SD Game Fish Parks
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PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Commission held their May meeting at the Custer State Park Event Barn May 7-8. |
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FINALIZATIONS Black Hills Firearm Elk Season The Commission voted to align dates for both antlerless elk and any elk tags in Unit H4 of the Black Hills elk firearm season. The antlerless elk hunting in Unit H4 will begin on October 1, to align with any elk hunting, with the intent of increasing cow elk harvest. This finalization originated from a petition brought at the April Commission meeting. Deer License Allocation The Commission finalized license adjustments for the 2026 deer hunting season. These adjustments include changing archery and muzzleloader deer licenses from “any deer” to “any buck deer” license types. East River Deer tags were reduced by 700 for 12 hunting units. West River Deer tags were reduced by 700 for three hunting units. PROPOSALS Apprentice, Mentored, and Youth Deer Hunting Seasons The Commission proposed to close nine counties in southeast South Dakota for apprentice, mentor, and youth deer hunting. The goal of this closure is to reduce antlerless deer harvest, and to increase deer herd population growth. Among these nine units, the female deer harvest from these seasons was 255 in 2025 and accounted for the majority of the total female deer harvest. This change, in conjunction with firearm license reductions in 12 units, is aimed to further increase population growth rates and limit overall harvest. Eligible youth, mentor, and apprentice hunters would still be able to hunt other units open across the state. |
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Public Comments Being Accepted To hear the discussion on these topics, audio from the meeting is available through South Dakota Public Broadcasting and will soon be available on the GFP website as part of the meeting archive. To see these topics in their entirety, visit gfp.sd.gov/commission/information. To be included in the public record and to be considered by the Commission, comments must include a full name and city of residence and be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CDT on June 7. The next GFP Commission meeting will be held in Madison June 11-12. |
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