Antelope unit 49A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's firearm antelope unit 49A is north Meade. For 2026 GFP lists 150 resident buck licenses and 3 nonresident licenses here. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 127 antelope in unit 49A, and 540 residents and 60 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 | north Meade |
|---|---|
| Counties | Meade |
| Season | Firearm antelope, October 3-18, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 150 resident, 3 nonresident |
| Antelope taken, 2025 | 127 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 540 |
| First draw, 2026 | June 16 to July 7, 2026 |
| Other antelope units in these counties | Antelope unit 49B, Antelope unit 53B |
How many antelope licenses does unit 49A have in 2026?
150 resident and 3 nonresident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | one buck antelope | 150 | 3 |
Source: GFP 2026 firearm antelope application.
How many antelope are taken in unit 49A?
GFP projects 127 antelope were taken in unit 49A in 2025, from 202 licenses sold. That is 58% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 320 in 2021, the fewest 127 in 2025. GFP puts hunter success at 63%.
| Year | Antelope taken | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants | First-choice nonresident applicants | Tag success | Satisfaction (1 to 7) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 127 | 202 | 540 | 60 | 63% | 5.08 |
| 2024 | 140 | 199 | 548 | 67 | 70% | 5 |
| 2023 | 188 | 299 | 559 | 61 | 63% | 4.9 |
| 2022 | 187 | 295 | 568 | 66 | 63% | 4.98 |
| 2021 | 320 | 501 | 932 | 105 | 65% | 5.09 |
| 2020 | 302 | 519 | 876 | 88 | 61% | 4.67 |
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 540 first-choice resident applicants for 200 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 | 540 | 200 | 198 | 60 | 4 | 63% | 127 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is antelope season in unit 49A 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 county of unit 49A?
For the whole county, as GFP publishes no unit lines:
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Game production area acres | School and public land acres | Federal land acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meade County | 84,498 | 1,695 | 44,450 | 85,472 |
Game production areas in Meade County: Marcotte GPA (496 acres, Meade), Curlew Lake GPA (440 acres, Meade), Pete Lien & Sons Shooting Sports Complex GPA (398 acres, Meade), Opal Lake GPA (200 acres, Meade) and Tisdale Lake GPA (161 acres, Meade).
Questions hunters ask
How many antelope licenses are there in unit 49A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 150 resident and 3 nonresident "one buck antelope" licenses (type 42) for unit 49A.
How many antelope are taken in unit 49A?
GFP projects 127 antelope were taken in unit 49A in 2025. In 2020 the figure was 302. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
How many people apply for antelope unit 49A?
In 2025, 540 residents and 60 nonresidents named unit 49A as their first choice in GFP's first drawing, for 200 resident licenses and 4 nonresident licenses.
What county is antelope unit 49A in?
GFP describes unit 49A as "north Meade", in Meade County. 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 49B Antelope unit 53B Meade County