AmmoSight

South Dakota Elk Draw Odds

Enter your points, see your chance of drawing every elk tag in South Dakota — straight from the 2026 draw results.

Next application:opens Apr 15, closes May 19, 2027 (expected) Cost to apply:$20 ($20 if you miss) Resident tags (2026):2,045 Applicants:38,435

* Projected from this year's calendar; the agency sets next year's exact dates.

How the South Dakota draw works (30-second version)

Preference points.

Tags go to the applicants with the most preference points, one level at a time. If the last level that draws has more applicants than tags remaining, those applicants are chosen at random. Everyone below that level is unsuccessful and earns a point.

Full mechanics, fees, and deadlines →

How much these move year to year: last year's odds missed by 1% for the typical applicant (most people sit right at the cut). Details

South Dakota draws elk for residents only — there are no nonresident results to show. The numbers below are the resident draw.

Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice resident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.

Simple view Odds at every point level
  • BHE-H1A-21 Black Hills Elk: H1A21 - ONE ANY ELK 77 tags · 1,442 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H1B-23 Black Hills Elk: H1B23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 74 tags · 86 applicants
    75% Likely draw
  • BHE-H2A-21 Black Hills Elk: H2A21 - ONE ANY ELK 369 tags · 10,429 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H2B-23 Black Hills Elk: H2B23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 75 tags · 249 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H2C-23 Black Hills Elk: H2C23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 75 tags · 103 applicants
    57% Real chance
  • BHE-H2E-23 Black Hills Elk: H2E23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 25 tags · 67 applicants
    9% Point builder
  • BHE-H2F-23 Black Hills Elk: H2F23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 10 tags · 52 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H2G-23 Black Hills Elk: H2G23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 10 tags · 35 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H2H-23 Black Hills Elk: H2H23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 8 tags · 2 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H2I-23 Black Hills Elk: H2I23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 8 tags · 2 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H2J-23 Black Hills Elk: H2J23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 8 tags · 2 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H3A-21 Black Hills Elk: H3A21 - ONE ANY ELK 69 tags · 1,744 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H3B-23 Black Hills Elk: H3B23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 48 tags · 40 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H3C-23 Black Hills Elk: H3C23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 70 tags · 21 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H3D-23 Black Hills Elk: H3D23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 75 tags · 15 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H3E-23 Black Hills Elk: H3E23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 98 tags · 20 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H3F-23 Black Hills Elk: H3F23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 100 tags · 20 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H3G-23 Black Hills Elk: H3G23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 106 tags · 10 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H4A-21 Black Hills Elk: H4A21 - ONE ANY ELK 21 tags · 84 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H4B-23 Black Hills Elk: H4B23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 70 tags · 8 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • BHE-H5A-21 Black Hills Elk: H5A21 - ONE ANY ELK 2 tags · 58 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H7A-21 Black Hills Elk: H7A21 - ONE ANY ELK 15 tags · 441 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H7B-23 Black Hills Elk: H7B23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 49 tags · 53 applicants
    83% Likely draw
  • BHE-H9A-21 Black Hills Elk: H9A21 - ONE ANY ELK 10 tags · 58 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • BHE-H9B-23 Black Hills Elk: H9B23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 73 tags · 7 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • CAE-CAE-CU1 Custer Antlerless Elk: CAE-CU1 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 25 tags · 2,244 applicants
    <1% Point builder
  • CAE-CAE-CU2 Custer Antlerless Elk: CAE-CU2 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 25 tags · 1,984 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • CUE-CU1-21 Custer Elk: CU121 - ONE ANY ELK 35 tags · 11,887 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • PRE-09A-21 Prairie Elk: 09A21 - ONE ANY ELK 5 tags · 234 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • PRE-09A-23 Prairie Elk: 09A23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 39 tags · 21 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • PRE-11B-21 Prairie Elk: 11B21 - ONE ANY ELK 16 tags · 705 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • PRE-11B-23 Prairie Elk: 11B23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 59 tags · 101 applicants
    7% Point builder
  • PRE-15A-21 Prairie Elk: 15A21 - ONE ANY ELK 4 tags · 119 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • PRE-15A-23 Prairie Elk: 15A23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 5 tags · 5 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • PRE-27A-21 Prairie Elk: 27A21 - ONE ANY ELK 18 tags · 828 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • PRE-27A-23 Prairie Elk: 27A23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 40 tags · 42 applicants
    92% Likely draw
  • PRE-35A-21 Prairie Elk: 35A21 - ONE ANY ELK 5 tags · 1,062 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • PRE-35A-23 Prairie Elk: 35A23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 30 tags · 43 applicants
    27% Long shot
  • PRE-35B-21 Prairie Elk: 35B21 - ONE ANY ELK 5 tags · 1,850 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • PRE-35B-23 Prairie Elk: 35B23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 40 tags · 58 applicants
    15% Long shot
  • PRE-49A-21 Prairie Elk: 49A21 - ONE ANY ELK 5 tags · 117 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • PRE-49A-23 Prairie Elk: 49A23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 21 tags · 7 applicants
    100% Undersubscribed
  • PRE-WRA-21 Prairie Elk: WRA21 - ONE ANY ELK 25 tags · 1,957 applicants
    0% Point builder
  • PRE-WRA-23 Prairie Elk: WRA23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK 98 tags · 123 applicants
    58% Real chance
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.
10 hunts not offered in 2026 are hidden — show discontinued hunts.

