Deer unit 63A, South Dakota: licenses, harvest and hunting land
GFP's East River deer unit 63A is Walworth. For 2026 GFP lists 550 resident licenses here in 3 license types. In 2025, by GFP's projection, hunters took 248 deer in unit 63A: 238 white-tailed and 11 mule deer, and 1,099 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 | Walworth |
|---|---|
| Counties | Walworth |
| Season | East River deer, November 21 - December 6, 2026 |
| Licenses, 2026 | 550 resident |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 248 (GFP projection) |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2025 | 1,099 |
| First draw, 2026 | May 27 to June 23, 2026 |
How many deer licenses does unit 63A have in 2026?
550 resident licenses, by GFP's 2026 application.
| Type | What the license allows | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | one any deer | 50 | leftovers only |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 400 | leftovers only |
| 13 | one antlerless whitetail deer | 100 | leftovers only |
Source: GFP 2026 east river deer application.
How many deer are taken in unit 63A?
GFP projects 248 deer were taken in unit 63A in 2025, 4% of them mule deer, from 551 licenses sold. That is 38% fewer than in 2020. The most in these years was 398 in 2020, the fewest 248 in 2025. By license type, GFP's hunter success ran from 57% (type 01) down to 29% (type 13).
| Year | Deer taken | Bucks | Does and fawns | White-tailed | Mule deer | Licenses sold | First-choice resident applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 248 | 203 | 46 | 238 | 11 | 551 | 1,099 |
| 2024 | 264 | 192 | 72 | 248 | 16 | 544 | 491 |
| 2023 | 270 | 219 | 50 | 254 | 15 | 549 | 506 |
| 2022 | 299 | 229 | 70 | 279 | 20 | 550 | 537 |
| 2021 | 284 | 230 | 54 | 264 | 20 | 545 | 936 |
| 2020 | 398 | 245 | 154 | 381 | 18 | 752 | 554 |
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: 366 resident applicants for 50 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 | 366 | 50 | 53 | leftovers | 57% | 30 | |
| 11 | one any whitetail deer | 711 | 400 | 397 | leftovers | 48% | 189 | |
| 13 | one antlerless whitetail deer | 22 | 100 | 100 | leftovers | 29% | 29 |
Licenses sold can include later drawings and leftovers.
When is deer season in unit 63A 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 63A?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walworth County | 24,727 | 5,039 | 13,220 | 2,063 |
Game production areas in Walworth County: Swan Creek GPA (1,480 acres, Walworth), Oahe Blue Blanket GPA (897 acres, Walworth), Swan Lake - Walworth GPA (862 acres, Walworth), Walth Bay GPA (628 acres, Walworth), Blue Blanket Lake GPA (489 acres, Walworth), Spring Lake - Walworth GPA (323 acres, Walworth), Ellas Maxima GPA (319 acres, Walworth) and Steidler Memorial GPA (40 acres, Walworth).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer licenses are there in unit 63A for 2026?
GFP's 2026 application lists 50 resident "one any deer" licenses (type 01), 400 resident "one any whitetail deer" licenses (type 11) and 100 resident "one antlerless whitetail deer" licenses (type 13) for unit 63A. East River licenses go to residents; nonresidents can buy leftovers only.
How many deer are taken in unit 63A?
GFP projects 248 deer were taken in unit 63A in 2025, 238 white-tailed and 11 mule deer. In 2020 the figure was 398. The projection comes from GFP's survey of license holders.
Is unit 63A mostly white-tailed or mule deer?
White-tailed deer, by GFP's 2025 projection: 11 mule deer and 238 white-tailed deer of the 248 taken; in 2020, 18 of 398 were mule deer.
What county is deer unit 63A in?
GFP describes unit 63A as "Walworth", in Walworth 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 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.