South Dakota Administrative Rules
Title 41 - Department of Game, Fish And Parks
Article 41:06 - Hunting seasons and methods
Chapter 41:06:16 - Waterfowl hunting seasons
Section 41:06:16:07 - Goose hunting season, Conservation Order, and August Management Take established - Shooting hours - Exceptions - Open units - Closed areas
Current through Register Vol. 51, page 43, September 23, 2024
The light goose hunting season is open statewide for one hundred and five consecutive days beginning on the last Saturday of September. A Conservation Order is open statewide from the day after Unit 2 dark goose season ends to May fifteenth. Only light geese, as defined in § 41:06:16:06.01, may be taken during a Conservation Order.
As used in this article, a Conservation Order is a Congressional Order which amends the Fish and Wildlife Service regulations based on a 1999 Congressional action (Pub. L. No. 106-108,) effectively reinstating regulations intended to reduce the population of mid-continent light geese.
Additionally, an August Management Take for the taking of Canada geese is open to South Dakota residents beginning on the third Saturday of August through August thirty-first in Meade County south of South Dakota Highway 34, Pennington County west of the Cheyenne River, and the counties of Brown, Clark, Codington, Day, Deuel, Edmunds, Faulk, Hamlin, Grant, Marshall, McPherson, Roberts, and Spink.
The white-fronted goose season is open statewide for seventh-four consecutive days beginning on the last Saturday of September.
The dark goose season is open statewide as specifically provided for in this section and the special Canada goose hunting units in § 41:06:16:08:
(1) Unit 1: the counties of Aurora, Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Butte, Campbell, Clark, Codington, Corson, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Haakon, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Harding, Hutchinson, Jackson, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, McCook, McPherson, Marshall, Meade, Mellette, Moody, Miner, Oglala Lakota, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Todd, Turner, Walworth, and Ziebach; that portion of Dewey County north of Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 8, Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 9, and the section of U.S. Highway 212 east of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 8 junction; that portion of Potter County east of U.S. Highway 83; that portion of Sully County east of U.S. Highway 83; portions of Hyde, Buffalo, Brule, Charles Mix, and Bon Homme counties north and east of a line beginning at the Hughes-Hyde county line on State Highway 34, east to Lees Boulevard, southeast to the State Highway 34, east seven miles to 350th Avenue, south to Interstate 90 on 350th Avenue, south and east on State Highway 50 to Geddes, east on 285th Street to U.S. Highway 281, north on U.S. Highway 281 to the Charles Mix-Douglas county boundary; the portion of Bon Homme County north of State Highway 50, the portions of Yankton and Clay counties north of County Highway 585 (306th Street) to U.S. Highway 81, then north on U.S. Highway 81 to 303rd Street, then east on 303rd Street to 444th Avenue, then south on 444th Avenue to 305th Street, then east on Bluff Road (305th Street) to County Highway 19, south to State Highway 50 and east to the Clay/Union County line; the portion of Perkins County west of State Highway 75 and south of State Highway 20; that portion of Lincoln County west of State Highway 17 and south of County Highway 116 (Klondike Road); and the portion of Minnehaha County north of a line beginning at the junction of the South Dakota-Minnesota state line and County Highway 122 (254th Street) west to its junction with County Highway 149 (464th Avenue), the portion west of County Highway 149 (464th Avenue) to Hartford, the portion west of County Highway 151 (463rd Avenue) to State Highway 42, the portion south of State Highway 42 to State Highway 17, and the portion west of State Highway 17 to the Minnehaha-Lincoln county boundary. The season is open for one hundred seven consecutive days, less the number of days set aside for the Early Fall Canada Goose season established in chapter 41:06:50 that begins on October first;
(2) Unit 2: those portions of the state not described in Unit 1 and Unit 3. The season is open for one hundred five consecutive days preceding and including the Sunday closest to February fifteenth; and
(3) Unit 3: Bennett County. The season is open for nine consecutive days beginning on the second Saturday of January.
Except for the light goose Conservation Order, shooting hours for geese are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily. The shooting hours for the light goose Conservation Order are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset daily.
General Authority: SDCL 41-2-18(17).
Law Implemented: SDCL 41-2-18(17), 41-11-5.
