Mellette County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Mellette County has 24,248 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (16 tracts centered in the county), no game production area, and 11,490 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 4.3% of the county's 838,986 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.
School and public landWalk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Mellette CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 838,986 acres (1,311 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 24,248 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 16 (24,248 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | None |
| School and public land | 11,490 acres |
| Other public land | 0 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 50A |
| Antelope units | Antelope unit 50A |
| Towns | White River, Wood, Corn Creek, Horse Creek and Norris |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Mellette County?
24,248 acres inside the county line, 2.9% of the county. 16 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (24,248 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 Mellette County?
GFP's Managed Lands map shows no game production area in Mellette County.
How much public land is in Mellette County?
1.4% of the county is public land: 11,490 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is school and public land, 11,490 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 24,248 | 2.9% |
| School and public land | 11,490 | 1.4% |
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 Mellette County?
The units GFP names for Mellette County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 50A | Mellette | 594 | 335 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 50A | Mellette, Todd | 21 | 11 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Mellette County?
Highways: SD 44 (about 54 miles in the county), SD 63 (about 33 miles in the county) and US 83 (about 24 miles in the county). Towns: White River, Wood, Corn Creek, Horse Creek and Norris.
How do the counties around Mellette compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 9,938 | 8 | 0 | 110,584 |
| Jones | 6,703 | 10 | 621 | 23,965 |
| Lyman | 8,995 | 25 | 12,726 | 75,311 |
| Todd | 2,315 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tripp | 1,044 | 3 | 948 | 5,036 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Mellette County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 24,248 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Mellette County's line, from 16 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 Mellette County?
GFP's map shows no game production area in Mellette County.
What hunting units are in Mellette County?
GFP names deer unit 50A and antelope unit 50A for Mellette County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Mellette County?
1.4% of the county, 11,490 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is school and public land at 11,490 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.
South Dakota hunting Jackson County Jones County Lyman County Todd County Tripp County