Jackson County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Jackson County has 9,938 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (8 tracts centered in the county), no game production area, and 110,584 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 10.1% of the county's 1,197,716 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.
National forest or grasslandBLMSchool and public landWalk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Jackson CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,197,716 acres (1,871 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 9,938 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 8 (9,938 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | None |
| School and public land | 4,263 acres |
| Other public land | 106,321 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 39A, Deer unit 39B |
| Antelope units | Antelope unit 39A |
| Towns | Kadoka, Interior, Cottonwood, Belvidere and Wanblee |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Jackson County?
9,938 acres inside the county line, 0.8% of the county. 8 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (9,938 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 Jackson County?
GFP's Managed Lands map shows no game production area in Jackson County.
How much public land is in Jackson County?
9.2% of the county is public land: 110,584 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is national forest or grassland, 106,121 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National forest or grassland | 106,121 | 8.9% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 9,938 | 0.8% |
| School and public land | 4,263 | 0.4% |
| BLM | 200 | 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 Jackson County?
The units GFP names for Jackson County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 39A | North Jackson | 297 | 172 (2025) |
| Deer unit 39B | South Jackson | 405 | 229 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 39A | Jackson | 51 | 33 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Jackson County?
Highways: I-90 (about 100 miles in the county), SD 73 (about 58 miles in the county), SD 44 (about 53 miles in the county), SD 63 (about 29 miles in the county), SD 240 (about 14 miles in the county) and US 14 (about 13 miles in the county). Towns: Kadoka, Interior, Cottonwood, Belvidere and Wanblee.
How do the counties around Jackson compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennett | 16,995 | 25 | 2,856 | 28,580 |
| Haakon | 52,873 | 26 | 1,243 | 15,981 |
| Jones | 6,703 | 10 | 621 | 23,965 |
| Mellette | 24,248 | 16 | 0 | 11,490 |
| Oglala Lakota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Pennington | 4,731 | 6 | 175 | 637,804 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Jackson County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 9,938 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Jackson County's line, from 8 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 Jackson County?
GFP's map shows no game production area in Jackson County.
What hunting units are in Jackson County?
GFP names deer units 39A and 39B and antelope unit 39A for Jackson County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Jackson County?
9.2% of the county, 110,584 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is national forest or grassland at 106,121 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 Bennett County Haakon County Jones County Mellette County Oglala Lakota County Pennington County