Pennington County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Pennington County has 4,731 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (6 tracts centered in the county), 2 game production areas covering 175 acres, and 637,804 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 36.1% of the county's 1,782,224 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 landOther GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Pennington CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,782,224 acres (2,785 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 4,731 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 6 (6,001 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 2, 175 acres |
| School and public land | 27,275 acres |
| Other public land | 610,529 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 02A, Deer unit 02C, Deer unit 21A, Deer unit 21B |
| Antelope units | Antelope unit 02A, Antelope unit 21A, Antelope unit 49B |
| Towns | Rapid City, Box Elder, Keystone, Wall and New Underwood |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Pennington County?
4,731 acres inside the county line, 0.3% of the county. 6 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (6,001 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 Pennington County?
2 GPAs, 175 acres in all, largest first:
- Spring Creek GPA: 109 acres
- Sunday Gulch GPA: 66 acres
How much public land is in Pennington County?
35.8% of the county is public land: 637,979 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is national forest or grassland, 594,171 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National forest or grassland | 594,171 | 33.3% |
| School and public land | 27,275 | 1.5% |
| BLM | 16,358 | 0.9% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 4,731 | 0.3% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 261 | under 0.1% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 175 | 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 Pennington County?
The units GFP names for Pennington 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 02C | Southeast Pennington | 135 | 77 (2025) |
| Deer unit 21A | East Custer / Central Pennington | 378 | 239 (2025) |
| Deer unit 21B | Central Custer / South Central Pennington | 108 | 67 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 02A | east Pennington | 51 | 33 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 21A | Custer/central Pennington | 128 | 79 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 49B | south Meade/north Pennington | 51 | 36 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Pennington County?
Highways: I-90 (about 142 miles in the county), US 14 (about 129 miles in the county), SD 44 (about 91 miles in the county), US 16 (about 54 miles in the county), SD 79 (about 53 miles in the county) and US 385 (about 27 miles in the county). Towns: Rapid City, Box Elder, Keystone, Wall, New Underwood, Hill City, Quinn, Wasta and 6 more.
How do the counties around Pennington compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custer | 30,835 | 15 | 2,841 | 377,878 |
| Haakon | 52,873 | 26 | 1,243 | 15,981 |
| Jackson | 9,938 | 8 | 0 | 110,584 |
| Lawrence | 1,315 | 1 | 4,210 | 279,752 |
| Meade | 84,498 | 21 | 1,695 | 129,922 |
| Oglala Lakota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Pennington County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 4,731 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Pennington County's line, from 6 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 Pennington County?
Yes, 2: Spring Creek (109 acres) and Sunday Gulch (66 acres).
What hunting units are in Pennington County?
GFP names deer units 02A, 02C, 21A and 21B and antelope units 02A, 21A and 49B for Pennington County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Pennington County?
35.8% of the county, 637,979 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is national forest or grassland at 594,171 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 Custer County Haakon County Jackson County Lawrence County Meade County Oglala Lakota County