South Dakota Archery Deer & Antelope Seasons

2009 SEASON DATES

NOTE: The 2009 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 a total of five archery deer licenses with the following restrictions;
  • No more than one statewide "any deer" license
  • No more than one East River "any deer" license and/or one West River "any deer" license
  • No more than one statewide "any antlerless deer" license
  "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.