South Dakota Elk — PRE-15A
Butte and Lawrence Counties
South Dakota PRE-15A covers 57,807 acres and lies 8 miles west of Belle Fourche and 23 miles north-west of Deadwood. 2% of it is public land, mostly state land (2%). In 2025, hunters took 9 elk here. The 2026 draw put up 5 resident tags here for 5 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in PRE-15A, 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
-
50% Real chance
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRE-15A-21 ↗ Prairie Elk: 15A21 - ONE ANY ELK | 0% Point builder | — | 4 / 119 | Standard | Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| PRE-15A-21 ↗ Prairie Elk: 15A21 - ONE ANY ELK | 50% Real chance | — | 4 / 6 | Landowner | Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| PRE-15A-23 ↗ Prairie Elk: 15A23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 5 / 5 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| PRE-15A-23 ↗ Prairie Elk: 15A23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | 3 / 0 | Landowner | Sep 1 – Dec 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 we print counts instead of a percentage, 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 56,867 ac · 98%
- State land 1,034 ac · 2%
- Other public 80 ac · 0%
- State trust land 0 ac · 0%
Nearby areas
- BHE-H1A — Lawrence County
- BHE-H1B — LAWRENCE COUNTY (antlerless, same area as BHE-H1A)
- PRE-09A — Lawrence and Butte Counties
- BHE-H7A — LAWRENCE, MEADE and PENNINGTON counties
- BHE-H2A — LAWRENCE, PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties
- BHE-H2D — LAWRENCE, PENNINGTON and CUSTER counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H2B)
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 | 9 |
| 2024 | 8 |
| 2023 | 5 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Firearm 9 · 100%