Antelope unit 53A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's firearm antelope unit 53A is Perkins, north of SD Hwy 20. For 2026 GFP lists 75 resident buck licenses and 2 nonresident licenses here. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 53 antelope in unit 53A, and 378 residents and 87 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 | Perkins, north of SD Hwy 20 |
|---|---|
| Counties | Perkins |
| Season | Firearm antelope, October 3-18, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 75 resident, 2 nonresident |
| Antelope taken, 2025 | 53 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 378 |
| First draw, 2026 | June 16 to July 7, 2026 |
| Other antelope units in these counties | Antelope unit 53B |
How many antelope licenses does unit 53A have in 2026?
75 resident and 2 nonresident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | one buck antelope | 75 | 2 |
Source: GFP 2026 firearm antelope application.
How many antelope are taken in unit 53A?
GFP projects 53 antelope were taken in unit 53A in 2025, from 77 licenses sold. That is 57% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 123 in 2020, the fewest 44 in 2022. GFP puts hunter success at 69%.
| Year | Antelope taken | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants | First-choice nonresident applicants | Tag success | Satisfaction (1 to 7) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 53 | 77 | 378 | 87 | 69% | 5.27 |
| 2024 | 54 | 77 | 391 | 107 | 70% | 4.68 |
| 2023 | 45 | 51 | 387 | 64 | 88% | 4.67 |
| 2022 | 44 | 52 | 377 | 75 | 85% | 5.15 |
| 2021 | 114 | 152 | 520 | 78 | 75% | 5.15 |
| 2020 | 123 | 153 | 401 | 58 | 80% | 5.57 |
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 378 first-choice resident applicants for 75 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 | 378 | 75 | 75 | 87 | 2 | 69% | 53 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is antelope season in unit 53A 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 53A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perkins County | 117,767 | 7,030 | 72,354 | 132,104 |
Game production areas in Perkins County: Shadehill Reservoir GPA (6,714 acres, Perkins) and Sorum Dam GPA (317 acres, Perkins).
Questions hunters ask
How many antelope licenses are there in unit 53A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 75 resident and 2 nonresident "one buck antelope" licenses (type 42) for unit 53A.
How many antelope are taken in unit 53A?
GFP projects 53 antelope were taken in unit 53A in 2025. In 2020 the figure was 123. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
How many people apply for antelope unit 53A?
In 2025, 378 residents and 87 nonresidents named unit 53A as their first choice in GFP's first drawing, for 75 resident licenses and 2 nonresident licenses.
What county is antelope unit 53A in?
GFP describes unit 53A as "Perkins, north of SD Hwy 20", in Perkins 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.