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Native prairie continues to disappear due to conversion and degradation, putting pressure on endemic prairie species such as the Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae). In South Dakota, the Dakota skipper, proposed to be listed as a federally threatened species, is relegated to small remnants of high quality dry-mesic native prairie. Populations have been found to decrease or disappear in response to changes in vegetation composition and management practices. To better understand the components of suitable Dakota skipper habitat, the vegetation, land management and size of eight occupied and six extirpated sites were characterized and compared. Vegetation sampling consisted of 50-m transects subjectively placed on or near former Dakota skipper survey points or tracks. Six 1-m2 quadrats were placed along transects on alternate sides at every 10 m. Within each quadrat, litter depth was recorded and bare ground and species cover were estimated using Braun-Blanquet cover classes. Management history for each site was obtained. Site size was determined using a combination of aerial imagery and ground-truthing. Roads, water bodies, wetlands, crop fields, woodlands, and non-native prairie were used to define edges of sites. NMS ordination of transects showed a difference in vegetation composition between extirpated and inhabited sites with the exception of two extirpated sites. Small site size and early haying were identified as major factors possibly contributing to decline at these two extirpated sites. Consequently, vegetation degradation is apparently not the only factor in Dakota skipper population decline, but critical minimum habitat size combined with timing of management practices probably play a role as well.