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2007 South Dakota Duck Seasons
(Season info updated 8/13/07)

Hunter’s Choice

           – Something New for South Dakota Duck Hunters

Hunter’s Choice uses an aggregate bag (1 hen mallard or 1 pintail or 1 canvasback) to limit harvest on species needing additional protection while maintaining full hunting opportunity on abundant species or stocks of ducks such as drake mallards. For birds included in the aggregate bag, the harvest of one will ‘buffer’ the harvest of the others, thus reducing the harvest of all. For the past several years, South Dakota hunters have had a 39 day season-within-a-season (SWAS) for pintail and canvasbacks within the 74 day duck hunting season.

The Central Flyway plans to conduct a 3-year evaluation of Hunter's Choice starting with the 2006 season. For the duration of the evaluation, 5 states (ND, SD, KS, TX, WY) will be under Hunter's Choice regulations and the other 5 Central Flyway states (NE, OK, MT, CO, NM) will use the SWAS framework.

Objectives of the Hunter's Choice Evaluation are to:

  1. Determine if the harvest of pintail and canvasback under Hunter's Choice regulations are similar to those obtained with SWAS regulations.
  2. Determine hunter preferences.
  3. Determine the harvest of hen mallards under Hunter's Choice regulations.

DUCK SEASONS:

  • HIGH PLAINS: That portion of the state west of a line beginning at the North Dakota state line and extending south along US Hwy 83 to US Hwy 14, east on US 14 to Blunt, south on the Blunt-Canning Road to SD Hwy 34, east and south on SD 34 to SD Hwy 50 at Lee's Corner, south on SD 50 to I-90, east on I-90 to SD 50, south on SD 50 to SD Hwy 44, west on SD 44 across the Platte-Winner Bridge to SD Hwy 47, south on SD 47 to US 18, east on US 18 to SD 47, south on SD 47 to the Nebraska state line.

> Sept. 29 - Jan. 3.

  • LOW PLAINS—NORTH ZONE: That portion of northeastern South Dakota east of the High Plains Unit and north of a line extending east along US Hwy 212 to the Minnesota state line.

> Sept. 29 - Dec. 11.

  • LOW PLAINS—MIDDLE ZONE: The remainder of the state.

> Sept. 29 - Dec. 11.

  • LOW PLAINS—SOUTH ZONE: That portion of Gregory County east of SD 47 and south of SD 44; Charles Mix County south of SD 44 to the Douglas County line, south on SD 50 to Geddes, east on the Geddes Hwy to US 281, south on US 281 and US 18 to SD 50, south and east on SD 50 to the Bon Homme County line; and the counties of Bon Homme, Yankton, Clay south of SD 50, and Union south and west of SD 50 and I-29.

> Oct. 13 - Dec. 25.

DAILY LIMIT

     Ducks: 5 (See information on "Hunter's Choice" harvest limit above). The daily duck limit may be comprised of no move than:

  • 2 Scaup
  • 2 wood ducks
  • 2 redheads
  • 1 hen mallard, OR 1 pintail, OR 1 canvasback

     Mergansers: 5, which may include no more than 2 hooded merganser.

     Coots: 15.

POSSESSION LIMIT. The possession limit is twice the daily limit for all species.

SHOOTING HOURS: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

NONTOXIC SHOT. Approved nontoxic shot includes steel shot, bismuth-tin, tungsten-polymer, tungsten-matrix, and any combination of tungsten-iron-nickel-tin-cooper-bismuth.