Charles Mix County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Charles Mix County has 1,801 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (12 tracts centered in the county), 16 game production areas covering 11,621 acres, and 12,769 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 3.6% of the county's 736,212 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 areaNational wildlife refuge (rules vary)BLMCorps of EngineersState park or recreation area (rules vary)Other GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Charles Mix CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 736,212 acres (1,150 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 1,801 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 12 (1,801 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 16, 11,621 acres |
| School and public land | 0 acres |
| Other public land | 12,769 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 17A |
| Towns | Wagner, Platte, Lake Andes, Geddes and Pickstown |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Charles Mix County?
1,801 acres inside the county line, 0.2% of the county. 12 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (1,801 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 Charles Mix County?
16 GPAs, 11,621 acres in all, largest first:
- Gray Area GPA: 2,330 acres
- Paulson GPA: 1,556 acres
- Center - Charles Mix GPA: 1,124 acres
- Turgeon GPA: 1,075 acres
- North Point GPA: 994 acres
- Red Lake - Charles Mix GPA: 850 acres
- West Platte GPA: 835 acres
- White Swan GPA: 784 acres
- Pease Creek GPA: 680 acres
- North Wheeler GPA: 553 acres
- Bovee Lake GPA: 322 acres
- Center - Platte GPA: 243 acres
- Curtis R. Kaberna GPA: 81 acres
- Lake George GPA: 79 acres
- Academy Lake GPA: 77 acres
- Williamson GPA: 38 acres
How much public land is in Charles Mix County?
3.3% of the county is public land: 24,390 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is game production area, 11,621 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Game production area (GFP) | 11,621 | 1.6% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 5,267 | 0.7% |
| Waterfowl production area | 4,408 | 0.6% |
| Corps of Engineers | 3,056 | 0.4% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 2,739 | 0.4% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 1,801 | 0.2% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 140 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 38 | 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 Charles Mix County?
The units GFP names for Charles Mix County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 17A | Charles Mix (exc. Lake Andes NWR) | 200 | 65 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Charles Mix County?
Highways: SD 50 (about 82 miles in the county), US 18 (about 30 miles in the county), US 281 (about 26 miles in the county), SD 46 (about 23 miles in the county), SD 44 (about 22 miles in the county) and SD 1804 (about 15 miles in the county). Towns: Wagner, Platte, Lake Andes, Geddes, Pickstown, Dante, Ravinia and Marty.
How do the counties around Charles Mix compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora | 1,685 | 8 | 2,320 | 5,857 |
| Bon Homme | 18,830 | 108 | 6,362 | 2,339 |
| Brule | 45 | 1 | 8,916 | 3,097 |
| Douglas | 652 | 7 | 0 | 4,468 |
| Gregory | 12,926 | 6 | 12,998 | 2,927 |
| Hutchinson | 9,790 | 102 | 2,070 | 785 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Charles Mix County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 1,801 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Charles Mix County's line, from 12 tracts 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 Charles Mix County?
Yes, 16: Gray Area (2,330 acres), Paulson (1,556 acres), Center - Charles Mix (1,124 acres), Turgeon (1,075 acres), North Point (994 acres) and Red Lake - Charles Mix (850 acres), and 10 more.
What hunting units are in Charles Mix County?
GFP names deer unit 17A for Charles Mix County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Charles Mix County?
3.3% of the county, 24,390 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is game production area at 11,621 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.
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