Deer unit 33A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's East River deer unit 33A is Hand. For 2026 GFP lists 310 resident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 182 deer in unit 33A: 179 white-tailed and 1 mule deer, and 731 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 | Hand |
|---|---|
| Counties | Hand |
| Season | East River deer, November 21 - December 6, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 310 resident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 182 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 731 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
How many deer licenses does unit 33A have in 2026?
310 resident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 10 | leftovers only |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 300 | leftovers only |
Source: GFP 2026 east river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 33A?
GFP projects 182 deer were taken in unit 33A in 2025, 1% of them mule deer, from 310 licenses sold. That is 54% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 399 in 2020, the fewest 159 in 2021. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 60% (type 11) down to 25% (type 01).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 182 | 155 | 25 | 179 | 1 | 310 | 731 |
| 2024 | 208 | 200 | 8 | 208 | 0 | 357 | 555 |
| 2023 | 200 | 187 | 13 | 200 | 0 | 360 | 627 |
| 2022 | 182 | 171 | 11 | 182 | 0 | 306 | 655 |
| 2021 | 159 | 148 | 10 | 158 | 0 | 307 | 838 |
| 2020 | 399 | 177 | 223 | 400 | 0 | 518 | 748 |
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 11: 728 resident applicants for 300 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 | 3 | 10 | 11 | leftovers | 25% | 3 | |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 728 | 300 | 299 | leftovers | 60% | 179 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 33A 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 33A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand County | 4,335 | 4,947 | 8,107 | 4,028 |
Game production areas in Hand County: Hawkins GPA (1,280 acres, Hand), Collins GPA (1,120 acres, Hand), Lake Louise GPA (989 acres, Hand), Curtis GPA (481 acres, Hand), Lechtenberg GPA (320 acres, Hand), Spring Lake - Hand GPA (204 acres, Hand), Dakota GPA (159 acres, Hand) and Reinhardt GPA (157 acres, Hand).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 33A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 10 resident "one any deer" licenses (type 01) and 300 resident "one any whitetail deer" licenses (type 11) for unit 33A. East River licenses go to residents; nonresidents can buy leftovers only.
How many deer are taken in unit 33A?
GFP projects 182 deer were taken in unit 33A in 2025, 179 white-tailed and 1 mule deer. In 2020 the figure was 399. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 33A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 1 mule deer and 179 white-tailed deer of the 182 taken; in 2020, 0 of 399 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 33A in?
GFP describes unit 33A as "Hand", in Hand 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.