The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks have published the 2025 Upland Outlook, which forecasts both the pheasant and grouse seasons across the state. It’s well known that South Dakota is the greatest state to pheasant hunt, and after a tremendous 2024 season, the outlook is looking just as great.
The 2024 season saw 1.3 million pheasants harvested across the state, which does not include an additional 380,000 pheasants that were harvested on defined shooting preserves. This was the highest harvest in 13 years.
Learn More: South Dakota Celebrates Best Pheasant Season in a Decade
There were 140,000 pheasant hunters that enjoyed this season in 2024, with approximately 58,000 resident hunters and 82,000 nonresident hunters. These hunters averaged 9 birds each throughout the 2024 season.
After a successful season, 2025 is shaping up for as good of, or even better, of a year! There are several factors that lead to this bold prediction, which include a mild winter, ideal precipitation and temperatures, and improved habitat. These factors are supported by optimistic reports on pheasant production across the state, with landowners, producers, and biologists observing both numerous and large broods.
Pheasants, similar to prairie grouse, are a short-lived species that display low annual survival. Young-of-the-year birds are the majority of the pheasants that hunters will be targeting in the fall, which makes over-winter survival, nesting, and brood rearing conditions critical to a successful season.
A major factor to the fantastic 2024 season was a mild winter, and the 2025 season is set to enjoy the same benefits. Reduced snowfall is ideal for high over-winter survival, and both of these seasons enjoyed this. The mild winter means there was an abundance of birds on the landscape heading into the primary nesting season, which set the stage for a fantastic season.
The 2025 season saw near normal spring temperatures, and adequate precipitation. Additional summer rainfall created lush grassland conditions, and thus set the stage for increased production. There were a number of strong summer thunderstorms that rolled across the state, and while these can be a negative for production, these are often localized and the benefits of the summer rainfall outweigh the negatives.
The ideal grassland conditions set up for a terrific nesting and brood rearing season across the majority of the primary pheasant range, which means there should be an abundance of young-of-the-year birds for the coming season.
In addition to the number of birds on the landscape, there is also increased public access available across the state. Habitat and access is the top priority for South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, and this means that ensuring there is quality nesting and brood rearing habitat, and access to that habitat, is key. For hunters new to South Dakota, they should start their search on Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) lands. These lands are found along the James River and Big Sioux River, directly in the middle of the primary pheasant range in the state. These acres ensure there will be quality pheasant habitat, and public access is available.
Overall, there is 1.6 million acres of private land enrolled for public hunting, which includes 1.25 million acres of Walk-In Area program land. South Dakota draws 140,000 hunters, but there is plenty of space for them to share and plenty of pheasants to be found.
South Dakota’s claim to be the greatest state to pheasant hunt is supported by the overall harvest statistics. Many years, the South Dakota pheasant harvest is more than all of the surrounding states combined. Additionally, in 2024 South Dakota harvested more roosters in two weeks of October than any other state during their entire season.
The conditions are set for 2025 to be another one of those special seasons. A mild winter increased over-winter survival, ideal temperatures and precipitation set up for a successful and brood rearing season, and quality grassland habitat set up for high levels of production. Surpassing 1.3 million pheasants harvested will be a tough task, but the 2025 season has the potential to do just this. Regardless, this is a season hunters will not want to miss! Good luck, have fun, and be safe!
Fast Facts on Pheasants:
- 1.3 million pheasants harvested across South Dakota in 2024;
- 140,000 pheasant hunters across South Dakota in 2024;
- 1.6 million acres of private land enrolled in public hunting programs such as Walk-In Area, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, and other programs;
- Pheasant season runs October 18, 2025 to January 31, 2026;
- Daily limit is three rooster pheasants; and,
- South Dakota harvested more roosters in two weeks of October than any other state during their entire season.
Hunters wishing to learn more about pheasant hunting in South Dakota, as well as other upland game bird hunting opportunities such as prairie grouse, are encouraged to read the 2025 Upland Outlook. This document is published by South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks each year in preparation for the coming season. Additional information can also be found on the Pheasant page of the GFP website.
“As successful as the 2024 season was, the ingredients are there for 2025 to be even greater.”
-Kevin Robling, GFP Secretary
Make Your Trip a Multispecies Adventure
The pheasant hunting often steals the show for South Dakota, but there is quietly tremendous prairie grouse hunting opportunities to be enjoyed as well. In fact, there are many locations in the state that hunters could legitimately target all three species: pheasant sharp-tail grouse, and prairie chicken. There were nearly 99,000 grouse harvested in 2024 by 19,000 hunters. Learn more about this quietly fantastic opportunity and how to make your trip even that much greater!
(Image Credit South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks)
Support Conservation and the Second Century Habitat Fund
The Second Century Habitat Fund is a nonprofit that raises funds to support conservation efforts across South Dakota. You can put more grassland on the landscape by donating to the Second Century Habitat Fund this fall!
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There is plenty to do in South Dakota across the fall, and whether you’re fishing, pheasant hunting, camping, or just exploring everything South Dakota has to offer we have you covered in our South Dakota Outdoor Reports! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get these reports every week all season long!
