Brule County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Brule County has 45 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (1 tract centered in the county), 10 game production areas covering 8,916 acres, and 3,097 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 2.2% of the county's 541,744 acres.
Data updated October 2026. Walk-In Areas, CREP, school and public land, federal land and GPAs: GFP map layers. Units: GFP 2026 applications and harvest projections.
Game production area (GFP)Waterfowl production areaBLMCorps of EngineersState park or recreation area (rules vary)Other GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Brule CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 541,744 acres (846 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 45 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 1 (45 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 10, 8,916 acres |
| School and public land | 0 acres |
| Other public land | 3,097 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 13A, Deer unit 13L |
| Towns | Chamberlain, Kimball, Pukwana, Bijou Hills and Ola |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Brule County?
45 acres inside the county line, 0% of the county. 1 Walk-In Area tract is centered in the county (45 acres in all). Walk-In Areas and CREP land are private ground GFP leases for public hunting. GFP's public hunting atlas shows each tract.
Which game production areas are in Brule County?
10 GPAs, 8,916 acres in all, largest first:
- Brule Bottom GPA: 2,137 acres
- Boyer GPA: 2,037 acres
- Elm Creek GPA: 1,292 acres
- Chain Lake (Holoubek) GPA: 1,086 acres
- Burning Brule GPA: 929 acres
- Hoover GPA: 840 acres
- Chamberlain GPA: 420 acres
- Lake Sixteen GPA: 68 acres
- Red Lake - Brule GPA: 62 acres
- Kimball GPA: 44 acres
How much public land is in Brule County?
2.2% of the county is public land: 12,013 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is game production area, 8,916 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Game production area (GFP) | 8,916 | 1.6% |
| Corps of Engineers | 1,531 | 0.3% |
| Waterfowl production area | 1,062 | 0.2% |
| BLM | 504 | 0.1% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 160 | under 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 106 | under 0.1% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 45 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the Census county line from GFP public hunting atlas layers (Walk-In Areas, CREP, school and public land, federal land) and GFP Managed Lands; overlapping maps are counted once.
Which hunting units are in Brule County?
The units GFP names for Brule County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 13A | Brule (exc. 13L) | 550 | 213 (2025) |
| Deer unit 13L | Brule, public lands around Brule Bottom and Pease GPAs | 20 | 13 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Brule County?
Highways: I-90 (about 59 miles in the county), SD 50 (about 45 miles in the county) and SD 45 (about 41 miles in the county). Towns: Chamberlain, Kimball, Pukwana, Bijou Hills and Ola.
How do the counties around Brule compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora | 1,685 | 8 | 2,320 | 5,857 |
| Buffalo | 9,637 | 2 | 290 | 5,080 |
| Charles Mix | 1,801 | 12 | 11,621 | 12,769 |
| Jerauld | 1,025 | 5 | 1,746 | 2,422 |
| Lyman | 8,995 | 25 | 12,726 | 75,311 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Brule County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 45 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Brule County's line, from 1 tract centered in the county. No permission is needed to hunt a Walk-In Area; travel there is on foot except on signed trails, by GFP's handbook.
Are there game production areas in Brule County?
Yes, 10: Brule Bottom (2,137 acres), Boyer (2,037 acres), Elm Creek (1,292 acres), Chain Lake (Holoubek) (1,086 acres), Burning Brule (929 acres) and Hoover (840 acres), and 4 more.
What hunting units are in Brule County?
GFP names deer units 13A and 13L for Brule County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Brule County?
2.2% of the county, 12,013 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is game production area at 8,916 acres.
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Where these numbers come from
- Walk-In Areas, CREP, school and public land, federal land and GPAs: GFP public hunting atlas layers (Walk-In Areas, CREP, school and public land, federal land) and GFP Managed Lands.
- Units: GFP 2026 draw applications and harvest projections.
- County line, highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 boundaries, TIGER/Line and Gazetteer.
FilledTag is not part of South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Walk-In Areas change each year; check GFP's current atlas before you go.
South Dakota hunting Aurora County Buffalo County Charles Mix County Jerauld County Lyman County