Lawrence County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Lawrence County has 1,315 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (1 tract centered in the county), 4 game production areas covering 4,210 acres, and 279,752 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 55.7% of the county's 512,057 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)National forest or grasslandBLMState park or recreation area (rules vary)Other GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Lawrence CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 512,057 acres (800 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 1,315 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 1 (1,315 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 4, 4,210 acres |
| School and public land | 0 acres |
| Other public land | 279,752 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 15B |
| Antelope units | Antelope unit 15B |
| Towns | Spearfish, Deadwood, Lead, Whitewood and Central City |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Lawrence County?
1,315 acres inside the county line, 0.3% of the county. 1 Walk-In Area tract is centered in the county (1,315 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 Lawrence County?
4 GPAs, 4,210 acres in all, largest first:
- Harrison-Badger-Trucano GPA: 2,148 acres
- Coxes-Mirror Lakes GPA: 1,034 acres
- Beilage Hepler GPA: 988 acres
- Hydro No. 2 GPA: 40 acres
How much public land is in Lawrence County?
55.5% of the county is public land: 283,962 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is national forest or grassland, 274,535 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National forest or grassland | 274,535 | 53.6% |
| BLM | 5,217 | 1% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 4,210 | 0.8% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 1,315 | 0.3% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 120 | under 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 42 | 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 Lawrence County?
The units GFP names for Lawrence County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 15B | Southwest Butte / Northeast Lawrence | 810 | 638 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 15B | Butte/north Lawrence | 255 | 155 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Lawrence County?
Highways: US 85 (about 68 miles in the county), I-90 (about 56 miles in the county), US 14 (about 56 miles in the county), SD 34 (about 22 miles in the county) and US 385 (about 20 miles in the county). Towns: Spearfish, Deadwood, Lead, Whitewood, Central City, North Spearfish, Boulder Canyon, Mountain Plains and 2 more.
How do the counties around Lawrence compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte | 238,977 | 45 | 4,332 | 220,345 |
| Meade | 84,498 | 21 | 1,695 | 129,922 |
| Pennington | 4,731 | 6 | 175 | 637,804 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Lawrence County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 1,315 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Lawrence County's line, from 1 tract 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 Lawrence County?
Yes, 4: Harrison-Badger-Trucano (2,148 acres), Coxes-Mirror Lakes (1,034 acres), Beilage Hepler (988 acres) and Hydro No. 2 (40 acres).
What hunting units are in Lawrence County?
GFP names deer unit 15B and antelope unit 15B for Lawrence County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Lawrence County?
55.5% of the county, 283,962 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is national forest or grassland at 274,535 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 Butte County Meade County Pennington County