Waterfowl

Every October, the blue skies above the Aberdeen area fill with a spectacular assortment of waterfowl. Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, located just 30 miles northeast of Aberdeen, is a major stopping point for thousands of Snow, Blue and Canadian geese in their annual southern migration. Every pond, slough and lake becomes a resting spot for a wide variety of ducks as well as, including Mallards, Teal and Redheads.

Season
Fall waterfowl season normally open in late September to early October, and the last goose season closes in December/January. Spring light goose hunting is open February 1 through May 8.

Licensing Non-Resident
Non-residents need a South Dakota non-resident waterfowl license to hunt migratory waterfowl in South Dakota. Fall licenses are limited in number and distributed by the lottery system. Thus, one must submit an application with payment either by paper, or go online, before the indicated deadline. All non-residents must complete the Migratory Bird Certification questions on the application. The license that is issued includes the Migratory Bird Certification privileges. Please visit the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks website for more information about non-resident waterfowl licenses.

Licensing Resident
South Dakota residents will need a combination of: an annual small game, 1-day small game, youth small game, or junior combination license; PLUS the state migratory bird certification stamp and federal waterfowl stamp to hunt waterfowl. Resident youths ages 12-15 are exempt from buying the federal waterfowl stamp but must purchase the youth small game and state migratory bird certification stamp.