Deer unit 16A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's East River deer unit 16A is Campbell. For 2026 GFP lists 380 resident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 210 deer in unit 16A: 194 white-tailed and 16 mule deer, and 541 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 | Campbell |
|---|---|
| Counties | Campbell |
| Season | East River deer, November 21 - December 6, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 380 resident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 210 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 541 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
How many deer licenses does unit 16A have in 2026?
380 resident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 30 | leftovers only |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 350 | leftovers only |
Source: GFP 2026 east river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 16A?
GFP projects 210 deer were taken in unit 16A in 2025, 8% of them mule deer, from 380 licenses sold. That is 32% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 308 in 2020, the fewest 200 in 2023. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 62% (type 01) down to 55% (type 11).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 210 | 178 | 32 | 194 | 16 | 380 | 541 |
| 2024 | 208 | 180 | 29 | 192 | 17 | 425 | 360 |
| 2023 | 200 | 174 | 26 | 181 | 19 | 429 | 380 |
| 2022 | 219 | 168 | 49 | 205 | 12 | 529 | 419 |
| 2021 | 216 | 166 | 49 | 203 | 12 | 512 | 731 |
| 2020 | 308 | 212 | 95 | 293 | 14 | 587 | 427 |
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: 259 resident applicants for 30 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 | 259 | 30 | 30 | leftovers | 62% | 18 | |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 282 | 350 | 350 | leftovers | 55% | 192 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 16A 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 16A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell County | 10,485 | 5,654 | 8,159 | 3,883 |
Game production areas in Campbell County: Hanson - Campbell GPA (1,092 acres, Campbell), Salt Lake GPA (982 acres, Campbell), Rorgo Bay GPA (874 acres, Campbell), Vander Vorste Bay GPA (827 acres, Campbell), Vander Laan Bay GPA (681 acres, Campbell), Pocasse GPA (638 acres, Campbell), American Game Association GPA (397 acres, Campbell) and Sand Lake GPA (163 acres, Campbell).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 16A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 30 resident "one any deer" licenses (type 01) and 350 resident "one any whitetail deer" licenses (type 11) for unit 16A. East River licenses go to residents; nonresidents can buy leftovers only.
How many deer are taken in unit 16A?
GFP projects 210 deer were taken in unit 16A in 2025, 194 white-tailed and 16 mule deer. In 2020 the figure was 308. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 16A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 16 mule deer and 194 white-tailed deer of the 210 taken; in 2020, 14 of 308 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 16A in?
GFP describes unit 16A as "Campbell", in Campbell 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.