Hutchinson County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Hutchinson County has 9,790 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (102 tracts centered in the county), 8 game production areas covering 2,070 acres, and 785 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 2.4% of the county's 521,169 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)Hutchinson CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 521,169 acres (814 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 9,790 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 18 (2,135 acres in all) |
| CREP tracts centered in the county | 84 (7,647 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 8, 2,070 acres |
| School and public land | 0 acres |
| Other public land | 785 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 37A |
| Towns | Freeman, Parkston, Tripp, Menno and Dimock |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Hutchinson County?
9,790 acres inside the county line, 1.9% of the county. 18 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (2,135 acres in all), and 84 CREP tracts (7,647 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 Hutchinson County?
8 GPAs, 2,070 acres in all, largest first:
- Knodel GPA: 527 acres
- Walz GPA: 378 acres
- Rolling Hills GPA: 365 acres
- Hogrefe GPA: 322 acres
- Weiger Slough GPA: 210 acres
- Mogck Slough GPA: 104 acres
- Freeman GPA: 84 acres
- Solay GPA: 80 acres
How much public land is in Hutchinson County?
0.5% of the county is public land: 2,855 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is game production area, 2,070 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 9,790 | 1.9% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 2,070 | 0.4% |
| Waterfowl production area | 785 | 0.2% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 191 | 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 Hutchinson County?
The units GFP names for Hutchinson County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 37A | Hutchinson | 50 | 26 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Hutchinson County?
Highways: US 18 (about 36 miles in the county), SD 44 (about 36 miles in the county), US 81 (about 23 miles in the county), SD 37 (about 23 miles in the county) and SD 25 (about 15 miles in the county). Towns: Freeman, Parkston, Tripp, Menno, Dimock, Olivet, Kaylor and Milltown.
How do the counties around Hutchinson compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Homme | 18,830 | 108 | 6,362 | 2,339 |
| Charles Mix | 1,801 | 12 | 11,621 | 12,769 |
| Davison | 1,228 | 11 | 437 | 229 |
| Douglas | 652 | 7 | 0 | 4,468 |
| Hanson | 4,268 | 41 | 588 | 1,063 |
| McCook | 2,745 | 29 | 2,931 | 3,491 |
| Turner | 750 | 11 | 1,109 | 994 |
| Yankton | 5,699 | 35 | 1,589 | 688 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Hutchinson County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 9,790 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Hutchinson County's line, from 102 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 Hutchinson County?
Yes, 8: Knodel (527 acres), Walz (378 acres), Rolling Hills (365 acres), Hogrefe (322 acres), Weiger Slough (210 acres) and Mogck Slough (104 acres), and 2 more.
What hunting units are in Hutchinson County?
GFP names deer unit 37A for Hutchinson County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Hutchinson County?
0.5% of the county, 2,855 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is game production area at 2,070 acres.
Get a South Dakota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for South Dakota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, South Dakota included.
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 Bon Homme County Charles Mix County Davison County Douglas County Hanson County McCook County