Prairie Dogs
- Season: open year-round, except in the Conata Basin and several other areas within the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. Please contact the US Forest Service for additional information regarding specific closure locations at (605)279-2125.
- Limit: Unrestricted
- Shooting Hours: Unrestricted
- No restriction on caliber of rifles and/or handguns
MORE PRAIRIE DOG INFORMATION
Purchase a License
Public Hunting Areas
Hunting Regulations
Prairie Dog Management Plan
2011 Prairie Dog Shooting Survey
Information
The GFP Wild Mammals of South Dakota book shows the distribution or prairie dogs over most of the western two-thirds of the state. The population is considered stable in the state, and in fact prairie dog control measures are actively taken to assist damage the animals cause on some private land.
In other parts of the country, prairie dogs home range has decreased. The US Fish and Wildlife Service considered a petition to list them as a federal threatened species in the late 1990s. South Dakota is one of eleven states that has worked cooperatively to develop management programs to help avoid the need to list the black-tailed prairie dog as a federal threatened species. In August 2004, the black-tailed prairie dog was removed from federal candidate list, due to results of surveys that better described the extent of the species' range and commitments by state, tribal, federal, and private entities to continue to work cooperatively on this issue.
Prairie Dog Management Plan
Prairie Dog Distribution
View the report "South Dakota Black-tailed Prairie Dog Colony Acreage and Distribution, 2008."
View the Acres of Black-tailed Prairie Dog Colonies in South Dakota
If you're going to print out the report, please note that page 24 is a large map (prairie dog survey area) that requires 11x17 paper.
National Grasslands
National Grassland areas in western South Dakota, managed by the US Forest Service, are popular hunting destinations. If this is your destination, please contact these grassland offices for information on travel restrictions.
Burrowing Owl Reports
If you observe burrowing owls while in a prairie dog town, make a note of the precise location and call
(For burrowing owl reports only):
Buffalo Gap National Grasslands |
Tribal Lands
Native American Tribal lands host some of the state's best prairie dog hunting opportunities.
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.