McPherson County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
McPherson County has 23,662 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (46 tracts centered in the county), 19 game production areas covering 4,768 acres, and 42,698 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 9.6% of the county's 737,197 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 landOther GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)McPherson CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 737,197 acres (1,152 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 23,662 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 45 (23,864 acres in all) |
| CREP tracts centered in the county | 1 (543 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 19, 4,768 acres |
| School and public land | 21,694 acres |
| Other public land | 21,004 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 47A |
| Towns | Eureka, Leola, Hillsview, Long Lake and Wetonka |
How much Walk-In Area land is in McPherson County?
23,662 acres inside the county line, 3.2% of the county. 45 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (23,864 acres in all), and 1 CREP tract (543 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 McPherson County?
19 GPAs, 4,768 acres in all, largest first:
- Stout GPA: 694 acres
- Schumacher GPA: 667 acres
- Odessa 1 GPA: 556 acres
- Simpson GPA: 497 acres
- Pfeifle Neuharth GPA: 404 acres
- Wolff GPA: 398 acres
- Moscow GPA: 288 acres
- School #2 GPA: 166 acres
- Elm Lake - McPherson GPA: 159 acres
- Wageman GPA: 153 acres
- Rosenthal GPA: 136 acres
- North Jackson GPA: 133 acres
- South Jackson GPA: 119 acres
- Rath GPA: 89 acres
- Schock GPA: 89 acres
- School #3 GPA: 87 acres
- Morlock GPA: 80 acres
- Odessa 2 GPA: 41 acres
- Leola Roadside Park GPA: 12 acres
How much public land is in McPherson County?
6.4% of the county is public land: 47,466 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is school and public land, 21,694 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 23,662 | 3.2% |
| School and public land | 21,694 | 2.9% |
| Waterfowl production area | 21,004 | 2.8% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 4,768 | 0.6% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 3 | 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 McPherson County?
The units GFP names for McPherson County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 47A | McPherson | 900 | 463 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around McPherson County?
Highways: SD 10 (about 49 miles in the county), SD 45 (about 43 miles in the county), SD 47 (about 25 miles in the county), SD 247 (about 13 miles in the county) and SD 239 (about 7 miles in the county). Towns: Eureka, Leola, Hillsview, Long Lake and Wetonka.
How do the counties around McPherson compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | 57,084 | 409 | 12,006 | 28,219 |
| Campbell | 10,485 | 28 | 5,654 | 12,042 |
| Edmunds | 8,485 | 28 | 1,892 | 22,299 |
| Walworth | 24,727 | 38 | 5,039 | 15,283 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in McPherson County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 23,662 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside McPherson County's line, from 46 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 McPherson County?
Yes, 19: Stout (694 acres), Schumacher (667 acres), Odessa 1 (556 acres), Simpson (497 acres), Pfeifle Neuharth (404 acres) and Wolff (398 acres), and 13 more.
What hunting units are in McPherson County?
GFP names deer unit 47A for McPherson County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in McPherson County?
6.4% of the county, 47,466 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is school and public land at 21,694 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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