South Dakota Hunting Laws
South Dakota's big-game firearm rule is not a simple caliber minimum — it's an energy floor. Shoulder-held firearms must produce at least 1,000 ft-lb of muzzle energy for deer, antelope, and mountain lion (1,700 ft-lb and at least .243 caliber for elk); handguns need at least 500 ft-lb. Only soft-point or expanding bullets are legal.
Every rule below cites the official regulation. Last verified August 30, 2026.
At a glance
Check a cartridge in South Dakota
Pick a state, species, and weapon — add a cartridge for a full check.
Sourced rules
Every row cites the controlling regulation and the date we verified it.
All weapons
3 rules| Species | Rule | Citation | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| All species |
Self-loading/auto-loading firearms are capped at a 6-cartridge capacity for big game hunting.
"No self-loading or auto-loading firearm that holds more than six cartridges may be used to hunt, pursue, shoot at, shoot, kill, or wound any big game animal." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| All species |
Firearm hunters must wear a visible fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink exterior garment for big game, except when hunting turkey or mountain lion; no specific square-inch minimum is set.
"Any person hunting any big game animal, except turkey or mountain lion, with a firearm shall wear in a visible manner one or more fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink exterior garments." |
Big Game Regulations — Hunter Orange | Aug 2026 |
| All species | No South Dakota GFP regulation restricting suppressor use while hunting was located; this has not been confirmed against a primary source. | Big Game Regulations page does not address suppressors; primary confirmation pending | Aug 2026 needs review |
Handgun
7 rules| Species | Rule | Citation | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed / Mule Deer |
Handguns for deer, antelope, and mountain lion must use ammunition rated for at least 500 ft-lb of muzzle energy.
"handguns using ammunition that is rated to produce at least 500 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle" |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Pronghorn |
Handguns for deer, antelope, and mountain lion must use ammunition rated for at least 500 ft-lb of muzzle energy.
"handguns using ammunition that is rated to produce at least 500 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle" |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Mountain Lion |
Handguns for deer, antelope, and mountain lion must use ammunition rated for at least 500 ft-lb of muzzle energy.
"handguns using ammunition that is rated to produce at least 500 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle" |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| White-tailed / Mule Deer |
Only soft-point or expanding bullets are legal for big game — FMJ/military-style bullets are excluded.
"Only soft-point or expanding bullets are permitted." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Elk |
Only soft-point or expanding bullets are legal for big game — FMJ/military-style bullets are excluded.
"Only soft-point or expanding bullets are permitted." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Pronghorn |
Only soft-point or expanding bullets are legal for big game — FMJ/military-style bullets are excluded.
"Only soft-point or expanding bullets are permitted." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Mountain Lion |
Only soft-point or expanding bullets are legal for big game — FMJ/military-style bullets are excluded.
"Only soft-point or expanding bullets are permitted." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
Muzzleloader
4 rules| Species | Rule | Citation | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed / Mule Deer |
Muzzleloading rifles must be at least .44 caliber for any big game species.
"No person may hunt, shoot, shoot at, wound, kill, or pursue any big game animal with any muzzle loading rifle which is less than .44 caliber." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Elk |
Muzzleloading rifles must be at least .44 caliber for any big game species.
"No person may hunt, shoot, shoot at, wound, kill, or pursue any big game animal with any muzzle loading rifle which is less than .44 caliber." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Pronghorn |
Muzzleloading rifles must be at least .44 caliber for any big game species.
"No person may hunt, shoot, shoot at, wound, kill, or pursue any big game animal with any muzzle loading rifle which is less than .44 caliber." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Mountain Lion |
Muzzleloading rifles must be at least .44 caliber for any big game species.
"No person may hunt, shoot, shoot at, wound, kill, or pursue any big game animal with any muzzle loading rifle which is less than .44 caliber." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
Rifle
9 rules| Species | Rule | Citation | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed / Mule Deer |
Rifles for deer, antelope, and mountain lion must use ammunition rated for at least 1,000 ft-lb of muzzle energy — South Dakota's rule is an energy floor, not a simple bullet-diameter minimum.
"Shoulder-held firearms using ammunition rated to produce at least 1,000 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle...may be used to hunt deer, antelope, and mountain lion." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Pronghorn |
Rifles for deer, antelope, and mountain lion must use ammunition rated for at least 1,000 ft-lb of muzzle energy — South Dakota's rule is an energy floor, not a simple bullet-diameter minimum.
