Lake County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Lake County has 430 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (4 tracts centered in the county), 13 game production areas covering 3,760 acres, and 6,089 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 2.8% of the county's 368,141 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 areaState park or recreation area (rules vary)Other GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Lake CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 368,141 acres (575 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 430 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 4 (430 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 13, 3,760 acres |
| School and public land | 0 acres |
| Other public land | 6,089 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 43A |
| Towns | Madison, Nunda, Ramona, Brant Lake and Lake Madison |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Lake County?
430 acres inside the county line, 0.1% of the county. 4 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (430 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 Lake County?
13 GPAs, 3,760 acres in all, largest first:
- Reynolds Slough GPA: 891 acres
- Wentworth GPA: 684 acres
- Buffalo Slough GPA: 663 acres
- Floyd Gaarder GPA: 555 acres
- Green GPA: 224 acres
- Lake Henry GPA: 158 acres
- Davis Slough GPA: 152 acres
- Swartz GPA: 123 acres
- Fods Slough GPA: 112 acres
- Townswick GPA: 78 acres
- Dooley GPA: 54 acres
- Zimmerman GPA: 42 acres
- Bourne Slough GPA: 21 acres
How much public land is in Lake County?
2.7% of the county is public land: 9,849 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 6,089 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfowl production area | 6,089 | 1.7% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 3,760 | 1% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 430 | 0.1% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 338 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 203 | 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 Lake County?
The units GFP names for Lake County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 43A | Lake | 400 | 179 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Lake County?
Highways: SD 34 (about 28 miles in the county), US 81 (about 25 miles in the county) and SD 19 (about 10 miles in the county). Towns: Madison, Nunda, Ramona, Brant Lake, Lake Madison, Winfred, Chester, Brant Lake South and 1 more.
How do the counties around Lake compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookings | 2,794 | 23 | 2,775 | 6,625 |
| Kingsbury | 1,238 | 10 | 8,597 | 7,331 |
| McCook | 2,745 | 29 | 2,931 | 3,491 |
| Miner | 633 | 4 | 4,680 | 1,593 |
| Minnehaha | 394 | 2 | 2,438 | 4,735 |
| Moody | 1,229 | 10 | 657 | 3,172 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Lake County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 430 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Lake County's line, from 4 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 Lake County?
Yes, 13: Reynolds Slough (891 acres), Wentworth (684 acres), Buffalo Slough (663 acres), Floyd Gaarder (555 acres), Green (224 acres) and Lake Henry (158 acres), and 7 more.
What hunting units are in Lake County?
GFP names deer unit 43A for Lake County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Lake County?
2.7% of the county, 9,849 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is waterfowl production area at 6,089 acres.
Get a South Dakota hunt plan when they open
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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.
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