South Dakota Elk — PRE-WRA
West River (portion not in a Black Hills elk unit, Custer State Park, or another prairie elk unit)
South Dakota PRE-WRA covers 20,616,117 acres and lies 53 miles south-west of Eagle Butte and 65 miles west of Fort Pierre. 6% of it is public land, mostly other public land (5%) and state trust land (1%). In 2025, hunters took 47 elk here. The 2026 draw put up 98 resident tags here for 123 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in PRE-WRA, 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
-
0% Point builder
-
58% Real chance
-
100% Undersubscribed
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRE-WRA-21 ↗ Prairie Elk: WRA21 - ONE ANY ELK | 0% Point builder | — | 25 / 1,957 | Standard | Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| PRE-WRA-21 ↗ Prairie Elk: WRA21 - ONE ANY ELK | 0% Point builder | — | 25 / 65 | Landowner | Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| PRE-WRA-23 ↗ Prairie Elk: WRA23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK | 58% Real chance | — | 98 / 123 | Standard | Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| PRE-WRA-23 ↗ Prairie Elk: WRA23 - ONE ANTLERLESS ELK | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 50 / 2 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 12,397,053 ac · 60%
- Other public 964,006 ac · 5%
- State trust land 274,484 ac · 1%
- State land 66,184 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 6,914,388 ac · 34%
Nearby areas
- PRE-11B — Bennett, Jackson and Mellette Counties (portions)
- BHE-H9A — CUSTER and PENNINGTON counties
- BHE-H9B — CUSTER and PENNINGTON counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H9A)
- PRE-49A — Meade County (portion)
- BHE-H4A — CUSTER, FALL RIVER, and PENNINGTON Counties
- BHE-H7B — LAWRENCE, MEADE and PENNINGTON counties (antlerless, same area as BHE-H7A)
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 | 47 |
| 2024 | 23 |
| 2023 | 12 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Firearm 47 · 100%