# South Dakota nightime regulations



## sdrookie (May 21, 2006)

Hey everybody. I've been around Nodak for awhile, I hunt waterfowl. Got alot of good info from this site and appreciate it.

My partner and I are trying our first moonlight coyote hunt. We started a few weeks ago in the daytime and have had some success. Very excited about this weekend! I have a few questions that I'm unclear on, any advice would be appreciated.

We can use rifles at night so long as we don't use any type of artifical light. Correct? And what about a flashlight in a backpack?

Do coyotes fall into the non-toxic small game regulations? If we're hunting coyotes at night on Game Production Areas do we have to use non-tox or can we go with lead #4 buck?

I've got a ton of other questions but I'll bother you with no more. These are the legal ones and we like to follow the rules.

Thanks ahead of time and feel free to give any advice that would increase the safety of what we're about to do.

sdrookie


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## sdrookie (May 21, 2006)

Found a game warden to ask these questions of today.

Rifles are legal at night so long as no source of artifical light is used.

Flashlight is legal for travel and emergency use, put away when in the act of hunting.

Coyotes are considered varmint/predator, non-tox regs do not apply.

Good luck everyone! Hunt safe, hunt hard, kill clean!


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## ay tee (Jun 11, 2007)

i talked to the game warden a few months back about night hunting and he told me any rifle caliber .22 or smaller can be used at night, and the land owner must be with you...


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## sdrookie (May 21, 2006)

Thats when using artificial light, ay tee. So long as you are NOT using a light source of any kind you can use whatever you want.

Its a doable thing too! We hunted last night for the first time. Full moon and lots of snow cover make it easy to see. We made three sets, called in one and killed none. Never fired a shot but learned plenty.


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## YoteSlapper (Mar 12, 2007)

I don't hunt nights in SD - but was intregued by the posts...

Good job going directly to the source for your information on Regs guys. Most of the time I think we try to help each other on here and most of the time the answers to questions are accurate. But for me, when it comes to regulations and laws I try to go to the officials for my inforamtion.

sdrookie - good follow up to your own questions. You helped me and maybe others by doing that.

at tee - the 22 cal thing makes sense and it seems like I have heard that before. Here is the way I have understood it to be for you in SD. You can use a light and nothing larger than a 22 rimfire. Or use any caliber with out a light. Again, please confirm this with an official. But the "land owner must be with you" thing seems odd to me. Does that mean you can't hunt public ground at night?

I may be way off on the way I understood it to be and maybe I should not have posted. But it seemed somewhat unclear yet to me.

Let us know how the night hunting goes for you all out there.

Good luck,

YoteSlapper


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## YoteSlapper (Mar 12, 2007)

Sorry sdrookie.

I see I must have been typing my post while you were following up.

Man, if you got good snow cover out in that awsome country, that would be some great night hunting IMO.

You going to try again tonight?


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## sdrookie (May 21, 2006)

Using a spotlight for varmint control on private land. The regs read "landowner or tenant and 1 guest". Rimfire or shotgun.

You can hunt Game Production Areas with rifle or lead buckshot, even have a flashlight in your pack. But do not use an artificial light of any kind while hunting. No spotlight hunting on public land. I think you can shine ***** that have been treed by dogs but that doesn't have anything to do with this topic.

Glad to hear it did someone some good, YoteSlapper. I've been around Nodak for years, just haven't posted much, and learned a ton. Good to give back.

Take care


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## SDHandgunner (Jun 22, 2004)

http://legis.state.sd.us/statutes/Statu ... eList.aspx

is the link for the South Dakota Codified Laws. Title 41 deals with Game, Fish & Parks.

Larry


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## sdrookie (May 21, 2006)

Thanks for the link SDHandgunner. I think it was you that posted how to build a simple e-caller with RS amp and Speco speakrs. Always meant to thank you for that. I've used mine to kill snow geese and coyotes and love to tell people it cost $50. It has its downsides{like freezing up last Friday } but with proper care they work great. Took mine out of the insulated lunch box I've been using and didn't think about the cold. I've got 2 simple setups to run 2 snow tracks this spring, one downwind, one upwind. Thanks a ton!

Yoteslapper, we have perfect conditions this winter for night hunting. Last Friday will be our only night hunt this year. We started hunting coyotes 4 weeks ago. Killed 2 our first time out and were hooked. Called one into 70 yards on our 2nd hunt. My partner loaded 180 grain bullets in the dark while the gun was sighted in with 120 grain. Just high and gone in a flash. The night hunt Friday was our 3rd hunt. On our 1st set we had one just appear out of nowhere in the middle of a corn field but she winded us and was gone as quickly as she showed up. Should have let her have it with the shotgun but don't have much cofidence in it yet. There was a small drainage that hid her. Very exciting stuff! We got a late start this year but will hunt the first full moon with snow cover next year. We're hooked and have time to organize and practice calling. My partner has a start with a howler and I'll get one soon.

Take care.


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