Deer unit 43A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's East River deer unit 43A is Lake. For 2026 GFP lists 400 resident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 179 deer in unit 43A, all white-tailed, and 322 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 | Lake |
|---|---|
| Counties | Lake |
| Season | East River deer, November 21 - December 6, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 400 resident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 179 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 322 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
How many deer licenses does unit 43A have in 2026?
400 resident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 300 | leftovers only |
| 13 | one antlerless whitetail deer | 100 | leftovers only |
Source: GFP 2026 east river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 43A?
GFP projects 179 deer were taken in unit 43A in 2025, all of them white-tailed, from 400 licenses sold. That is 19% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 259 in 2022, the fewest 179 in 2025. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 46% (type 01) down to 40% (type 13).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 179 | 116 | 63 | 179 | 0 | 400 | 322 |
| 2024 | 231 | 141 | 90 | 231 | 0 | 447 | 655 |
| 2023 | 221 | 146 | 75 | 221 | 0 | 450 | 730 |
| 2022 | 259 | 184 | 77 | 257 | 4 | 399 | 680 |
| 2021 | 206 | 152 | 54 | 206 | 0 | 399 | 1,040 |
| 2020 | 222 | 168 | 55 | 223 | 0 | 401 | 657 |
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: 318 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 | 318 | 300 | 300 | leftovers | 46% | 139 | |
| 13 | one antlerless whitetail deer | 4 | 100 | 100 | leftovers | 40% | 40 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 43A 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 43A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County | 430 | 3,760 | 0 | 6,089 |
Game production areas in Lake County: Reynolds Slough GPA (891 acres, Lake), Wentworth GPA (684 acres, Lake), Buffalo Slough GPA (663 acres, Lake), Floyd Gaarder GPA (555 acres, Lake), Green GPA (224 acres, Lake), Lake Henry GPA (158 acres, Lake), Davis Slough GPA (152 acres, Lake) and Swartz GPA (123 acres, Lake).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 43A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 300 resident "one any deer" licenses (type 01) and 100 resident "one antlerless whitetail deer" licenses (type 13) for unit 43A. East River licenses go to residents; nonresidents can buy leftovers only.
How many deer are taken in unit 43A?
GFP projects 179 deer were taken in unit 43A in 2025, all white-tailed. In 2020 the figure was 222. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 43A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 0 mule deer and 179 white-tailed deer of the 179 taken; in 2020, 0 of 222 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 43A in?
GFP describes unit 43A as "Lake", in Lake 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.