Day County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Day County has 66,931 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (378 tracts centered in the county), 35 game production areas covering 14,802 acres, and 12,490 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 13.5% of the county's 698,338 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)School and public landState park or recreation area (rules vary)Other GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Day CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 698,338 acres (1,091 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 66,931 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 203 (43,502 acres in all) |
| CREP tracts centered in the county | 175 (24,456 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 35, 14,802 acres |
| School and public land | 537 acres |
| Other public land | 11,953 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 22A |
| Towns | Webster, Waubay, Bristol, Butler and Andover |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Day County?
66,931 acres inside the county line, 9.6% of the county. 203 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (43,502 acres in all), and 175 CREP tracts (24,456 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 Day County?
35 GPAs, 14,802 acres in all, largest first:
- Bitter Lake - Day GPA: 4,726 acres
- Mydland Pass GPA: 1,723 acres
- Tobin/Tvinnereim Trust GPA: 797 acres
- Hedman GPA: 779 acres
- Hedtke-Breske-Helwig-Waubay GPA: 688 acres
- TNC/Puckett Property GPA: 580 acres
- Lily GPA: 491 acres
- Kessler Memorial GPA: 445 acres
- Krause Farm GPA: 370 acres
- Goose Lake - Day GPA: 367 acres
- Redetzke GPA: 328 acres
- Lohner - Vincent GPA: 254 acres
- Owens Creek GPA: 252 acres
- Althoff GPA: 247 acres
- Foldager GPA: 237 acres
- Hauge Marsh GPA: 235 acres
- Arneson GPA: 235 acres
- Sundahl GPA: 229 acres
- Batie (Buchner) GPA: 218 acres
- Hazelden Springs GPA: 170 acres
- Holmquist GPA: 167 acres
- Sunnybrook GPA: 167 acres
- Stianson Liberty Hemmah Krause GPA: 164 acres
- Randall GPA: 156 acres
- Redhead Slough GPA: 144 acres
- Ingvold GPA: 103 acres
- Knebel GPA: 88 acres
- Blue Dog Lake Hatchery South GPA: 81 acres
- Ninke GPA: 80 acres
- Blue Dog Lake Hatchery North GPA: 78 acres
- Haugen GPA: 41 acres
- Grovard GPA: 41 acres
- Wheatland GPA: 41 acres
- Aasved GPA: 39 acres
- Block GPA: 36 acres
How much public land is in Day County?
3.9% of the county is public land: 27,292 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is game production area, 14,802 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 66,931 | 9.6% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 14,802 | 2.1% |
| Waterfowl production area | 7,323 | 1% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 4,630 | 0.7% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 642 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 541 | 0.1% |
| School and public land | 537 | 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 Day County?
The units GFP names for Day County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 22A | Day (exc. Waubay NWR) | 900 | 368 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Day County?
Highways: US 12 (about 78 miles in the county), SD 25 (about 34 miles in the county) and SD 27 (about 15 miles in the county). Towns: Webster, Waubay, Bristol, Butler, Andover, Grenville, Roslyn, Pierpont and 1 more.
How do the counties around Day compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | 57,084 | 409 | 12,006 | 28,219 |
| Clark | 4,970 | 31 | 10,870 | 6,575 |
| Codington | 6,354 | 32 | 9,570 | 6,055 |
| Grant | 16,954 | 54 | 1,658 | 5,364 |
| Marshall | 49,153 | 276 | 11,402 | 14,631 |
| Roberts | 26,536 | 104 | 6,862 | 4,893 |
| Spink | 9,611 | 69 | 3,261 | 4,844 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Day County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 66,931 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Day County's line, from 378 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 Day County?
Yes, 35: Bitter Lake - Day (4,726 acres), Mydland Pass (1,723 acres), Tobin/Tvinnereim Trust (797 acres), Hedman (779 acres), Hedtke-Breske-Helwig-Waubay (688 acres) and TNC/Puckett Property (580 acres), and 29 more.
What hunting units are in Day County?
GFP names deer unit 22A for Day County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Day County?
3.9% of the county, 27,292 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is game production area at 14,802 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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