Deer unit 23A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's East River deer unit 23A is Deuel. For 2026 GFP lists 600 resident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 255 deer in unit 23A, all white-tailed, and 438 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 | Deuel |
|---|---|
| Counties | Deuel |
| Season | East River deer, November 21 - December 6, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 600 resident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 255 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 438 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
How many deer licenses does unit 23A have in 2026?
600 resident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 500 | leftovers only |
| 13 | one antlerless whitetail deer | 100 | leftovers only |
Source: GFP 2026 east river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 23A?
GFP projects 255 deer were taken in unit 23A in 2025, all of them white-tailed, from 599 licenses sold. That is 13% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 395 in 2022, the fewest 255 in 2025. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 44% (type 01) down to 37% (type 13).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 255 | 191 | 63 | 254 | 0 | 599 | 438 |
| 2024 | 284 | 193 | 90 | 281 | 2 | 698 | 596 |
| 2023 | 294 | 208 | 86 | 294 | 0 | 700 | 637 |
| 2022 | 395 | 250 | 145 | 395 | 0 | 700 | 628 |
| 2021 | 381 | 202 | 179 | 381 | 0 | 692 | 961 |
| 2020 | 292 | 209 | 84 | 293 | 0 | 501 | 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 13: 204 resident applicants for 100 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 | 234 | 500 | 499 | leftovers | 44% | 218 | |
| 13 | one antlerless whitetail deer | 204 | 100 | 100 | leftovers | 37% | 37 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 23A 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 23A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deuel County | 5,400 | 5,164 | 0 | 3,203 |
Game production areas in Deuel County: Round - Bullhead GPA (1,148 acres, Deuel), Coteau Lakes GPA (677 acres, Deuel), Mud Lake - Deuel GPA (643 acres, Deuel), Crystal Springs GPA (509 acres, Deuel), Rush Lake GPA (322 acres, Deuel), Lake Ketchum GPA (253 acres, Deuel), Lake Francis GPA (246 acres, Deuel) and Lone Tree GPA (216 acres, Deuel).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 23A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 500 resident "one any deer" licenses (type 01) and 100 resident "one antlerless whitetail deer" licenses (type 13) for unit 23A. East River licenses go to residents; nonresidents can buy leftovers only.
How many deer are taken in unit 23A?
GFP projects 255 deer were taken in unit 23A in 2025, all white-tailed. In 2020 the figure was 292. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 23A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 0 mule deer and 254 white-tailed deer of the 255 taken; in 2020, 0 of 292 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 23A in?
GFP describes unit 23A as "Deuel", in Deuel 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.