Minnehaha County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Minnehaha County has 394 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (2 tracts centered in the county), 13 game production areas covering 2,438 acres, and 4,735 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 1.5% of the county's 520,833 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 areaState park or recreation area (rules vary)Other GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Minnehaha CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 520,833 acres (814 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 394 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 2 (394 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 13, 2,438 acres |
| School and public land | 0 acres |
| Other public land | 4,735 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 01A |
| Towns | Sioux Falls, Brandon, Hartford, Dell Rapids and Garretson |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Minnehaha County?
394 acres inside the county line, 0.1% of the county. 2 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (394 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 Minnehaha County?
13 GPAs, 2,438 acres in all, largest first:
- Weisensee GPA: 491 acres
- Grass Lake GPA: 358 acres
- Diamond Lake GPA: 265 acres
- Twin Lakes - Minnehaha GPA: 256 acres
- Scott Lake GPA: 239 acres
- Horsted GPA: 228 acres
- Pederson GPA: 163 acres
- Island Lake - Minnehaha GPA: 130 acres
- Scott Slough GPA: 112 acres
- Stofferahn GPA: 109 acres
- Loss Lake GPA: 46 acres
- Buffalo Lake GPA: 29 acres
- Huntimer GPA: 12 acres
How much public land is in Minnehaha County?
1.4% of the county is public land: 7,173 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 4,735 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfowl production area | 4,735 | 0.9% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 2,438 | 0.5% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 1,143 | 0.2% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 394 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 78 | 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 Minnehaha County?
The units GFP names for Minnehaha County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 01A | Minnehaha (restrictions; see unit desc.) | 300 | 160 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Minnehaha County?
Highways: I-90 (about 71 miles in the county), I-29 (about 49 miles in the county), SD 11 (about 34 miles in the county), SD 42 (about 32 miles in the county), SD 115 (about 27 miles in the county) and SD 19 (about 26 miles in the county). Towns: Sioux Falls, Brandon, Hartford, Dell Rapids, Garretson, Crooks, Valley Springs, Baltic and 9 more.
How do the counties around Minnehaha compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake | 430 | 4 | 3,760 | 6,089 |
| Lincoln | 1,782 | 14 | 1,512 | 179 |
| McCook | 2,745 | 29 | 2,931 | 3,491 |
| Moody | 1,229 | 10 | 657 | 3,172 |
| Turner | 750 | 11 | 1,109 | 994 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Minnehaha County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 394 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Minnehaha County's line, from 2 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 Minnehaha County?
Yes, 13: Weisensee (491 acres), Grass Lake (358 acres), Diamond Lake (265 acres), Twin Lakes - Minnehaha (256 acres), Scott Lake (239 acres) and Horsted (228 acres), and 7 more.
What hunting units are in Minnehaha County?
GFP names deer unit 01A for Minnehaha County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Minnehaha County?
1.4% of the county, 7,173 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is waterfowl production area at 4,735 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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