Deer unit 27L, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's West River deer unit 27L is Fall River, Hill Ranch complex. For 2026 GFP lists 15 resident and 2 nonresident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 16 deer in unit 27L: 15 white-tailed and 1 mule deer, and 59 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 | Fall River, Hill Ranch complex |
|---|---|
| Counties | Fall River |
| Season | West River deer, November 14-29, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 15 resident, 2 nonresident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 16 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 59 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
| Other deer units in these counties | Deer unit 27A, Deer unit 27B |
How many deer licenses does unit 27L have in 2026?
15 resident and 2 nonresident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | one any buck deer | 5 | 1 |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 10 | 1 |
Source: GFP 2026 west river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 27L?
GFP projects 16 deer were taken in unit 27L in 2025, 6% of them mule deer, from 18 licenses sold. That is 78% more than in 2020. The most in these years was 16 in 2025, the fewest 9 in 2020. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 100% (type 11) down to 67% (type 02).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 59 |
| 2024 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 18 | 72 |
| 2023 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 18 | 47 |
| 2022 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 49 |
| 2021 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 19 | 81 |
| 2020 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 61 |
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: 25 resident applicants for 5 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 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 67% | 5 |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 34 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 100% | 11 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 27L 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 27L?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River County | 67,413 | 14,108 | 19,259 | 284,321 |
Game production areas in Fall River County: Hill Ranch GPA (5,330 acres, Fall River), Friendshuh GPA (3,439 acres, Fall River), Battle Mountain GPA (3,080 acres, Fall River), Romey GPA (960 acres, Fall River), Scherbarth GPA (658 acres, Fall River) and Oral GPA (641 acres, Fall River).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 27L for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 5 resident and 1 nonresident "one any buck deer" licenses (type 02) and 10 resident and 1 nonresident "one any whitetail deer" licenses (type 11) for unit 27L.
How many deer are taken in unit 27L?
GFP projects 16 deer were taken in unit 27L in 2025, 15 white-tailed and 1 mule deer. In 2020 the figure was 9. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 27L mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 1 mule deer and 15 white-tailed deer of the 16 taken; in 2020, 0 of 9 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 27L in?
GFP describes unit 27L as "Fall River, Hill Ranch complex", in Fall River 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.
South Dakota hunting Deer unit 27A Deer unit 27B Fall River County