For specific deer season information, select a season:

 

East River Deer

South Dakota east of the Missouri River comprises the East River Deer area. This is rolling farmland divided by two major river drainages, the James and the Big Sioux. Whitetails abound throughout the area, with mule deer mixed in near the central part of the state.

Nonresidents may apply beginning in early October for unsold licenses.

  • Season Dates:
    East River Deer - Nov. 17 - Dec. 2, 2012

 

application Information

Additional Information

Surveys and reports

East River Deer Unit Map


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Another license option South Dakota residents have for East River Deer is the Special Buck license which allows you to hunt in all East River Deer units on private land only. The license is valid for one "any deer" for the dates of the regular East River Deer Season.

South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger

South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger encourages and facilitates donation of wild game meat to needy people in South Dakota. You can make a tax-deductible cash donation to help offset costs of processing game animals donated through SDSAH.

Volunteer Hunter Program

Each year, the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks is contacted by landowners looking to host antlerless deer hunters, as well as hunters looking for landowners interested in allowing them to hunt on their land. In an effort to strengthen hunter-landowner relationships, we have developed the Volunteer Antlerless Deer Hunter Program.

Big Game Depredation Hunts

Resident only big game depredation hunts are generally conducted in response to severe crop and livestock feed losses that cannot be resolved using traditional non-lethal forms of depredation control. They may involve turkey, deer, or antelope. In the past, these hunts have most often been organized during severe winters when both the weather and road conditions have deteriorated.