Commissioners adopted a proposal to offer approximately 10,500 fewer licenses for the 2017 East River deer hunting season, with a majority of the reduction to antlerless whitetail licenses.
There will be 3,580 more one-tag licenses, 4,925 less two-tag licenses (10,150 tags), and 1,400 less 3-tag licenses (4,200 tags) compared to 2016, and a total of 21,075 one-tag and 5,250 two-tag licenses available.
Commissioners also modified the proposed Unit 13L to include those portions of the Brule Bottom Game Production Area and Corp of Engineer area lands north of 240th Street including the Pease Game Production Area in southwest Buffalo County; and the Boyer Game Production Area and Corp of Engineer area lands west of 342nd Avenue, south of 255th Street and Canyon Road, and south of a line extending from 256th Street west to the Missouri River.
This unit would consist of all public land, and landowner preference will not apply. With the creation of this limited access unit, archery, muzzleloader and youth deer hunters will be required to obtain a free, unlimited access permit from the department prior to hunting in this area.
Dates for the 2017 and 2018 East River deer hunting seasons are Nov. 18 to Dec. 3, and Dec. 30 to Jan. 7 antlerless deer tags only; Nov. 17 to Dec. 2, 2018 and Dec. 29, 2018 to Jan. 6, 2019 for antlerless deer tags only.
The total number of licenses available for the 2017 and 2018 was slightly reduced the West River deer hunting seasons compared to 2016. The total number of licenses will be 15,340 one-tag and 3,320 two-tag resident licenses, and 1,231 one-tag and 266 two-tag licenses for nonresidents.
Additionally, the Commissioners modified the proposal and eliminated the split seasons for Mellette County to align with the West River deer hunting season beginning in the 2018 hunting season. The split season dates for Gregory County remain unchanged. The season dates for Unit 24B (Little Moreau) were modified to 16 consecutive days beginning on the Saturday 12 days before Thanksgiving.
Season dates for the 2017 and 2018 West River deer hunting seasons are Nov. 11-26, 2017 and Nov. 10-25, 2018.
The number of available antlerless whitetail licenses for the 2017 Black Hills deer hunting season was increased.
A total of 200 more resident antlerless whitetail deer licenses and 16 more nonresident antlerless whitetail deer licenses will be available for the BH-BD1 unit, compared to 2016.
The type and number of deer hunters allowed into Custer State Park was expanded to include 19 additional any whitetail deer and five more any deer licenses as compared to the 2016 hunting season. These licenses will be valid for only archery hunting from Nov. 1 to 15 and firearms and all allowable weapons for firearm hunting from Nov. 16 to 30.
For more information on hunting seasons, regulations and application periods, visit here.