Browse by hunt area

Each area has its own page: where it is on the map, how much of it is public land, what the hunters who went there killed last season, and every license type you can apply for inside it.

BHE-H1A Lawrence County 62% public BHE-H1B LAWRENCE COUNTY (antlerless, same area as BHE-H1A) 62% public CAE-CAE-CU1 Custer State Park (antlerless, Oct 15-31) 100% public CUE-CU1 Custer State Park 100% public BHE-H2A LAWRENCE, PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties 88% public BHE-H2B LAWRENCE, PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties 88% public BHE-H2C LAWRENCE, PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H2B) 88% public BHE-H2D LAWRENCE, PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H2B) 88% public BHE-H2E PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties 89% public BHE-H2F PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H2E) 89% public BHE-H2G PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H2E) 89% public BHE-H2H PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties 87% public BHE-H2I PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H2H) 87% public BHE-H2J PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H2H) 87% public CAE-CAE-CU2 Custer State Park (antlerless, Dec 1-16) 100% public BHE-H3A CUSTER and FALL RIVER counties 47% public BHE-H3B CUSTER county 70% public BHE-H3C CUSTER county (antlerless, same area as BHE-H3B) 70% public BHE-H3D CUSTER county (antlerless, same area as BHE-H3B) 70% public BHE-H3E FALL RIVER and CUSTER counties 32% public BHE-H3F FALL RIVER and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H3E) 32% public BHE-H3G FALL RIVER and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H3E) 32% public BHE-H4A CUSTER, FALL RIVER, and PENNINGTON Counties 10% public BHE-H4B CUSTER, FALL RIVER, and PENNINGTON Counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H4A) 10% public BHE-H5A CUSTER and PENNINGTON counties 82% public BHE-H7A LAWRENCE, MEADE and PENNINGTON counties 61% public BHE-H7B LAWRENCE, MEADE and PENNINGTON counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H7A) 61% public BHE-H9A CUSTER and PENNINGTON counties 10% public BHE-H9B CUSTER and PENNINGTON counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H9A) 10% public PRE-09A Lawrence and Butte Counties 3% public PRE-11A Unit 11 (Bennett/Jackson/Mellette Counties area, not separately bounded) PRE-11B Bennett, Jackson and Mellette Counties (portions) 3% public PRE-11C Unit 11 (Bennett/Jackson/Mellette Counties area, not separately bounded) PRE-11D Unit 11 (Bennett/Jackson/Mellette Counties area, not separately bounded) PRE-11E Unit 11 (Bennett/Jackson/Mellette Counties area, not separately bounded) PRE-15A Butte and Lawrence Counties 2% public PRE-15B Unit 15 (Butte/Lawrence Counties area, not separately bounded) PRE-27A Fall River County 29% public PRE-35A Harding County (west of US 85) 20% public PRE-35B Harding County (east of US 85) 22% public PRE-35C Unit 35 (Harding County area, not separately bounded) PRE-35D Unit 35 (Harding County area, not separately bounded) PRE-35E Unit 35 (Harding County area, not separately bounded) PRE-35F Unit 35 (Harding County area, not separately bounded) PRE-49A Meade County (portion) 5% public PRE-WRA West River (portion not in a Black Hills elk unit, Custer State Park, or another prairie elk unit) 6% public
Spot a data error on this page? Tell us.

Every report is checked against the agency source before we change anything.

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.