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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.

Rules checked against South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks regulations, August 30, 2026.

At a Glance

Wildlife Agency
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks
Regulations Year
2026
Coverage
Verified against primary sources
Verified Rules on File
26
Rules Pending Review
0
Zones With Special Rules
0
Official regulations → Verify with South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks →

Check a Cartridge in South Dakota

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Sourced Rules

Each rule links to the regulation we read and the month we checked it.

Rifle

3 rules
White-tailed / Mule Deer Pronghorn 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 · verified 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 · verified 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 · verified Aug 2026

Rifle and Handgun

1 rule
White-tailed / Mule Deer Elk Pronghorn 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 · verified Aug 2026

Shotgun

3 rules
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 · verified Aug 2026

Waterfowl

Nontoxic shot is required statewide for waterfowl, sandhill crane, snipe, swan and coot, and lead shot may not be possessed in the field while hunting them. On Game Production Areas, state parks, water access areas, Corps of Engineers land, NWRs and WPAs, nontoxic shot is required for all small game too.

"Nontoxic shot is required statewide for all waterfowl, sandhill crane, snipe, swan, and coot hunting. A person may not possess lead shot while in the field hunting these species."

ARSD 41:06:04:05(3); see also 41:06:04:05.01 and the 2026 Hunting & Trapping Handbook p. 74 · verified Oct 2026

Wild Turkey

South Dakota sets no shot-size limit for turkey shotguns other than banning buckshot; lead shot is legal for turkey even on public land.

"Turkey: A person may not use a rimfire, centerfire, or muzzleloading rifle during the spring turkey season. ... Buckshot is prohibited."

2026 SD Hunting & Trapping Handbook — Big Game Firearm Restrictions: Turkey; Turkey Hunting Restriction; ARSD 41:06:04:12, 41:06:04:15 · verified Oct 2026

Handgun

1 rule
White-tailed / Mule Deer Pronghorn 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 · verified Aug 2026

Muzzleloader

1 rule
White-tailed / Mule Deer Elk Pronghorn 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 · verified Aug 2026

All Weapons

3 rules
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 · verified 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 · verified Aug 2026

All species

South Dakota's hunting rules are silent on suppressors: the Game, Fish and Parks chapter on hunting requirements and prohibited methods and the 2026 hunting handbook never mention them, so the hunting rules put no limit on using one for any species. Since 1 July 2026 the state's controlled-weapon definition also expressly excludes firearm silencers. That does not change federal law: the suppressor still has to be lawfully possessed under the National Firearms Act and South Dakota's weapons statutes.

Suppressor law in 2026: what changed · suppressor prices

"Except for wild turkey as provided in § 41:06:04:12 and elk as provided in § 41:06:04:13, a person may hunt, pursue, shoot at, shoot, or kill any of the big game animals of this state only with a shoulder-held firearm..."

ARSD 41:06:04 (esp. 41:06:04:11) — no mention of suppressors, silencers or mufflers in ch. 41:06:04 or in the 2026 handbook's 'Legal Firearms/Equipment' (read 2026-10-16) · verified Oct 2026

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

ARSD 41:06:04:05 — Migratory bird hunting season restrictions -- Nontoxic shot South Dakota Legislature (Administrative Rules of South Dakota) · retrieved October 16, 2026
ARSD ch. 41:06:04 — Hunting requirements and prohibited methods South Dakota Legislature · retrieved October 16, 2026
Big Game Regulations South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks · retrieved August 30, 2026
South Dakota Hunting and Trapping Handbook 2026 South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks · retrieved October 16, 2026

How to Use This Page

Each rule links to the regulation we read and the month we checked it. Rules marked needs review come from summaries rather than the regulation text, and never produce a green answer in the checker. The checker's energy figures are typical factory loads, so where a rule sets an energy or bullet-weight floor, check your own load's rating. This page covers equipment only, not seasons, tags or local ordinances, and it isn't legal advice. The current South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks regulations are the final word.