South Dakota Deer WRD-53C-18 — Unit WRD-53C, Type 18
West River Deer: 53C18 - ANY WHITETAIL DEER, ANTLERLESS WHITETAIL DEER · PERKINS COUNTY, south of SD 20 and MEADE COUNTY, north of US 212
- What you may take
- West River Deer: 53C18 - ANY WHITETAIL DEER, ANTLERLESS WHITETAIL DEER
- Weapon
- Rifle
- Where
- WRD-53C — PERKINS COUNTY, south of SD 20 and MEADE COUNTY, north of US 212
- 5% public of 1,023,675 acres
- Seasons (2025)
- Nov 15–30, 2025 · Dec 13–21, 2025
- Nonresident tags (2025)
- 20
- for 36 first-choice applicants
Showing nonresident results. Switch to resident
Odds by point level — 2025 draw
Prior-draw probability for a first-choice nonresident applicant. 20 tags, 36 first-choice applicants. Source: GoOutdoors South Dakota Draw... · EventID=230562.
| Points | Your chance | Applicants | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0% | 13 | 0 |
| 1 | 83% | 18 | 15 |
| 2 | 100% | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | 100% | 2 | 2 |
| 4–10 | 100% same chance at every one of these levels | — | — |
Preference points, computed from published point-level pools. A dash means South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks did not publish a count for that level. How we compute these.
What it costs (2025 nonresident fees)
Not applying this year? A point-only purchase costs $10 (Sep 15 – Dec 15, expected) and adds a point for next year's draw.
Next application window: opens May 27, closes Jun 23, 2027 (expected) · results ~July 2. Last cycle's schedule rolled forward — confirm when the agency publishes.
Point creep & years to draw
Insufficient history (0 of 3 draws) — a creep trend needs at least three draw years with a published drew-out level.
Seasons (2025)
How this tag has hunted
Across every license type in WRD-53C, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks counted 518 white-tailed deer taken in 2025. Full WRD-53C profile: maps, public land, five years of harvest →
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. Source: Deer Harvest (Hunting/Harvest_Maps MapServer, layer 5) — per-unit post-season harvest, 2023-2025
As a lower choice
Drawn at this choice ÷ applicants listing it at this choice, as published. Points do not help a lower choice.
Year by year
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year. South Dakota runs a second, random pass after the points pass; it is shown beside the year it belongs to.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Applicants per tag | Points needed | Random pass | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | 36 | 1.8 | — | 0 tagsfrom 0 applications | GoOutdoors South Dakota Draw... · EventID=230562 |
| 2024 | 20 | 31 | 1.6 | — | 0 tagsfrom 0 applications | GoOutdoors South Dakota Draw... · EventID=229406 |
| 2023 | 20 | 29 | 1.5 | — | 0 tagsfrom 0 applications | GoOutdoors South Dakota Draw... · EventID=227742 |
| 2022 | 20 | 39 | 2.0 | — | 0 tagsfrom 0 applications | GoOutdoors South Dakota Draw... · EventID=226991 |
Other licenses valid in WRD-53C
Legal cartridges for deer in South Dakota
From the South Dakota hunting laws rules on file for a rifle. "Depends" means the rule turns on your specific load — check the state page.
Spot a data error on this page? Tell us.
How to read these numbers
Every percentage on this page is a prior-draw probability: the chance an applicant with that many points would have drawn in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results. It is not a forecast — quotas, applicant numbers, and point creep change every year. Every figure links to the agency document it came from. Where a state does not publish a number, we show a dash, never a zero. Hunts with fewer than five tags show counts instead of percentages. Fees show the fee year used. Read the methodology for the engine details.
Not an application service
This page is informational only. Draw rules, quotas, fees, and deadlines are set by the state agency and change by commission action — confirm everything on the agency's own site before you apply, and apply through the agency, not here. We disclaim all liability for reliance on this page.