Haakon County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Haakon County has 52,873 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (26 tracts centered in the county), 3 game production areas covering 1,243 acres, and 15,981 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 6% of the county's 1,168,961 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)BLMCorps of EngineersSchool and public landOther GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Haakon CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,168,961 acres (1,827 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 52,873 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 26 (51,645 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 3, 1,243 acres |
| School and public land | 12,613 acres |
| Other public land | 3,368 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 31A |
| Antelope units | Antelope unit 31A |
| Towns | Philip and Midland |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Haakon County?
52,873 acres inside the county line, 4.5% of the county. 26 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (51,645 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 Haakon County?
3 GPAs, 1,243 acres in all, largest first:
- Cheyenne GPA: 849 acres
- BCB1 GPA: 314 acres
- Billsburg GPA: 80 acres
How much public land is in Haakon County?
1.5% of the county is public land: 17,224 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is school and public land, 12,613 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 52,873 | 4.5% |
| School and public land | 12,613 | 1.1% |
| BLM | 2,437 | 0.2% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 1,243 | 0.1% |
| Corps of Engineers | 931 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 9 | 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. 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 Haakon County?
The units GFP names for Haakon County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 31A | Haakon | 1,107 | 768 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 31A | Haakon | 26 | 12 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Haakon County?
Highways: SD 73 (about 46 miles in the county), SD 34 (about 45 miles in the county), US 14 (about 40 miles in the county) and SD 63 (about 17 miles in the county). Towns: Philip and Midland.
How do the counties around Haakon compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 9,938 | 8 | 0 | 110,584 |
| Jones | 6,703 | 10 | 621 | 23,965 |
| Pennington | 4,731 | 6 | 175 | 637,804 |
| Stanley | 19,588 | 14 | 17,140 | 64,806 |
| Ziebach | 57,671 | 30 | 195 | 13,935 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Haakon County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 52,873 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Haakon County's line, from 26 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 Haakon County?
Yes, 3: Cheyenne (849 acres), BCB1 (314 acres) and Billsburg (80 acres).
What hunting units are in Haakon County?
GFP names deer unit 31A and antelope unit 31A for Haakon County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Haakon County?
1.5% of the county, 17,224 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is school and public land at 12,613 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 Jackson County Jones County Pennington County Stanley County Ziebach County