South Dakota Elk · CAE-CAE-CU1 Custer State Park (antlerless, Oct 15-31)
South Dakota CAE-CAE-CU1 covers 5,511 acres. 100% of it is public land, mostly state land (100%). In 2018, hunters took 3 elk here (sum of published weapon rows); hunter counts not published. Its most applied-for hunt, CAE-CAE-CU1, put up 25 resident tags in the 2026 draw for 2,244 first-choice applicants.
New for 2026: The First Draw Held Here
CAE-CAE-CU1 did not exist before the 2026 elk draw. The chances below are that one draw's actual results, not an estimate, and there is no point-creep trend to read yet.
1 license
first choice, resident
not published
100% State
5,511 acres
Loading the topographic map…
CAE-CAE-CU1 is outlined in red; other elk units in blue. Boundaries are drawn for orientation; the written boundary in the regulations governs. Open the full South Dakota map →
Best Bets at 0 Points
Ranked by your odds times how often that license type's hunters filled their tag in 2018. Resident, first choice, 2026 draw; licenses with at least 10 tags that anyone can buy.
Every License in CAE-CAE-CU1
| What | Season | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAE-CAE-CU1 | Custer Antlerless Elk: CAE-CU1 - ONE Antlerless Elk | <1% | — |
First-choice resident odds at your points, 2026 draw. Cut = points the last tag went at; ▲ = points added since the earliest draw on file.
Draw results: SD GFP 2026 GoOutdoors draw statistics, retrieved Sep 1, 2026.
If you draw (2026 resident fees): $215 ($20 to apply). Open Apr 15 – May 19, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Harvest
| Year | Elk |
|---|---|
| 2018 (summed) | 3 |
2018 split: firearm 3 (100%)
What South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks publishes after each season, for everyone who hunted the area: harvest statistics, not draw odds. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks publishes no whole-unit line for 2018; a year's total is the sum of published weapon rows, added only where the lines do not overlap. Hunter counts not published for 2018. 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.
The Ground
| State land | 5,524 ac | — |
| Private | 0 ac | <1% |
| State trust land | 0 ac | <1% |
| Other public | 0 ac | <1% |
Source: SD GFP 2026 Hunt Unit Elk.
South Dakota landowner tags →
Landowner Preference: 160 acres. Landowner-on-own-land licences: 160 acres. Not sellable. Owning land here does not waive the license.
Is a parcel in CAE-CAE-CU1? →
Click the ground or paste a listing's coordinates on the unit finder: the unit for every species at that point, how far inside the line it sits, and whether the acreage clears the landowner floor.
▸ Sources 6
- SD GFP 2026 GoOutdoors draw statistics draw results, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- SD GFP 2026 Elk application sheet fees, 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, area description, 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. 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