Individuals who take mountain lions outside of the Black Hills must contact a Conservation Officer, State Trapper or other department representative within 24 hours of kill to arrange for inspection of the carcass and pelt.

• All firearms, muzzleloaders and archery equipment must meet the same minimum requirements established for deer hunting in South Dakota.

• Shooting hours are ½ hour before sunrise to ½ h our after sunset.

• Hunters may not hunt with the aid of dogs, bait or traps.

• Hunters may use electronic calls.

• The Game, Fish and Parks Commission may, by resolution, authorize the mountain lion season to extend beyond March 31.

• Landowners who have purchased a mountain lion license can harvest a mountain lion year-round on private land they own or private land they lease outside the Black Hills Fire Protection District. All harvested mountain lions must be presented to a conservation officer, state trapper or department representative within 24 hours.

• All licenses are sold by application through the GFP License Office in Pierre. Applications may be submitted online or by paper application through the mail. Licenses will be available for sale through the end of the season. Please allow ample time for processing and return of the license before the hunt takes place.

Background Information:
Biological data collected from 20 years of general monitoring and 7 years of intense research of mountain lions in South Dakota supported the establishment of a hunting season in 2005.  GFP and South Dakota State University continue to evaluate critical components related to Black Hills mountain lion population including home range size, survival, dispersal, population size, disease, and the effects of hunting.  During the first phase of mountain lion research (2003), home range size of adult male and female mountain lions provided an estimate of 127-149 adult lions in the Black Hills.  The second and third phase (2004-2009), focusing on population dynamics and the effects of hunting on mountain lion populations, continued the collection of biological information through intensive telemetry work, which has increased both the quantity and accuracy of data on this population.  This additional telemetry information has provided a better understanding of adult and young survival, reproductive rates, dispersal movements, and has resulted in refinements to home range sizes due to increased population size.  All this information is now used collectively in estimating the Black Hills mountain lion population.  The 2008 estimate for the Black Hills mountain lion population was between 220-280 lions (adult males, adult females, and dependent young).