Deer unit 13A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's East River deer unit 13A is Brule. For 2026 GFP lists 550 resident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 213 deer in unit 13A: 205 white-tailed and 7 mule deer, and 810 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 | Brule (exc. 13L) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Brule |
| Season | East River deer, November 21 - December 6, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 550 resident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 213 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 810 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
| Other deer units in these counties | Deer unit 13L |
How many deer licenses does unit 13A have in 2026?
550 resident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 50 | leftovers only |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 500 | leftovers only |
Source: GFP 2026 east river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 13A?
GFP projects 213 deer were taken in unit 13A in 2025, 3% of them mule deer, from 550 licenses sold. That is 54% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 459 in 2020, the fewest 213 in 2025. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 43% (type 01) down to 38% (type 11).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 213 | 153 | 59 | 205 | 7 | 550 | 810 |
| 2024 | 315 | 234 | 80 | 308 | 6 | 1,028 | 544 |
| 2023 | 364 | 268 | 96 | 348 | 16 | 1,050 | 589 |
| 2022 | 442 | 360 | 82 | 426 | 16 | 998 | 590 |
| 2021 | 378 | 291 | 88 | 362 | 17 | 977 | 987 |
| 2020 | 459 | 259 | 200 | 438 | 21 | 900 | 605 |
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 01: 310 resident applicants for 50 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 | 310 | 50 | 50 | leftovers | 43% | 21 | |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 500 | 500 | 500 | leftovers | 38% | 192 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 13A 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 13A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brule County | 45 | 8,916 | 0 | 3,097 |
Game production areas in Brule County: Brule Bottom GPA (2,137 acres, Brule), Boyer GPA (2,037 acres, Brule), Elm Creek GPA (1,292 acres, Brule), Chain Lake (Holoubek) GPA (1,086 acres, Brule), Burning Brule GPA (929 acres, Brule), Hoover GPA (840 acres, Brule), Chamberlain GPA (420 acres, Brule) and Lake Sixteen GPA (68 acres, Brule).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 13A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 50 resident "one any deer" licenses (type 01) and 500 resident "one any whitetail deer" licenses (type 11) for unit 13A. East River licenses go to residents; nonresidents can buy leftovers only.
How many deer are taken in unit 13A?
GFP projects 213 deer were taken in unit 13A in 2025, 205 white-tailed and 7 mule deer. In 2020 the figure was 459. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 13A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 7 mule deer and 205 white-tailed deer of the 213 taken; in 2020, 21 of 459 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 13A in?
GFP describes unit 13A as "Brule (exc. 13L)", in Brule 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 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.