Kingsbury County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Kingsbury County has 1,238 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (10 tracts centered in the county), 17 game production areas covering 8,597 acres, and 7,331 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 3.1% of the county's 552,799 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 areaSchool 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)Kingsbury CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 552,799 acres (864 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 1,238 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 9 (1,081 acres in all) |
| CREP tracts centered in the county | 1 (157 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 17, 8,597 acres |
| School and public land | 43 acres |
| Other public land | 7,288 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 42A |
| Towns | Arlington, De Smet, Badger, Lake Preston and Iroquois |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Kingsbury County?
1,238 acres inside the county line, 0.2% of the county. 9 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (1,081 acres in all), and 1 CREP tract (157 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 Kingsbury County?
17 GPAs, 8,597 acres in all, largest first:
- Lake Thompson South GPA: 2,303 acres
- Whitewood Slough GPA: 1,997 acres
- Lake Thompson Northeast GPA: 1,672 acres
- Lake Thompson (Jodozi Tract) GPA: 806 acres
- Lake Thompson West GPA: 750 acres
- Iroquois GPA: 161 acres
- Lake Carthage - Kingsbury GPA: 156 acres
- DeSmet Forest GPA: 152 acres
- Boll GPA: 97 acres
- Converse GPA: 91 acres
- Albrecht GPA: 85 acres
- Arnold GPA: 79 acres
- Tenneboe GPA: 78 acres
- Mud Lake - Kingsbury GPA: 73 acres
- Apland GPA: 40 acres
- Kopperud GPA: 40 acres
- Lake Whitewood GPA: 15 acres
How much public land is in Kingsbury County?
2.9% of the county is public land: 15,928 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is game production area, 8,597 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Game production area (GFP) | 8,597 | 1.6% |
| Waterfowl production area | 7,288 | 1.3% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 1,238 | 0.2% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 619 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 170 | under 0.1% |
| School and public land | 43 | 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 Kingsbury County?
The units GFP names for Kingsbury County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 42A | Kingsbury | 700 | 291 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Kingsbury County?
Highways: US 14 (about 41 miles in the county), SD 25 (about 24 miles in the county) and US 81 (about 13 miles in the county). Towns: Arlington, De Smet, Badger, Lake Preston, Iroquois, Erwin, Oldham, Bancroft and 1 more.
How do the counties around Kingsbury compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beadle | 8,613 | 51 | 3,144 | 7,573 |
| Brookings | 2,794 | 23 | 2,775 | 6,625 |
| Clark | 4,970 | 31 | 10,870 | 6,575 |
| Hamlin | 3,124 | 20 | 8,082 | 3,391 |
| Lake | 430 | 4 | 3,760 | 6,089 |
| Miner | 633 | 4 | 4,680 | 1,593 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Kingsbury County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 1,238 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Kingsbury County's line, from 10 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 Kingsbury County?
Yes, 17: Lake Thompson South (2,303 acres), Whitewood Slough (1,997 acres), Lake Thompson Northeast (1,672 acres), Lake Thompson (Jodozi Tract) (806 acres), Lake Thompson West (750 acres) and Iroquois (161 acres), and 11 more.
What hunting units are in Kingsbury County?
GFP names deer unit 42A for Kingsbury County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Kingsbury County?
2.9% of the county, 15,928 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is game production area at 8,597 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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