Deer populations were recovering and on the upswing the last few years with the help of mild winters. However, last season, due to drought, a severe EHD outbreak occurred in the East River area—specifically the southeast corner. It hit in late summer. Because of that, the state will be reducing the East River licence quota by 700 permits this year. Another change this year is that the East River archery, West River archery, statewide archery, and statewide muzzleloader licenses will no longer be for “any deer” and switch to “buck only.” This will allow the state to reduce and manage antlerless harvest. GFP wanted to enforce this change last season, but by the time all the research was gathered and recommendations were ready, the non-resident archery drawing had already taken place in April. They have now pushed that drawing back to June. The state usually approves changes in May each year for license quotas and, going forward, will be able to adjust accordingly before deadlines.
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Whitetail and mule deer are the most sought-after big game species in the state, with higher densities of mule deer found in the western units. When applying, keep in mind that rifle hunts have different types for each unit that specify what, where, and how many animals can be harvested. For instance, type 02 is for any buck deer.
The Black Hills deer unit has both whitetail and mule deer. There is a lot of public land, and this is a fun, popular unit where hunters can expect to see plenty of deer on the rut rifle hunt. Hunters in the Black Hills averaged five days of hunting in 2025. Hunter satisfaction with this hunt has been good. Hunter success has averaged 64% over the last ten years.
West River rifle deer units include a lot of options for any-deer and whitetail-only hunts. Most of the units are similar to Eastern Montana and are made of breaks, rolling prairie, wooded drainages, and agricultural fields—all of which are good habitat for both mule deer and whitetail. Hunters on the West River units averaged three days of hunting in 2025. Hunter satisfaction with these hunts has been good. Hunter success has averaged 51% over the last ten years.
There are muzzleloader-only hunts on the Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge and Waubay National Wildlife Refuge. The Sand Lake Refuge offers rifle and muzzleloader hunts. All of these refuges offer licenses available to non-residents through the draw, but Sand Lake is the largest and provides the best hunting.
Non-resident archery deer hunting participation is limited, with a quota of 2,200 licenses available in the draw. The application deadline is June 9. This license is valid on public and private lands. The majority of non-resident archery harvests came from the Black Hills in 2025. In addition, over-the-counter archery permits can be purchased throughout the season but are only valid on private land. Private-land-only archery deer licences are still unlimited. The archery hunting season for non-resident hunters will begin October 1 on public lands. Private lands can be hunted on the normal early start date of September 1. The archery season runs from September 1, 2026, to January 1, 2027.
Archery hunters holding a valid public-land license are also able to apply for a free access permit. The access permits run on a separate preference point system. If unsuccessful, applicants will gain an access permit preference point. Of the two areas available to non-residents, the more popular one is the National Forest land access permit in unit 35L, which has a quota of 100 permits for non-residents. Overall success for 2025 was 23%, with hunters averaging five days of hunting. The second area is the Hill Game Ranch in unit 27L. A total of twenty-five permits were issued, though only five went to non-residents. Last year no non-residents harvested, and resident hunters had a harvest success rate of 20%. Successful hunters averaged six days to harvest. Applicants had an 18% chance of drawing the Hill Game Ranch access permit with zero points and a 15% chance of drawing the National Forest permit with zero points. The application window for access permits will open June 10.
One thing to remember about South Dakota deer hunting is that trophy deer are typically harvested by guided hunters on private lands or by residents on private land. Public lands and walk-in access areas provide a fun hunt with a reasonable chance of taking a nice buck. If that is something you are interested in, you may want to start building points so you can draw a tag in the future.
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The Application Deadline for Deer in South Dakota is June 23rd, 2026.
Our online/print magazine has everything in one location: Application info, draw details and odds, fees, hunter requirements, point structure, age restrictions, youth information, weapon restrictions, other tag opportunities, hunt planning and much more. If you would like access to all of our research join today!
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| Firearm Deer: West, River, Black Hills, National Wildlife Refuge | $375 |
| Preference Point (per draw category) | $20 |
| Habitat Stamp (Required to Apply) | $25 |
South Dakota Deer Hunting Articles from Huntin' Fool Magazine
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