PIERRE – South Dakota’s river otter trapping season opens at sunrise on Nov. 1. This trapping season creates a unique, first-time opportunity for trappers in South Dakota this fall. There are several rules and regulations that trappers must follow to participate. They include:

• The trapping season is open to residents only and trappers must possess a valid Furbearer License.

• The trapping season is open in the following counties: Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Grant, Hamlin, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Marshall, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Turner, Union and Yankton. 

• Trappers are limited to harvest one river otter.

• The trapping season runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, or when the harvest limit of 15 river otters is reached (whichever comes first). When 15 river otters are harvested, the season will close immediately.

• Trappers can track the river otter harvest limit by visiting gfp.sd.gov/river-otter and clicking on the “Current River Otter Harvest Count” link, or by calling GFP’s River Otter Harvest Hotline at 605-353-7185.

• Trappers must report harvested river otters to GFP within 24 hours of harvest by calling 605-353-7319.

• All river otter pelts are required to be tagged through the eyeholes with a CITES tag provided by GFP within five days of harvest and the carcass must be surrendered to GFP.

For more information about the river otter trapping season, visit gfp.sd.gov/river-otter.