Hickman Dam East is a 738-acre private whitetail deer hunt near Langford, South Dakota, in Marshall County and East River deer Unit 48A. Your group gets the entire property for a 3-day hunt. Up to 4 hunters can come, and no other parties are booked on your dates.

This is classic northeast South Dakota farm country: corn and grain fields, wetlands, brushy draws, and shelterbelts, all tied together by a long north-south treeline. Deer feed in the crops in the evening and bed tight in the wetland cover and shelterbelts during the day, so their travel is easy to read. When the rut kicks in, the treeline and brushy strips funnel bucks right past good stand and blind sites.

The terrain is gentle and there are several ways in, so you can slip in quietly with the wind in your favor. Hang a stand on the treeline, set a ground blind on a field edge, or still-hunt the draws. The Infinite Outdoors app shows boundaries, access points, and parking.

Bowhunters can hunt from September into the new year. Nonresidents can buy a private-land archery license over the counter with no draw. Rifle hunters need a resident Unit 48A license from the East River draw. Lodging, food, and fuel are in Britton, and Aberdeen has full-service hotels.

Row crops, wetlands, shelterbelts, and brushy cover give whitetails everything they need without leaving the property. Standing corn and grain carry deer through the fall, and the wetlands and thick brush hold them during daylight. Does and fawns tend to stay in the shelterbelts and wetland edges, while bucks work the field edges in the evening.

Early in archery season, focus on the food: field edges and the inside corners where brush meets crops. As the rut builds in November, move to the north-south treeline and the brushy strips, where bucks cruise between bedding areas looking for does. Late in the season, when cover thins and the cold sets in, the wetlands and any remaining standing crops are where deer concentrate.

South-Dakota-Deer

Unit: East River Deer Unit 48A, Marshall County.

Archery (residents and nonresidents): Archery deer licenses are sold over the counter. Nonresidents can buy a private-land-only archery license with no draw, and it is valid on this property.

Rifle (South Dakota residents only): The East River firearm season is a draw open to residents. Unit 48A offers about 500 any-deer licenses. In the 2022 draw, 724 residents applied first choice for those 500 licenses, and a little over half of license holders took a deer.

Check current seasons, license types, and draw results at gfp.sd.gov before you book.

Reservation fees are due at the time of booking, and are non-refundable. 50% of the outdoorsman fee will process 2 weeks after the draw results in this state are posted. If you are unsuccessful in the draw, reach out to IO and the situation will be handled accordingly. The remaining 50% will process 1 month prior to the hunt. All OTC hunts will require a 50% deposit of the outdoorsman fee at the time of booking as well. The remaining 50% will process 1 month prior to the hunt.

Cancellations made prior to placing a deposit will be taken care of immediately. Any cancellations needing made after placing a deposit will result in attempts to reschedule the hunt for a different season, or a different year. Please note that refunds are not guaranteed.

If there is a lapse in availability, please do not be discouraged from contacting Infinite Outdoors. Some landowners have not opened their land for reservations yet. The other reason properties might be unavailable is because we work directly with our landowners and hunts are booked by quota set by our biologist for the current year. That being said, we are willing, and able in most cases, to pre-book you for next season. OR book you in place of someone else canceling their reservation.

You are not legally allowed to access the property, for any adventure, prior to your selected access day. If you try to access the property at all before your selected date(s), without prior approval from IO, you will be subject to trespassing and punishments therein.

After your hunt, you will receive an automated harvest report. Please complete and return it within 2 weeks of your hunt, even if you did not fill your tag. Reports not returned within 2 weeks are subject to a $25 fine. Your report helps keep this property’s deer herd healthy and the hunting good year after year.