Deer unit 59A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's East River deer unit 59A is Sully, west of US 83. For 2026 GFP lists 175 resident licenses here in 2 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 107 deer in unit 59A: 64 white-tailed and 43 mule deer, and 545 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 | Sully, west of US 83 |
|---|---|
| Counties | Sully |
| Season | East River deer, November 21 - December 6, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 175 resident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 107 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 545 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
| Other deer units in these counties | Deer unit 59B |
How many deer licenses does unit 59A have in 2026?
175 resident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 100 | leftovers only |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 75 | leftovers only |
Source: GFP 2026 east river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 59A?
GFP projects 107 deer were taken in unit 59A in 2025, 40% of them mule deer, from 175 licenses sold. That is 41% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 180 in 2020, the fewest 107 in 2025. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 66% (type 01) down to 54% (type 11).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 107 | 100 | 7 | 64 | 43 | 175 | 545 |
| 2024 | 153 | 146 | 7 | 110 | 43 | 298 | 530 |
| 2023 | 156 | 150 | 6 | 108 | 48 | 300 | 541 |
| 2022 | 149 | 141 | 8 | 112 | 37 | 338 | 527 |
| 2021 | 164 | 151 | 13 | 121 | 43 | 345 | 826 |
| 2020 | 180 | 167 | 13 | 142 | 38 | 333 | 615 |
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: 535 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 | 10 | 100 | 100 | leftovers | 66% | 66 | |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 535 | 75 | 75 | leftovers | 54% | 41 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 59A 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 59A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sully County | 14,224 | 19,590 | 14,139 | 923 |
Game production areas in Sully County: Little Bend GPA (5,495 acres, Sully), Medicine Knoll Creek GPA (4,155 acres, Sully), Sutton GPA (2,703 acres, Sully), Okobojo Creek GPA (1,264 acres, Sully), Mail Shack GPA (1,176 acres, Sully), Stone Lake GPA (1,113 acres, Sully), Cottonwood Lake - Sully GPA (1,075 acres, Sully) and Ft. Sully GPA (723 acres, Sully).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 59A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 100 resident "one any deer" licenses (type 01) and 75 resident "one any whitetail deer" licenses (type 11) for unit 59A. East River licenses go to residents; nonresidents can buy leftovers only.
How many deer are taken in unit 59A?
GFP projects 107 deer were taken in unit 59A in 2025, 64 white-tailed and 43 mule deer. In 2020 the figure was 180. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 59A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 43 mule deer and 64 white-tailed deer of the 107 taken; in 2020, 38 of 180 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 59A in?
GFP describes unit 59A as "Sully, west of US 83", in Sully 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.