South Dakota · Squirrel · 2026–27 Edition
South Dakota Squirrel Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Tree squirrel season | Statewide | Sep 1 – Mar 31 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily | 5 — red, gray, and fox squirrel; no other species may be taken under this limit |
|---|---|
| Possession | 15 |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 1, 2026) 07:05 — 20:17
Rule: Sunrise to sunset, statewide — no half-hour civil-twilight allowance, per gfp.sd.gov/tree-squirrel/ and the 2026 Hunting and Trapping Handbook. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local South Dakota sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Squirrel hunters in South Dakota need a South Dakota hunting license — Residents need a Habitat Stamp plus a Small Game License, 1-Day Small Game License, Combination License, Youth Small Game License, or Mentored Small Game License. Nonresidents need a Habitat Stamp plus a Nonresident Small Game License (sold as two 5-day periods) or Nonresident Youth/Mentored Small Game License.
South Dakota licenses & permits — South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks →
05 — FAQ
When does squirrel season start in South Dakota?
The 2026–27 opener is September 1, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does squirrel season end in South Dakota?
The 2026–27 closing date is March 31, 2027.
Is there a difference between fox and gray squirrel rules in South Dakota?
See the bag limit table above — most states run one combined limit across both species, but this is worth confirming against South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks before you hunt.
How many squirrels can you shoot in South Dakota per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Daily — 5 — red, gray, and fox squirrel; no other species may be taken under this limit. Possession — 15. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting squirrel in South Dakota?
On opening day (September 1, 2026) legal light runs 07:05 to 20:17. The rule is: Sunrise to sunset, statewide — no half-hour civil-twilight allowance, per gfp.sd.gov/tree-squirrel/ and the 2026 Hunting and Trapping Handbook. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local South Dakota sun times for any other date.
Verified · South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. The gfp.sd.gov tree-squirrel species page (gfp.sd.gov/tree-squirrel/) loaded directly and gave the bag limit (5 daily / 15 possession), statewide area, and 'sunrise to sunset' shooting hours, but no season open/close dates. Those dates come from the official 2026 South Dakota Hunting and Trapping Handbook PDF (gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/docs/huntingandtrappinghandbook.pdf), fetched via an r.jina.ai text-extraction proxy since the raw PDF could not be parsed directly; the extracted text confirms the cover title 'HUNTING AND TRAPPING SOUTH DAKOTA HANDBOOK 2026' with an HTTP publication date of 2026-08-05 — i.e. current for the 2026-27 season — and its season table lists Tree Squirrel as 'Sept. 1-Mar. 31,' daily limit 5, possession limit 15, statewide, matching the species page exactly. This is a notably long, seven-month window compared with most other states in this batch, and it is a genuine extension: a 2021-season GFP harvest-survey report (gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/COTTONTAIL___SQUIRREL.pdf, read directly, not via proxy) shows the season back then ran only Sept. 1 through Feb. 28 — so South Dakota's squirrel season has since been lengthened by a month. Also worth flagging: unlike most states in this project, South Dakota's shooting-hours rule is literally sunrise-to-sunset with no half-hour civil-twilight allowance before sunrise or after sunset, stated identically on both the species page and the 2026 handbook.