Grant County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Grant County has 16,954 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (54 tracts centered in the county), 7 game production areas covering 1,658 acres, and 5,364 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 5.4% of the county's 440,066 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 areaOther GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Grant CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 440,066 acres (688 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 16,954 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 54 (16,149 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 7, 1,658 acres |
| School and public land | 0 acres |
| Other public land | 5,364 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 29A |
| Towns | Milbank, Big Stone City, Marvin, Stockholm and Twin Brooks |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Grant County?
16,954 acres inside the county line, 3.9% of the county. 54 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (16,149 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 Grant County?
7 GPAs, 1,658 acres in all, largest first:
- Willette GPA: 568 acres
- Mazzeppa GPA: 400 acres
- Markve (Lonesome Lake) GPA: 186 acres
- Mud Lake - Grant GPA: 160 acres
- Skoog GPA: 156 acres
- Troy Lake GPA: 114 acres
- Holtquist Slough GPA: 74 acres
How much public land is in Grant County?
1.6% of the county is public land: 7,022 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 5,364 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 16,954 | 3.9% |
| Waterfowl production area | 5,364 | 1.2% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 1,658 | 0.4% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 1,375 | 0.3% |
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 Grant County?
The units GFP names for Grant County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 29A | Grant | 500 | 256 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Grant County?
Highways: US 12 (about 30 miles in the county), SD 15 (about 24 miles in the county), US 81 (about 20 miles in the county), I-29 (about 20 miles in the county), SD 20 (about 19 miles in the county) and SD 158 (about 9 miles in the county). Towns: Milbank, Big Stone City, Marvin, Stockholm, Twin Brooks, La Bolt, Revillo, Albee and 1 more.
How do the counties around Grant compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codington | 6,354 | 32 | 9,570 | 6,055 |
| Day | 66,931 | 378 | 14,802 | 12,490 |
| Deuel | 5,400 | 35 | 5,164 | 3,203 |
| Roberts | 26,536 | 104 | 6,862 | 4,893 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Grant County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 16,954 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Grant County's line, from 54 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 Grant County?
Yes, 7: Willette (568 acres), Mazzeppa (400 acres), Markve (Lonesome Lake) (186 acres), Mud Lake - Grant (160 acres), Skoog (156 acres) and Troy Lake (114 acres), and 1 more.
What hunting units are in Grant County?
GFP names deer unit 29A for Grant County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Grant County?
1.6% of the county, 7,022 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is waterfowl production area at 5,364 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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