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South Dakota legal shooting hours

South Dakota's published shooting hours, cited to South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, worked out for today and for your exact spot.

The rules in South Dakota

Deer and big game
One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. East River, West River, Black Hills and archery deer rules all state the same hours.Source: South Dakota rule ARSD 41:06:21:01 (East River deer season), checked October 2026.
Spring turkey
One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.Source: South Dakota rule ARSD 41:06:13:01 (spring wild turkey seasons), checked October 2026.
Ducks
One-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Federal framework for the general duck season. Your state may set stricter hours.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 50 CFR 20.117(f), checked October 2026.

Today, Sun, Oct 25

Legal time for deer and big game in South Dakota's largest cities. Use the tool below for your exact spot.

CityLegal timeSunriseSunset
Sioux Falls7:24 AM to 6:57 PM7:54 AM6:28 PM
Rapid City6:51 AM to 6:22 PM7:21 AM5:53 PM
Aberdeen7:34 AM to 7:01 PM8:04 AM6:31 PM
Loading the almanac…
  • Your state's own rule, cited
  • Exact to your spot
  • Rounded so it is never early

Hunting in South Dakota

38 outfitters, guides and lodges listed in South Dakota.

See South Dakota outfitters

How it works

How the shooting hours are worked out

  1. 1

    Pick your spot

    Search a town, county or hunting area, or use your location. The tool finds the state and its time zone.

  2. 2

    Choose what you are hunting

    Big game, spring turkey or waterfowl. You get that state's published rule, the exact times for today and the page it comes from.

  3. 3

    Plan the week

    Step through the days or read the week ahead in one table, then share the link with whoever is coming.

Back to the tool

Sun and moon times are computed in your browser and checked against the US Naval Observatory.

By state

Shooting hours by state

Common questions

Shooting hours questions

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, according to the South Dakota rule ARSD 41:06:21:01 (East River deer season).

One-half hour before sunrise to sunset, according to the South Dakota rule ARSD 41:06:13:01 (spring wild turkey seasons).

Legal shooting hours are the times of day you may shoot at game, set by each state for each kind of hunting. They are usually tied to sunrise and sunset at your location, so they change every day and from place to place.

Search for where you are hunting or use your location. The tool works out sunrise and sunset for that point, applies your state's published rule for big game, spring turkey or waterfowl, and links to the page the rule comes from.

Printed tables are usually set for a zone or a reference town. Sunrise moves about four minutes for every degree of longitude, so the far side of a zone can be several minutes off. This tool computes the time for your exact spot and rounds conservatively, so it never shows a start earlier than the rule allows.

The federal framework for the general duck season sets shooting hours from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset (50 CFR 20.117(f)). States can set stricter hours inside it, and where we have a state's own waterfowl rule the tool uses it.

Yes. The Hunting Hubs shooting hours tool is free, needs no account and runs in your browser. Always read your state's current regulations before you hunt.

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