Deer unit 50A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's West River deer unit 50A is Mellette. For 2026 GFP lists 550 resident and 44 nonresident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 335 deer in unit 50A: 272 white-tailed and 63 mule deer, and 709 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 | Mellette |
|---|---|
| Counties | Mellette |
| Season | West River deer, November 14-29, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 550 resident, 44 nonresident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 335 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 709 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
How many deer licenses does unit 50A have in 2026?
550 resident and 44 nonresident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 150 | 12 |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 400 | 32 |
Source: GFP 2026 west river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 50A?
GFP projects 335 deer were taken in unit 50A in 2025, 19% of them mule deer, from 592 licenses sold. That is 39% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 551 in 2020, the fewest 335 in 2025. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 69% (type 01) down to 52% (type 11).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 335 | 318 | 17 | 272 | 63 | 592 | 709 |
| 2024 | 398 | 356 | 42 | 294 | 104 | 755 | 755 |
| 2023 | 423 | 387 | 36 | 341 | 82 | 756 | 753 |
| 2022 | 411 | 375 | 36 | 319 | 92 | 753 | 727 |
| 2021 | 373 | 348 | 25 | 296 | 77 | 748 | 1,386 |
| 2020 | 551 | 488 | 64 | 403 | 149 | 920 | 827 |
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: 628 resident applicants for 150 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 | 628 | 150 | 148 | 91 | 12 | 69% | 111 |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 81 | 400 | 399 | 48 | 32 | 52% | 224 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 50A 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 50A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mellette County | 24,248 | 0 | 11,490 | 0 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 50A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 150 resident and 12 nonresident "one any deer" licenses (type 01) and 400 resident and 32 nonresident "one any whitetail deer" licenses (type 11) for unit 50A.
How many deer are taken in unit 50A?
GFP projects 335 deer were taken in unit 50A in 2025, 272 white-tailed and 63 mule deer. In 2020 the figure was 551. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 50A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 63 mule deer and 272 white-tailed deer of the 335 taken; in 2020, 149 of 551 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 50A in?
GFP describes unit 50A as "Mellette", in Mellette 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.