Lyman County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Lyman County has 8,995 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (25 tracts centered in the county), 14 game production areas covering 12,726 acres, and 75,311 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 8.9% of the county's 1,092,335 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 grasslandCorps of EngineersSchool and public landState park or recreation area (rules vary)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Lyman CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,092,335 acres (1,707 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 8,995 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 25 (9,009 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 14, 12,726 acres |
| School and public land | 9,007 acres |
| Other public land | 66,304 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 45A, Deer unit 45B, Deer unit 45C, Deer unit 45D |
| Towns | Oacoma, Reliance, Kennebec, Presho and Vivian |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Lyman County?
8,995 acres inside the county line, 0.8% of the county. 25 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (9,009 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 Lyman County?
14 GPAs, 12,726 acres in all, largest first:
- Kiowa GPA: 2,499 acres
- Iona GPA: 2,119 acres
- Neugebauer GPA: 1,749 acres
- Carpenter GPA: 1,592 acres
- Lindley GPA: 1,134 acres
- Bull Creek GPA: 918 acres
- Byre Bottom GPA: 633 acres
- Reis Bottom GPA: 433 acres
- White River GPA: 388 acres
- Gammon GPA: 379 acres
- Fate Dam GPA: 322 acres
- Brakke GPA: 208 acres
- Oacoma GPA: 195 acres
- Salzmann GPA: 157 acres
How much public land is in Lyman County?
8.1% of the county is public land: 88,037 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is national forest or grassland, 60,544 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National forest or grassland | 60,544 | 5.5% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 12,726 | 1.2% |
| School and public land | 9,007 | 0.8% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 8,995 | 0.8% |
| Corps of Engineers | 5,760 | 0.5% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 37 | 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 Lyman County?
The units GFP names for Lyman County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 45A | South and Central Lyman | 486 | 219 (2025) |
| Deer unit 45B | Southeast Lyman | 243 | 133 (2025) |
| Deer unit 45C | Northeast Lyman | 55 | 15 (2025) |
| Deer unit 45D | Fort Pierre National Grasslands area | 87 | 50 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Lyman County?
Highways: I-90 (about 105 miles in the county), SD 47 (about 49 miles in the county), US 83 (about 44 miles in the county), SD 248 (about 40 miles in the county), SD 53 (about 14 miles in the county) and US 183 (about 14 miles in the county). Towns: Oacoma, Reliance, Kennebec, Presho, Vivian, West Brule and Lower Brule.
How do the counties around Lyman compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brule | 45 | 1 | 8,916 | 3,097 |
| Buffalo | 9,637 | 2 | 290 | 5,080 |
| Gregory | 12,926 | 6 | 12,998 | 2,927 |
| Hughes | 4,309 | 6 | 5,668 | 5,798 |
| Hyde | 3,784 | 3 | 1,612 | 25,147 |
| Jones | 6,703 | 10 | 621 | 23,965 |
| Mellette | 24,248 | 16 | 0 | 11,490 |
| Stanley | 19,588 | 14 | 17,140 | 64,806 |
| Tripp | 1,044 | 3 | 948 | 5,036 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Lyman County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 8,995 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Lyman County's line, from 25 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 Lyman County?
Yes, 14: Kiowa (2,499 acres), Iona (2,119 acres), Neugebauer (1,749 acres), Carpenter (1,592 acres), Lindley (1,134 acres) and Bull Creek (918 acres), and 8 more.
What hunting units are in Lyman County?
GFP names deer units 45A, 45B, 45C and 45D for Lyman County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Lyman County?
8.1% of the county, 88,037 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is national forest or grassland at 60,544 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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