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. Its biggest hunt, PRE-WRA-23, put up 98 resident tags in the 2026 draw 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 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 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%