Clark County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Clark County has 4,970 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (31 tracts centered in the county), 29 game production areas covering 10,870 acres, and 6,575 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 3.6% of the county's 619,172 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 areaSchool and public landOther GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Clark CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 619,172 acres (967 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 4,970 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 21 (3,674 acres in all) |
| CREP tracts centered in the county | 10 (1,294 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 29, 10,870 acres |
| School and public land | 413 acres |
| Other public land | 6,162 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 18A |
| Towns | Clark, Vienna, Garden City, Willow Lake and Raymond |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Clark County?
4,970 acres inside the county line, 0.8% of the county. 21 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (3,674 acres in all), and 10 CREP tracts (1,294 acres). 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 Clark County?
29 GPAs, 10,870 acres in all, largest first:
- Dry Lake #2 GPA: 3,261 acres
- Swan Lake - Clark GPA: 1,593 acres
- Dry Lake #1 & N Dry Lake GPA: 1,017 acres
- Stairs Slough GPA: 716 acres
- Fordham GPA: 636 acres
- Cottonwood Lake - Clark GPA: 473 acres
- Faiferlick GPA: 434 acres
- Valberg-Lamb GPA: 365 acres
- Helgeson GPA: 230 acres
- Stewart GPA: 207 acres
- Cherry Lake GPA: 199 acres
- Smith - Clark GPA: 186 acres
- Armbruster Property GPA: 165 acres
- Christopherson - Clark GPA: 161 acres
- Hamre GPA: 131 acres
- Faehn GPA: 127 acres
- Lynbye GPA: 122 acres
- Dudley GPA: 99 acres
- Bradley GPA: 82 acres
- Spring Valley - Clark GPA: 81 acres
- Wagner - Clark GPA: 81 acres
- Begeman GPA: 79 acres
- Naples GPA: 78 acres
- Dybvig GPA: 77 acres
- Crocker GPA: 76 acres
- Stadem Slough GPA: 73 acres
- McPeek GPA: 40 acres
- Foxton GPA: 40 acres
- Alexander GPA: 40 acres
How much public land is in Clark County?
2.8% of the county is public land: 17,445 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is game production area, 10,870 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Game production area (GFP) | 10,870 | 1.8% |
| Waterfowl production area | 6,162 | 1% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 4,970 | 0.8% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 585 | 0.1% |
| School and public land | 413 | 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. GFP's handbook counts school and public land among South Dakota's public hunting lands; motor vehicles are not allowed on it except on designated, signed roads, trails and parking areas (page 73).
Which hunting units are in Clark County?
The units GFP names for Clark County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 18A | Clark | 800 | 383 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Clark County?
Highways: SD 25 (about 43 miles in the county), US 212 (about 24 miles in the county), SD 20 (about 24 miles in the county) and SD 28 (about 21 miles in the county). Towns: Clark, Vienna, Garden City, Willow Lake, Raymond, Bradley, Naples and Crocker.
How do the counties around Clark compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beadle | 8,613 | 51 | 3,144 | 7,573 |
| Codington | 6,354 | 32 | 9,570 | 6,055 |
| Day | 66,931 | 378 | 14,802 | 12,490 |
| Hamlin | 3,124 | 20 | 8,082 | 3,391 |
| Kingsbury | 1,238 | 10 | 8,597 | 7,331 |
| Spink | 9,611 | 69 | 3,261 | 4,844 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Clark County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 4,970 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Clark County's line, from 31 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 Clark County?
Yes, 29: Dry Lake #2 (3,261 acres), Swan Lake - Clark (1,593 acres), Dry Lake #1 & N Dry Lake (1,017 acres), Stairs Slough (716 acres), Fordham (636 acres) and Cottonwood Lake - Clark (473 acres), and 23 more.
What hunting units are in Clark County?
GFP names deer unit 18A for Clark County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Clark County?
2.8% of the county, 17,445 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is game production area at 10,870 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 Beadle County Codington County Day County Hamlin County Kingsbury County Spink County