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South Dakota Big Game

Licensing ▪ Deposits ▪ Meals and Lodging ▪ SD State Rifle Deer ▪ SD State Archery Deer ▪ Tribal Rifle Deer
SD State/Tribal Archery/Rifle Antelope ▪ Bison Hunts ▪ Prairie Dogs

South Dakota Access Big Game Main

South Dakota’s big game hunting is a well-kept secret! We offer Deer, Bison, Antelope, Turkey, Upland Bird, and more, including opportunities at a trophy with low or no points!

 

We coordinate hunting on 19 private ranches across the State totaling around 200,000+ acres and coordinate tribal hunts on 6 of 9 Lakota reservations offering millions of acres of hunting. While we can’t guarantee success, we will work hard to ensure the best experience and as many opportunities as possible to take a nice critter next fall. We had a 90% success rate on deer with a rifle and 100% success on archery whitetail hunts last season. Our upland bird, bison, turkey, and predator hunts are beyond compare.

 

Big game hunts cost vary between $3000-5750 depending on species ranch, guide, and dates and are priced as hunt only. Meal and lodging packages vary depending on preference and location of hunt.

Licensing:

South Dakota is ripe with the opportunity to kill a good one for the wall and freezer, whether you have preference points or not. There are 6 separate rifle tag lotteries with high success rates available with no points! That doesn’t even include archery applications. We can handle all of your State and Tribal tag applications for you and save you hours of computer time for $250 for the year.

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The State of SD offers 100% draw success (in 2023) rifle whitetail only and archery tags for “any deer” and antelope on private land, available beginning in March. Your chance of drawing an “any deer” tag jumps to 60% with 1 point and 90% with 2 points. There are also five late (May-July) Lakota Tribal lotteries offering a decent shot to draw an any deer or mule deer rifle tag without any points at all. Each reservation has a separate application and lottery. You can apply for all and choose which tag you want to claim, pay for it, hunt, and let the others go. The State of South Dakota will allow you to purchase a rifle or archery tag in May and then return it for a full refund of points and money if you draw a tribal tag in August.

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State of SD Preference Points are available from September 15 through December 15. All State of SD tags and points can be purchased at https://gfp.sd.gov/deer/ beginning on March 19. Non-resident tags cost $286-560. Preference points are recommended for all State rifle hunts and can be purchased online at the address above. The preferred tags to hunt private ground with us are marked with *:

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  • *SD West River Special Buck - WR1-01 (any deer) or WR1-11 (whitetail only) good on private land only - $175 resident, $560 non-resident

  • *SD Statewide Archery – ST1-01 (private land only) - $40 resident, $286 non-resident

  • *SD Prairie Special Antelope (private land only) - $275 resident, $560 non resident

  • SD Archery antelope (private land only) $40 resident, $286 non-resident

  • SD General Rifle Tags by Unit/County – call for consultation $40 resident, $286 non-resident

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Tribal Big Game Licensing: Each reservation operates their own lottery draws. Preference points don’t help in Tribal lotteries. We offer hunts on 5 of 9 reservations across the State totaling over 5 million acres of tribal hunting. More info below. Call for a consultation before applying. We will handle all your deer and turkey tag applications and save you hours of online monotony for $250 for the year. We will just need some basic information and a credit card authorization form. Click and complete this link.

 

Contact us for a hunt consultation, for more information, or to book a hunt.

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We will send an email and/or call deposited hunters and interested parties before and during eligible application periods based on discussed interests.

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Deposits:

Specific hunt dates will be offered in the order that the deposits are received. Booking a spot requires a $1000 deposit as a next step. Deposits from hunters who do not draw a tag will be rolled into the following year. Checks can be sent to SD Access, 2501 Anthony Ave, Mitchell, SD 57301. Deposits can also be made via ACH electronic invoice for free, Venmo @SDAGS or via credit card over the phone for a +3.5% charge at the number below.

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Contact us for a hunt consultation, more info, or to book a hunt.

Meals and Lodging Packages:

  • Details and pricing vary depending on meals, ranch, outfit, and lodging preference.

  • An average cost of all meals and lodging is around $200 day/night based on single occupancy.

  • We can make recommendations or handle everything for you depending on the tags drawn.

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SD State Private Ranch Deer:

Pricing overview: West River private ranch hunts vary between properties in duration (3-5 days), what’s included and cost. Prices listed are total cost averages including guided hunt, tag, meals and accommodation but do not include gratuity.

