Deer unit 35L, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's West River deer unit 35L is Harding, Custer Gallatin NF. For 2026 GFP lists 100 resident and 8 nonresident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 69 deer in unit 35L: 29 white-tailed and 40 mule deer, and 713 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 | Harding, Custer Gallatin NF (exc. West Short Pines and Long Pines) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Harding |
| Season | West River deer, November 14-29, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 100 resident, 8 nonresident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 69 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 713 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
| Other deer units in these counties | Deer unit 35A, Deer unit 35C |
How many deer licenses does unit 35L have in 2026?
100 resident and 8 nonresident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 75 | 6 |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 25 | 2 |
Source: GFP 2026 west river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 35L?
GFP projects 69 deer were taken in unit 35L in 2025, 58% of them mule deer, from 111 licenses sold. That is 22% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 89 in 2020, the fewest 69 in 2025. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 63% (type 11) down to 62% (type 01).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 69 | 65 | 4 | 29 | 40 | 111 | 713 |
| 2024 | 78 | 76 | 2 | 15 | 63 | 109 | 705 |
| 2023 | 81 | 78 | 3 | 9 | 72 | 113 | 761 |
| 2022 | 73 | 73 | 0 | 15 | 58 | 104 | 745 |
| 2021 | 80 | 80 | 0 | 10 | 70 | 98 | 818 |
| 2020 | 89 | 85 | 3 | 10 | 78 | 113 | 720 |
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 01: 698 resident applicants for 75 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 | 698 | 75 | 78 | 310 | 6 | 62% | 52 |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 15 | 25 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 63% | 17 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 35L 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 35L?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harding County | 183,204 | 900 | 252,807 | 103,712 |
Game production areas in Harding County: Mallula GPA (900 acres, Harding).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 35L for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 75 resident and 6 nonresident "one any deer" licenses (type 01) and 25 resident and 2 nonresident "one any whitetail deer" licenses (type 11) for unit 35L.
How many deer are taken in unit 35L?
GFP projects 69 deer were taken in unit 35L in 2025, 29 white-tailed and 40 mule deer. In 2020 the figure was 89. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 35L mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
Mule deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 40 mule deer and 29 white-tailed deer of the 69 taken; in 2020, 78 of 89 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 35L in?
GFP describes unit 35L as "Harding, Custer Gallatin NF (exc. West Short Pines and Long Pines)", in Harding County. GFP's interactive hunting unit map shows the exact line.
Get a South Dakota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for South Dakota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, South Dakota included.
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 35A Deer unit 35C Harding County