State is sustaining much of its pandemic boost in hunting, fishing and park visits, officials say

South Dakota has largely sustained pandemic-era gains in park visitation and license sales for hunting and fishing, according to the Department of Game, Fish and Parks.

A widespread desire to get outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic caused state park visits to surge from 6.8 million in 2019 to 8.2 million in 2020, and visits have stayed around 8 million since then, including in newly reported numbers for 2024. That number was roughly even with the prior year.

Director of Parks and Recreation Jeff VanMeeteren presented the data Thursday in Pierre to the department’s oversight commission.

“I think it just speaks volumes,” he said. “We were able to retain a lot of these folks that we introduced into our campgrounds and to our day-use operations during COVID.”

The Division of Parks and Recreation’s revenue grew 5% last year, rising to $22 million. 

Park license sales were the biggest contributor. The state sold 517,000 of them, generating $11.2 million, up from $10.6 million in 2023. Lodging revenues also grew by 2% to over $10 million.

George S. Mickelson Trail pass sales jumped to 7,907 from 6,377 the prior year. The passes brought $119,000 to the department.

Flooding and construction projects caused dips in some parks’ numbers, such as the 45% decline at Lewis and Clark Recreation Area, due partly to road construction. Custer and Palisades state parks experienced visitation increases of 5% and 35%, respectively.

Small game, fishing numbers

Hunting and fishing also maintained much of its pandemic-fueled boost. 

Fishing licenses brought in $5.5 million in department revenue last year, close to the three-year average. Resident purchases remained strong, with annual licenses increasing over the prior year by 1,000 to over 55,000 sold. One-day nonresident license sales rose to 37,000 but remained below the three-year average. 

“The Missouri River system was really strong,” said Wildlife Division Director Tom Kirschenmann. “Lake Oahe, in particular, had probably the best year it’s had in the last couple of years.”

Small-game hunting licenses grew in 2024, driven by a strong pheasant season. Sales to out-of-state hunters jumped by 5,700 to nearly 84,000, generating $11.6 million of the $12.6 million in small-game license revenue last year.

Small-game license sales to South Dakota residents increased by 4,000 compared to the three-year average, bringing in nearly $1 million. Youth small-game licenses rose by 700 to over 6,300.

Combination licenses, which allow residents to fish and hunt small game, generated $2.5 million in revenue. Over 46,000 licenses were sold to residents and nonresidents, slightly below last year’s numbers.

The Habitat Stamp, a mandatory fee on the first license purchased each year, generated $5.5 million in revenue – up $291,000 from the three-year average. The funds support wildlife habitat and provide public access to private land. Nearly 314,000 stamps were sold in 2024, with nonresidents contributing $4 million of the total.