  • 2024 Private ranch rifle whitetail – total cost ranges from $4500-6000

  • 2024 Private ranch rifle mule deer – total cost ranges from $6000-7500 (Sold out in 24)

  • General Information

    • Online application at https://gfp.sd.gov/deer/ between March 19 – April 14 and May 30- June 17. Preference points available for $10 between September 15 – December 15

    • West River Special Buck tag is preferred, SD General Rifle is a second choice

    • Multiple unit options; Oglala Lakota, Bennett, Jackson, Ziebach, Dewey, Hughes, Perkins, Meade, Lyman, Harding, Hyde and Buffalo Counties

    • Special Buck tags cost $175 for residents $560 for non-residents

    • Estimated season dates - November 16 – December 1, 2024

  • South Dakota East River Special Buck Rifle (or Muzzleloader) Hunt for SD residents only on a well managed 5000-acre property in northeast SD with incredible deer genetics and management (140-170”+) 

    • 6 days and 7 nights - Day 1 being rifle qualification and scouting

    • Includes meals and deer camp lodging

    • $4000 + tax, gratuity, and license

    • Additional doe harvest for $100

SD State Archery Deer: 

Sept 1 - Jan 1, Guaranteed draw March 1

  • Fully Guided private land archery hunts for muleys and whitetails (mostly west river, a few east river opportunities)

    • Multiple ranches and outfits in Oglala Lakota, Bennett, Jackson, Ziebach, Dewey, Hughes, Perkins, Harding, Gregory, Meade, Lyman, Hyde and Buffalo Counties.

    • 4-5 days hunt only.

    • $3250-5750, lodging and meal packages vary depending on ranch and outfit.

  • Backcountry archery hunts in wall tents for muleys and whitetails. Choice of horse packed or side by side or both. This is rough country hunting for deer who haven’t encountered many people

    • 22,000+ acres of private ranch land in southern Jackson County, Badlands of South Dakota.

    • 5 days hunting and 4 nights wall tent lodging, meals as hunting allows

    • $4500

    • Moderate horsemanship and a strong will are highly recommended

    • Difficulty level: 9+ of 10

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Tribal Rifle Deer:

– Tribal tag application service available- $250/year

  • Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Rifle Deer

    • 1.62 million Acres in North Central part of State

    • $4000-4500 - Hunt only

      • Meals and lodging $200-250/night depending on preference​

  • Oglala Sioux/Pine Ridge Tribal Rifle Deer

    • 2.2 million acres in SW corner of State

    • $3000-4000 - Hunt only (meals and lodging package $225/day)

  •  Lower Brule Tribal Rifle Deer

    • 114,000 acres in central South Dakota

    • $3500-4000 - Hunt only (meals and lodging package $225/day)

  • Crow Creek Tribal Rifle Deer

    • 126,000 acres in central South Dakota

    • $3500-4000 - Hunt only (meals and lodging package $225/day)

  • Rosebud Tribal Deer

    • 1.25 million acres in south central part of the State

    • $3500 – 5000 hunt only (meals and lodging package $225/day)

SD State or Tribal Archery or Rifle Antelope:

  • $3500-4000 depending on ranch- 3-day SD rifle, includes all meals

  • $3100-3500 depending on ranch- 5-day archery antelope, includes all meals 

    • Private ranch hunts for 68-79”+ goats

    • Lodging packages start at $75/person based on double occupancy

  • Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal antelope – 1.62 million acres

    • 3-day rifle or 4-day archery hunt - $3500 hunt only

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Bison Hunts:

  • Fully guided private ranch/preserve Bison hunts, rifle or archery, in the beautiful southern Black Hills

    • $4500 for mature cow (5yo, 300-350 lbs meat)

    • $6500 for meat bull (5yo, 1100+ lbs, 350-400 lbs meat)

    • $8500 for trophy bull (10yo, 1800++ lbs, 450-500 lbs meat)

    • $10,500 for a mega bull (10yo, 2200+lbs, 500+ lbs of meat)

    • 2@½ days and 1 full day of hunting

    • Includes 2 nights lodge accommodations, meals, field dressing and skinning

      • 72 hr butchering costs an additional $1300

    • Ranch consists of 9 miles of wooded draws and a ton of game

    • No tag required, year-round hunting

    • 50% deposit required

Prairie Dogs:

  • $275/hunter/day on private land in and around the Badlands

    • Shooting mats and/or benches included

    • Season dates, group size and bag limits are unrestricted

    • Licensing covered under SD Small Game license for $121 OR $40 annually

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