Why it Matters: Across the Great Plains region, one of the most anticipated fall hunting seasons is opening soon. Pheasants stand as one of the most popular birds hunted in the Great Plains and offer opportunities for groups to get out and hunt together. However, the pheasant hunting season could have looked substantially different in North and South Dakota if the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) hadn’t successfully killed bad legislation in both states earlier this year.
Highlights:
- Pheasant hunting in the Great Plains region is one of the most popular and anticipated for hunting seasons.
- Legislation introduced during the 2025 legislative session in both North Dakota and South Dakota could have negatively impacted this year’s pheasant hunting season.
Across the Great Plains region, hunters are getting their gear and dogs ready in anticipation of the opening of the pheasant hunting season. North Dakota’s season is already underway, with the other states in the region opening their seasons in late October and early November. The Great Plains offer some of the best opportunities for hunters to hit the field and get their chance to hunt these upland birds, which offers a great opportunity to introduce new hunters to our time-honored outdoor traditions.
This year’s pheasant season could have looked much different if certain bills had been passed this legislative session. North Dakota introduced Senate Bill 2168 (SB 2168), which would have required hunters to have permission from neighboring landowners to hunt within 440 yards of an occupied building, structure, or storage structure, even if the structures are not located on the property they are hunting. Through CSF’s efforts, SB 2168 was successfully defeated, resulting in the protection of millions of acres of hunting access across the Peace Garden State.
Moving down to the Mount Rushmore State, South Dakota introduced House Bill 1236 (HB 1236), which would have increased the discharge distance in South Dakota from 660 feet to one-quarter mile, or 1320 feet. HB 1236, which was also defeated, would have increased the radius around buildings from 31.42 acres to approximately 126 acres where hunters could not legally hunt.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) was active in defeating this legislation and will continue to work to protect the rights of sportsmen and women.
