The number of pheasants harvested by resident and non-resident hunters in South Dakota has increased gradually since 2017.

More than 1.3 million pheasants were bagged by hunters in 2024, the highest since 2012, when hunters collected more than 1.4 million.

After three straight years of hunters collecting fewer than 1 million pheasants from 20172019, South Dakota saw five straight years of more than 1 million harvested from 2020-2024 The state remains the best in the nation for pheasant hunting, with hunters harvesting more roosters in two weeks of October than any other state during the entire season.

Non-residents are allowed to bag three pheasants per day, for a total of 15. Hunters have collected an average of about nine pheasants per season since 2022.

While the number of pheasants harvested is increasing, it still lags behind the first decade of 2000, when numbers frequently exceeded 1.5 million.

Sources: South Dakota GF&P, Ring-necked Pheasant Statistics for South Dakota; South Dakota GF&P, 2024 pheasant season harvest highest in over a decade; HuntingLocator.com, South Dakota pheasant hunting guide for 2025-2026 South Dakota News Watch partners with Gigafact to publish fact briefs that refute or confirm a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context. Submit a question for us to answer on the South Dakota News Watch Tipline. Send questions or feedback to factbrief@sdnewswatch.org. This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they're published. Contact Michael Klinski at michael. klinski@sdnewswatch.org.