"Shoulder-held firearms using ammunition rated to produce at least 1,000 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle...may be used to hunt deer, antelope, and mountain lion." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Mountain Lion |
Rifles for deer, antelope, and mountain lion must use ammunition rated for at least 1,000 ft-lb of muzzle energy — South Dakota's rule is an energy floor, not a simple bullet-diameter minimum.
"Shoulder-held firearms using ammunition rated to produce at least 1,000 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle...may be used to hunt deer, antelope, and mountain lion." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Elk |
Elk rifles must produce at least 1,700 ft-lb of muzzle energy — a higher floor than deer/antelope/mountain lion.
"It is illegal to use firearms that produce less than 1,700 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle" |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Elk |
Elk rifles must also be at least .243 caliber, in addition to the 1,700 ft-lb energy floor — deer, antelope, and mountain lion have no separate caliber minimum, only the energy requirement.
"and that are smaller than .243 caliber" |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| White-tailed / Mule Deer |
Only soft-point or expanding bullets are legal for big game — FMJ/military-style bullets are excluded.
"Only soft-point or expanding bullets are permitted." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Elk |
Only soft-point or expanding bullets are legal for big game — FMJ/military-style bullets are excluded.
"Only soft-point or expanding bullets are permitted." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Pronghorn |
Only soft-point or expanding bullets are legal for big game — FMJ/military-style bullets are excluded.
"Only soft-point or expanding bullets are permitted." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Mountain Lion |
Only soft-point or expanding bullets are legal for big game — FMJ/military-style bullets are excluded.
"Only soft-point or expanding bullets are permitted." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
Shotgun
3 rules| Species | Rule | Citation | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed / Mule Deer |
Deer shotguns must fire a single ball or rifled slug of at least 1/2 ounce; buckshot is not a legal deer load.
"Shotguns must discharge a single ball or rifled slug weighing at least one-half ounce." |
Big Game Regulations — Legal Firearms | Aug 2026 |
| Waterfowl | Nontoxic shot is required for waterfowl hunting under federal law; SD-specific supplemental requirements (e.g. on Game Production Areas) are pending direct primary-source confirmation. | GFP waterfowl page does not itself state a South Dakota-specific nontoxic rule; the federal nontoxic-shot mandate for waterfowl (50 CFR 20.108) is understood to apply statewide, but SD-specific text (e.g. Game Production Area rules) was not retrieved in this pass | Aug 2026 needs review |
| Wild Turkey | A specific maximum turkey shot size was not confirmed from a retrieved GFP page in this research pass. | GFP turkey page did not state a specific shot-size limit in the pages retrieved; pending confirmation from the current-season regulations handbook | Aug 2026 needs review |
Federal rules that apply in every state
These federal requirements apply in South Dakota on top of state law.
Federal law: only USFWS-approved nontoxic shot may be used — or even possessed — while hunting waterfowl, coots, and aggregate-bag species.
50 CFR § 20.21(j)(1)–(3)
Federal law: shotguns for migratory birds are limited to 3 shells total (magazine + chamber) with a one-piece plug; limited light-goose and September Canada goose season exceptions exist.
50 CFR § 20.21(b)
Federal law: shotguns for migratory birds may be no larger than 10 gauge.
50 CFR § 20.21(a)
Federal law prohibits taking migratory birds with a rifle, pistol, or fully automatic firearm.
50 CFR § 20.21(a)
On Waterfowl Production Areas and designated National Wildlife Refuge lands, possessing shot other than approved nontoxic shot is prohibited; individual refuges may impose stricter rules.
50 CFR § 32.2(k)
Sources
Big Game Regulations
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks · retrieved August 30, 2026
Sources & methodology
Rules on this page are verified against state statutes, administrative code, official agency regulation digests, and federal regulations — never forums, retailer blogs, or hunter-ed course summaries. Rules we could not yet pin to a primary source are labeled needs review and never produce a green "legal" answer. Cartridge energy figures used by the checker are typical factory-load values; where a rule sets an energy or bullet-weight floor, verify your specific load's manufacturer rating.
Legal disclaimer — please read
This page is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Hunting regulations change every season, vary by zone, season, land type, and county ordinance, and are interpreted by the state's enforcement officers — not by this page.
- Confirm every rule in the current official South Dakota hunting regulations before your hunt.
- Check season dates, license and tag requirements, zone boundaries, and local ordinances — this page covers equipment rules only.
- When in doubt, contact South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks directly.
The controlling document is the regulation, not this page. We disclaim all liability for reliance on it.