South Dakota Deer — RFD-SL4
Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge (muzzleloader, Nov 30-Dec 6)
South Dakota RFD-SL4 covers 20,863 acres and lies 23 miles north of Groton. 100% of it is public land, mostly other public land (100%). In 2025, hunters took 6 white-tailed deer here. The 2026 draw put up 4 nonresident tags here for 0 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in RFD-SL4, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFD-SL4-01 ↗ Refuge Deer: SL401 - ANY DEER | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | 4 / 0 | Nov 30 – Dec 6, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per application | $25 | $25 | $25 |
Application window: opens May 27, closes Jun 23, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Other licenses valid in RFD-SL4
Not in the table above because they had no result in the 2026 draw.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- Other public 20,863 ac · 100%
- State land 0 ac · 0%
- Private 0 ac · 0%
- State trust land 0 ac · 0%
Nearby areas
- RFD-SL5 — Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Dec 7-13)
- RFD-SL2 — Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Nov 19-23)
- RFD-SL1 — Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge (muzzleloader, Nov 14-18)
- ERD-03A — BROWN COUNTY, excluding Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- ERD-48A — Marshall County
- ERD-22A — DAY COUNTY, excluding Waubay National Wildlife Refuge
How the hunting has gone
What South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season. South Dakota's figures are Game, Fish and Parks post-season survey estimates, expanded from mandatory hunter reporting by the response rate — not a count of animals checked in.
White-tailed Deer
| Season | Harvest |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2023 | 0 |
Mule Deer
| Season | Harvest |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Firearm 6 · 100%
Harvest: Deer Harvest (Hunting/Harvest_Maps MapServer, layer 5) — per-unit post-season harvest, 2023-2025