Deer unit 11A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's West River deer unit 11A is North Bennett. For 2026 GFP lists 175 resident and 14 nonresident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 112 deer in unit 11A: 70 white-tailed and 40 mule deer, and 189 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 | North Bennett |
|---|---|
| Counties | Bennett |
| Season | West River deer, November 14-29, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 175 resident, 14 nonresident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 112 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 189 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
| Other deer units in these counties | Deer unit 11B |
How many deer licenses does unit 11A have in 2026?
175 resident and 14 nonresident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | one any buck deer | 125 | 10 |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 50 | 4 |
Source: GFP 2026 west river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 11A?
GFP projects 112 deer were taken in unit 11A in 2025, 36% of them mule deer, from 187 licenses sold. That is 32% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 164 in 2020, the fewest 95 in 2023. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 65% (type 11) down to 58% (type 02).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 112 | 101 | 9 | 70 | 40 | 187 | 189 |
| 2024 | 119 | 103 | 16 | 82 | 37 | 189 | 184 |
| 2023 | 95 | 79 | 17 | 67 | 29 | 188 | 195 |
| 2022 | 149 | 112 | 38 | 102 | 48 | 269 | 195 |
| 2021 | 124 | 95 | 28 | 92 | 31 | 255 | 311 |
| 2020 | 164 | 135 | 28 | 123 | 40 | 269 | 177 |
Sources: GFP, 2025 West 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 02: 164 resident applicants for 125 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | one any buck deer | 164 | 125 | 123 | 22 | 10 | 58% | 77 |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 25 | 50 | 50 | 4 | 4 | 65% | 35 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 11A in 2026?
November 14-29, 2026; antlerless-only tags also December 12-20; the first draw closed June 23, 2026 (GFP 2026 west river deer application). Every season's dates are on the South Dakota page.
What public land is in the county of unit 11A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennett County | 16,995 | 2,856 | 12,015 | 16,565 |
Game production areas in Bennett County: Todd GPA (2,696 acres, Bennett) and Little White River GPA (160 acres, Bennett).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 11A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 125 resident and 10 nonresident "one any buck deer" licenses (type 02) and 50 resident and 4 nonresident "one any whitetail deer" licenses (type 11) for unit 11A.
How many deer are taken in unit 11A?
GFP projects 112 deer were taken in unit 11A in 2025, 70 white-tailed and 40 mule deer. In 2020 the figure was 164. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 11A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 40 mule deer and 70 white-tailed deer of the 112 taken; in 2020, 40 of 164 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 11A in?
GFP describes unit 11A as "North Bennett", in Bennett 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 West 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 west 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.