The 2025 South Dakota Grouse Season will begin Saturday, September 20, and run through January 31, 2026. Expectations are high for the upcoming season, and while the conditions appear soggy to kick the season off, that hasn’t dampened hunters’ excitement.
The 2025 Upland Outlook, which is published by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, shares high expectations for the upcoming season. Grouse production across the state has been overall very good and coming off the best season in a quarter century these expectations are well deserved.
Mid-week rains leading up to the opening weekend have been soggy, with many county roads going under water. Hunters should be aware of this and look at their local law enforcement and county emergency management social media pages for updates on their area. Fortunately, for opening weekend itself the weather is looking quite positive.
Grouse hunting, while overall very good, is an under the radar hunting opportunity across South Dakota. There are only about 19,000 grouse hunters who take part in the season, yet they harvested 99,000 grouse in 2024. South Dakota is the greatest state to hunt pheasants, that’s well known, but it’s among the greatest states to hunt grouse as well!
We took a deep dive into the grouse hunting outlook, as well as the grouse hunting season as a whole, and what hunters interested in participating should know. You can find all of that, and more, in our South Dakota Prairie Grouse 2025 Hunting Outlook.
As a reminder heading into the season, hunters should be sure to recreate with respect. This includes:
- Avoiding soft and/or muddy roads when possible, and preventing spinning the tires on these areas if they must travel them;
- Avoiding parking in front of approaches or other field access areas, as this is a busy time for South Dakota farmers and producers;
- Avoiding parking in blind spots on hills or other areas that equipment traveling the road may not see in a timely manner;
- Cleaning up any litter, whether it is yours or not; and,
- Being respectful to other hunters and avoiding crowding or disrupting other hunter’s hunts.
The expectations are high for this season. Whether you’re a seasoned grouse hunter or looking to try it for the first time, good luck, have fun, and be safe this season!
Hunt the Greatest in South Dakota
The upland game hunting opportunities in South Dakota are truly unmatched. Find out what makes South Dakota the greatest state to pheasant hunt!
(Images courtesy South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Facebook Page)
(Video courtesy Travel South Dakota YouTube Page)
