Deer unit 03A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's East River deer unit 03A is Brown. For 2026 GFP lists 900 resident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 372 deer in unit 03A, all white-tailed, and 1,404 residents 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 | Brown (exc. Sand Lake NWR) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Brown |
| Season | East River deer, November 21 - December 6, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 900 resident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 372 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 1,404 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
How many deer licenses does unit 03A have in 2026?
900 resident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 600 | leftovers only |
| 13 | one antlerless whitetail deer | 300 | leftovers only |
Source: GFP 2026 east river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 03A?
GFP projects 372 deer were taken in unit 03A in 2025, all of them white-tailed, from 899 licenses sold. That is 61% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 1,024 in 2022, the fewest 372 in 2025. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 42% (type 13) down to 41% (type 01).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 372 | 229 | 144 | 373 | 0 | 899 | 1,404 |
| 2024 | 472 | 276 | 195 | 469 | 2 | 1,392 | 1,402 |
| 2023 | 562 | 308 | 255 | 563 | 0 | 1,400 | 1,487 |
| 2022 | 1,024 | 500 | 524 | 1,024 | 0 | 1,991 | 1,570 |
| 2021 | 875 | 466 | 408 | 874 | 0 | 1,997 | 2,442 |
| 2020 | 944 | 470 | 472 | 942 | 0 | 2,003 | 1,592 |
Sources: GFP, 2025 East River Firearm Deer 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
The license with the most first-choice applicants for each license was type 13: 1,365 resident applicants for 300 resident licenses.
| Type | License | Resident first-choice applicants | Resident licenses available | Resident licenses sold | Nonresident first-choice applicants | Nonresident licenses available | Hunter success | Deer taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 39 | 600 | 599 | leftovers | 41% | 246 | |
| 13 | one antlerless whitetail deer | 1,365 | 300 | 300 | leftovers | 42% | 126 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 03A in 2026?
November 21 - December 6, 2026; antlerless-only tags also December 12-20; the first draw closed June 23, 2026 (GFP 2026 east river deer application). Every season's dates are on the South Dakota page.
What public land is in the county of unit 03A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 57,084 | 12,006 | 4,010 | 24,209 |
Game production areas in Brown County: Putney Slough GPA (2,772 acres, Brown), Renziehausen GPA (1,503 acres, Brown), Putney #3 GPA (1,267 acres, Brown), Willow Dam GPA (1,212 acres, Brown), Zabrasha GPA (1,121 acres, Brown), Casanova GPA (798 acres, Brown), Hansen Preserve (Stratford Sl) GPA (701 acres, Brown) and Hecla Managed GPA (638 acres, Brown).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 03A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 600 resident "one any deer" licenses (type 01) and 300 resident "one antlerless whitetail deer" licenses (type 13) for unit 03A. East River licenses go to residents; nonresidents can buy leftovers only.
How many deer are taken in unit 03A?
GFP projects 372 deer were taken in unit 03A in 2025, all white-tailed. In 2020 the figure was 944. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 03A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 0 mule deer and 373 white-tailed deer of the 372 taken; in 2020, 0 of 944 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 03A in?
GFP describes unit 03A as "Brown (exc. Sand Lake NWR)", in Brown County. GFP's interactive hunting unit map shows the exact line.
Get a South Dakota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for South Dakota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, South Dakota included.
Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, licenses sold and first-choice applicants: GFP, 2025 East River Firearm Deer 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 east river deer 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.