Whitetail inhabit every part of South Dakota but populations are larger in the units east of the Missouri River. Whitetail can be found in timbered riparian zones along creek andriver bottoms, private agricultural lands, and even timbered slopes in the black hills. Hunters will have plenty of hunting options when pursuing whitetail, although privateaccess can become an issue in many units.

Whitetail deer can be hunted over-the-counter with archery licenses but nonresidents may only hunt them on public land with this license type. There is, however, a limited drawlicense available to nonresidents that allows public land archery hunting. With the limited license, nonresidents may hunt public land only after October 1st. All muzzleloaderand rifle licenses are draw-only for both residencies.

Overall, trophy potential is great in South Dakota and some excellent bucks are taken here each fall.

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Understanding the Draw System

In regards to the South Dakota deer draw, there are a total of 7 different season types that hunters can apply and build points for. Residents are eligible for 6 of the 7 seasontypes and nonresidents are only eligible for 4 of the 7. The season types and applicable residencies are broken down in the table below.

Of the available season types, applicants may only apply for 2 types during the first draw period. So essentially you can can submit 2 different applications, one for each seasontype you choose. Although you can apply for more than one season type, you can only draw one deer license, not 2. There is a preference point purchase window where you are ableto purchase preference points for other season types that you didn't apply for.

Boone and Crockett entries: Typical

Units listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Units in this table are included if any part of the unit is found within the county.

Boone and Crockett entries: Nontypical

Units listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Units in this table are included if any part of the unit is found within the county.

**Two more counties with 3 entries each