In South Dakota, we have Black Hills deer tags, West River deer tags, muzzleloader deer tags and East River deer tags. We start with a draw system and after all the draws are done if there are any tags left you can get them, limit of 5 per person. You have Black Hills BH101-valid for 1 any deer(muley or whitetail, buck or doe), BH111-valid for any whitetail(buck or doe), these are good for all 4 Black Hills deer units. Then there are the doe tags for each unit BD1,2,3 and 4. this year there were only 100 doe tags per unit to be drawn. last year there were at least 250 doe tags in each unit and the years before that there were at least 750 doe tags in each unit. I remember having 5 tags per year now I get 1.The number of Black Hills deer tags have been decreasing every year due to road hunters and taxidermists sending petitions to GF&P stating that mountain lions are decimating the herds. Which is not true. They also have been increasing the number of tags for mountain lions above the recommendations of the biologists. I have been here 6 years and have only seen 1 other hunter(not in my party of hunters) out of his vehicle and in the woods in that time and I have seen more deer every year. Sorry to have gotten on my soapbox. East and West River tags are by specific areas and or counties. you just have to know where they are and scout the areas for public land before you apply for the tags. It is complicated out here.
