South Dakota Elk — PRE-49A
Meade County (portion)
South Dakota PRE-49A covers 79,810 acres and lies 8 miles south-east of Sturgis and 18 miles east of Deadwood. 5% of it is public land, mostly other public land (4%). In 2025, hunters took 3 elk here. The 2026 draw put up 21 resident tags here for 7 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in PRE-49A, 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
-
80% Likely draw
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
100% Undersubscribed
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRE-49A-21 ↗ Prairie Elk: 49A21 - ONE ANY ELK | 0% Point builder | — | 5 / 117 | Standard | Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| PRE-49A-21 ↗ Prairie Elk: 49A21 - ONE ANY ELK | 80% Likely draw | — | 5 / 6 | Landowner | Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| PRE-49A-23 ↗ Prairie Elk: 49A23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 21 / 7 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| PRE-49A-23 ↗ Prairie Elk: 49A23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 8 / 1 undersubscribed | 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 206,354 ac
- Other public 3,464 ac · 4%
- State trust land 372 ac · 0%
- State land 0 ac · 0%
Nearby areas
- BHE-H7B — LAWRENCE, MEADE and PENNINGTON counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H7A)
- BHE-H7A — LAWRENCE, MEADE and PENNINGTON counties
- BHE-H9A — CUSTER and PENNINGTON counties
- BHE-H9B — CUSTER and PENNINGTON counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H9A)
- BHE-H5A — CUSTER and PENNINGTON counties
- PRE-09A — Lawrence and Butte Counties
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 | 3 |
| 2024 | 12 |
| 2023 | 10 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Firearm 3 · 100%