South Dakota Elk — BHE-H3A
CUSTER and FALL RIVER counties
South Dakota BHE-H3A covers 536,574 acres and lies 22 miles west of Custer and 32 miles north-west of Hot Springs. 47% of it is public land, mostly other public land (45%) and state land (2%). In 2025, hunters took 74 elk here. Its biggest hunt, BHE-H3A-21, put up 69 resident tags in the 2026 draw for 1,744 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in BHE-H3A, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice resident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
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-
0% Point builder
-
100% Undersubscribed
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BHE-H3A-21 ↗ Black Hills Elk: H3A21 - ONE ANY ELK | 0% Point builder | — | 69 / 1,744 | Standard | Oct 1–31, 2026 |
| BHE-H3A-21 ↗ Black Hills Elk: H3A21 - ONE ANY ELK | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 60 / 51 undersubscribed | Landowner | Oct 1–31, 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 the percentage is flagged, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 resident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard license | $20 | $20 | $215 |
| Landowner license | $20 | $20 | $215 |
Application window: opens Apr 15, closes May 19, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- Private 283,561 ac · 53%
- Other public 242,874 ac · 45%
- State land 9,060 ac · 2%
- State trust land 2,589 ac · 0%
Nearby areas
- BHE-H2E — PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties
- BHE-H3B — CUSTER county
- BHE-H2F — PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H2E)
- BHE-H3E — FALL RIVER and CUSTER counties
- BHE-H3C — CUSTER county (antlerless, same area as BHE-H3B)
- BHE-H2G — PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H2E)
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.
| Season | Harvest |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 74 |
| 2024 | 78 |
| 2023 | 102 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Firearm 74 · 100%