Antelope unit 21A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's firearm antelope unit 21A is Custer/central Pennington. For 2026 GFP lists 125 resident buck licenses and 3 nonresident licenses here. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 79 antelope in unit 21A, and 282 residents and 28 nonresidents named it as their first choice in the first drawing.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest and first-choice applicants: GFP harvest projections, 2020 to 2025. Licenses and seasons: GFP 2026 application. Land: GFP map layers.
| GFP's description | Custer/central Pennington |
|---|---|
| Counties | Custer, Pennington |
| Season | Firearm antelope, October 3-18, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 125 resident, 3 nonresident |
| Antelope taken, 2025 | 79 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 282 |
| First draw, 2026 | June 16 to July 7, 2026 |
| Other antelope units in these counties | Antelope unit 27A, Antelope unit 02A, Antelope unit 49B |
How many antelope licenses does unit 21A have in 2026?
125 resident and 3 nonresident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | one buck antelope | 125 | 3 |
Source: GFP 2026 firearm antelope application.
How many antelope are taken in unit 21A?
GFP projects 79 antelope were taken in unit 21A in 2025, from 101 licenses sold. That is 18% more than in 2020. The most in these years was 79 in 2025, the fewest 63 in 2021. GFP puts hunter success at 79%.
| Year | Antelope taken | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants | First-choice nonresident applicants | Tag success | Satisfaction (1 to 7) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79 | 101 | 282 | 28 | 79% | 5.38 |
| 2024 | 75 | 102 | 338 | 20 | 73% | 5.82 |
| 2023 | 64 | 100 | 252 | 20 | 64% | 4.49 |
| 2022 | 70 | 101 | 245 | 16 | 69% | 5.25 |
| 2021 | 63 | 102 | 344 | 25 | 61% | 5.12 |
| 2020 | 67 | 102 | 279 | 12 | 65% | 5 |
Sources: GFP, 2025 Firearm Antelope harvest report; GFP, 2024 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2025-07); GFP, 2023 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2024-04); GFP, 2022 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2023-05); GFP, 2021 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2022-08); GFP, 2020 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2021-12). GFP rounds each column of its projection.
Each license type in 2025
Type 42 had 282 first-choice resident applicants for 100 resident licenses.
| Type | License | Resident first-choice applicants | Resident licenses available | Resident licenses sold | Nonresident first-choice applicants | Nonresident licenses available | Hunter success | Antelope taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | one buck antelope | 282 | 100 | 99 | 28 | 2 | 79% | 79 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is antelope season in unit 21A in 2026?
October 3-18, 2026; the first draw closed July 7, 2026 (GFP 2026 firearm antelope application). Every season's dates are on the South Dakota page.
What public land is in the counties of unit 21A?
For the whole counties, as GFP publishes no unit lines:
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Game production area acres | School and public land acres | Federal land acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custer County | 30,835 | 2,841 | 9,094 | 368,784 |
| Pennington County | 4,731 | 175 | 27,275 | 610,529 |
Game production areas in these counties: Spring Valley - Custer GPA (1,003 acres, Custer), Friendshuh GPA (974 acres, Custer), Pleasant Valley Elk Area GPA (502 acres, Custer), Cooper Ranch GPA (361 acres, Custer), Spring Creek GPA (109 acres, Pennington) and Sunday Gulch GPA (66 acres, Pennington).
Questions hunters ask
How many antelope licenses are there in unit 21A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 125 resident and 3 nonresident "one buck antelope" licenses (type 42) for unit 21A.
How many antelope are taken in unit 21A?
GFP projects 79 antelope were taken in unit 21A in 2025. In 2020 the figure was 67. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
How many people apply for antelope unit 21A?
In 2025, 282 residents and 28 nonresidents named unit 21A as their first choice in GFP's first drawing, for 100 resident licenses and 2 nonresident licenses.
What county is antelope unit 21A in?
GFP describes unit 21A as "Custer/central Pennington", in Custer and Pennington counties. GFP's interactive hunting unit map shows the exact line.
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, licenses sold and first-choice applicants: GFP, 2025 Firearm Antelope harvest report; GFP, 2024 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2025-07); GFP, 2023 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2024-04); GFP, 2022 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2023-05); GFP, 2021 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2022-08); GFP, 2020 Annual Report, Big Game Harvest Projections (Game Report 2021-12).
- 2026 licenses, seasons and draws: GFP 2026 firearm antelope application.
- Land: GFP public hunting atlas layers (Walk-In Areas, CREP, school and public land, federal land) and GFP Managed Lands. County lines: U.S. Census Bureau 2024.
FilledTag is not part of South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Numbers are copied from GFP or measured from the maps it publishes; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
South Dakota hunting Antelope unit 27A Antelope unit 02A Antelope unit 49B Custer County Pennington County