Codington County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Codington County has 6,354 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (32 tracts centered in the county), 31 game production areas covering 9,570 acres, and 6,055 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 4.8% of the county's 458,965 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 areaState park or recreation area (rules vary)Other GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Codington CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 458,965 acres (717 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 6,354 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 22 (6,402 acres in all) |
| CREP tracts centered in the county | 10 (887 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 31, 9,570 acres |
| School and public land | 0 acres |
| Other public land | 6,055 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 05A |
| Towns | Watertown, Henry, South Shore, Kranzburg and Florence |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Codington County?
6,354 acres inside the county line, 1.4% of the county. 22 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (6,402 acres in all), and 10 CREP tracts (887 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 Codington County?
31 GPAs, 9,570 acres in all, largest first:
- Terry Redlin GPA: 1,226 acres
- Goose Lake - Codington GPA: 1,147 acres
- Long Lake 3 GPA: 1,106 acres
- Blythe GPA: 1,088 acres
- Cotton Slough & Ellis 80 GPA: 646 acres
- American Game GPA: 574 acres
- Schurman GPA: 509 acres
- Andrisen & W. Punished Woman GPA: 403 acres
- Bob Hodgins - Warner Lake GPA: 291 acres
- Henning GPA: 277 acres
- Struckman-Trumm GPA: 262 acres
- Gilbert GPA: 236 acres
- Donnelly - Codington GPA: 196 acres
- McKillican Lake GPA: 175 acres
- Scott GPA: 163 acres
- Nichols GPA: 158 acres
- Christopherson - Codington GPA: 157 acres
- North Nichols GPA: 143 acres
- Larson GPA: 132 acres
- Bach GPA: 113 acres
- Curley Slough GPA: 81 acres
- Wolf Slough GPA: 80 acres
- Pelican Lake - South GPA: 72 acres
- Hansen GPA: 63 acres
- Horseshoe - Codington GPA: 56 acres
- Pelican Lake - North GPA: 45 acres
- Spencer - Codington GPA: 45 acres
- Moorhouse GPA: 43 acres
- Clarksean GPA: 38 acres
- Eckman GPA: 32 acres
- Redhead Pass GPA: 12 acres
How much public land is in Codington County?
3.4% of the county is public land: 15,625 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is game production area, 9,570 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Game production area (GFP) | 9,570 | 2.1% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 6,354 | 1.4% |
| Waterfowl production area | 6,055 | 1.3% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 674 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 55 | 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 Codington County?
The units GFP names for Codington County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 05A | Codington | 600 | 287 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Codington County?
Highways: I-29 (about 52 miles in the county), SD 20 (about 50 miles in the county), US 81 (about 42 miles in the county), US 212 (about 37 miles in the county) and SD 139 (about 6 miles in the county). Towns: Watertown, Henry, South Shore, Kranzburg, Florence, Wallace and Waverly.
How do the counties around Codington compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark | 4,970 | 31 | 10,870 | 6,575 |
| Day | 66,931 | 378 | 14,802 | 12,490 |
| Deuel | 5,400 | 35 | 5,164 | 3,203 |
| Grant | 16,954 | 54 | 1,658 | 5,364 |
| Hamlin | 3,124 | 20 | 8,082 | 3,391 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Codington County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 6,354 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Codington County's line, from 32 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 Codington County?
Yes, 31: Terry Redlin (1,226 acres), Goose Lake - Codington (1,147 acres), Long Lake 3 (1,106 acres), Blythe (1,088 acres), Cotton Slough & Ellis 80 (646 acres) and American Game (574 acres), and 25 more.
What hunting units are in Codington County?
GFP names deer unit 05A for Codington County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Codington County?
3.4% of the county, 15,625 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is game production area at 9,570 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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