South Dakota Elk PRE-WRA-23
Prairie Elk: WRA23 - ONE Antlerless Elk in PRE-WRA — West River (portion not in a Black Hills elk unit, Custer State Park, or another prairie elk unit), rifle only, Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026. 6% public land, mostly Other public. Type 23.
No nonresident draw results are on file for this hunt. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks publishes resident results only, or none by residency. The numbers below are the resident draw.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
34 of 59 applicants at 0 points drew
Years to draw on points: —
- Resident Tags
- 98
- Applicants
- 123
- Success
- —
First-choice residents, standard draw.
Points Needed to Draw
No cut was published in enough years to chart one.
Insufficient history (0 of 3 draws) — a creep trend needs at least three draw years with a published drew-out level.
Wait 9 years after drawing before applying again.
What It Costs · 2026 Resident Fees
Closes May 19 · 208 daysThe $10 Elk application fee, nonrefundable, per season is not refunded. The $10 habitat Stamp (18+, once per license year, required to apply) is not refunded. A preference point (optional) is $5, bought separately. Drawing adds the $195 resident Any Elk license.
- Opens
- Apr 15, 2027
- Closes
- May 19, 2027
- Results
- about May 27
Next application window: Open Apr 15 – May 19, 2027 (expected). Dates are last cycle's, rolled forward until South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks publishes 2027.
▸ Every Fee, With Sources
- Elk application fee, nonrefundable, per season · paid at application $10 SD GFP 2026 Elk application sheet
- Habitat Stamp (18+, once per license year, required to apply) · paid at application $10 SD GFP 2025 Deer Applications booklet
- Preference point (optional) · only for a point bought without applying — an unsuccessful applicant gets the point free $5 SD GFP 2026 GFP FAQ
- Resident Any Elk license · paid if drawn $195 SD GFP 2026 Elk application sheet
Details
Odds by Point Level · 2026 Draw
| Points | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 ← you | 58% | 59 | 34 |
| 1–18 | 100% same at every level | 64 | 64 |
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. South Dakota runs a second, random pass after the points pass. As a lower choice, PRE-WRA-23 drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: SD GFP 2026 GoOutdoors draw statistics, retrieved Sep 1, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of PRE-WRA | — | 47 | — |
Adding up South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks' published lines for PRE-WRA gives 47 elk taken in 2025 (sum of published weapon rows; hunter counts not published). 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: SD GFP 2018 Elk Harvest.
▸ Year-by-Year Numbers 5 draws
The standard draw for residents, 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 | Per Tag | Points Needed | Random Pass | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 98 | 123 | 1.3 | — | — | SD GFP 2026 GoOutdoors draw statistics |
| 2025 | 77 | 97 | 1.3 | — | — | SD GFP 2025 GoOutdoors draw statistics |
| 2024 | 38 | 85 | 2.2 | — | — | SD GFP 2024 GoOutdoors draw statistics |
| 2023 | 16 | 60 | 3.8 | — | — | SD GFP 2023 GoOutdoors draw statistics |
| 2022 | — | — | — | — | 0 tags of 0 | SD GFP 2022 GoOutdoors draw statistics |
Other Licenses Valid in PRE-WRA
- PRE-WRA-21 Prairie Elk: WRA21 - ONE Any Elk Sep 1 – Dec 31 · 25 tags · 1,957 applied 0%
Odds at your points, resident, standard class where offered. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Legal Cartridges 20 on file for South Dakota elk
20 cartridges on file are legal for elk with a rifle in South Dakota, 3 of them depending on the load. Rules and sources: South Dakota hunting laws.
▸ Sources 11
- SD GFP 2026 GoOutdoors draw statistics draw results, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2025 GoOutdoors draw statistics earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2024 GoOutdoors draw statistics earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2023 GoOutdoors draw statistics earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2022 GoOutdoors draw statistics earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2025 Elk application booklet draw rules, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2026 Elk application sheet fees, seasons, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2025 Deer Applications booklet fees, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2026 GFP FAQ fees, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2018 Elk Harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2026 Hunt Unit Elk boundary, land ownership, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks' published results (preference points, computed from published point-level pools). They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward.
Report an error on this page
We don't take applications: check South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks' results, not a forecast · All South Dakota elk hunts