Meade County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Meade County has 84,498 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (21 tracts centered in the county), 5 game production areas covering 1,695 acres, and 129,922 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 9.7% of the county's 2,228,924 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 grasslandBLMSchool and public landState park or recreation area (rules vary)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Meade CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 2,228,924 acres (3,483 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 84,498 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 21 (86,279 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 5, 1,695 acres |
| School and public land | 44,450 acres |
| Other public land | 85,472 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 02A, Deer unit 49A, Deer unit 49B |
| Antelope units | Antelope unit 49A, Antelope unit 49B, Antelope unit 53B |
| Towns | Sturgis, Summerset, Piedmont, Faith and Blackhawk |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Meade County?
84,498 acres inside the county line, 3.8% of the county. 21 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (86,279 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 Meade County?
5 GPAs, 1,695 acres in all, largest first:
- Marcotte GPA: 496 acres
- Curlew Lake GPA: 440 acres
- Pete Lien & Sons Shooting Sports Complex GPA: 398 acres
- Opal Lake GPA: 200 acres
- Tisdale Lake GPA: 161 acres
How much public land is in Meade County?
5.9% of the county is public land: 131,617 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is national forest or grassland, 45,414 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 84,498 | 3.8% |
| National forest or grassland | 45,414 | 2% |
| School and public land | 44,450 | 2% |
| BLM | 40,058 | 1.8% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 1,764 | 0.1% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 1,695 | 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 Meade County?
The units GFP names for Meade County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 02A | East Pennington / Southeast Meade | 702 | 419 (2025) |
| Deer unit 49A | Western Meade | 972 | 586 (2025) |
| Deer unit 49B | North and Central Meade | 648 | 470 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 49A | north Meade | 153 | 127 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 49B | south Meade/north Pennington | 51 | 36 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 53B | south Perkins/north Meade | 204 | 90 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Meade County?
Highways: SD 34 (about 87 miles in the county), SD 79 (about 63 miles in the county), I-90 (about 50 miles in the county), US 14 (about 50 miles in the county), US 212 (about 49 miles in the county) and SD 73 (about 35 miles in the county). Towns: Sturgis, Summerset, Piedmont, Faith, Blackhawk, Blucksberg Mountain and Wonderland Homes.
How do the counties around Meade compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte | 238,977 | 45 | 4,332 | 220,345 |
| Lawrence | 1,315 | 1 | 4,210 | 279,752 |
| Pennington | 4,731 | 6 | 175 | 637,804 |
| Perkins | 117,767 | 63 | 7,030 | 204,458 |
| Ziebach | 57,671 | 30 | 195 | 13,935 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Meade County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 84,498 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Meade County's line, from 21 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 Meade County?
Yes, 5: Marcotte (496 acres), Curlew Lake (440 acres), Pete Lien & Sons Shooting Sports Complex (398 acres), Opal Lake (200 acres) and Tisdale Lake (161 acres).
What hunting units are in Meade County?
GFP names deer units 02A, 49A and 49B and antelope units 49A, 49B and 53B for Meade County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Meade County?
5.9% of the county, 131,617 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is national forest or grassland at 45,414 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 Lawrence County Pennington County Perkins County Ziebach County