Perkins County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Perkins County has 117,767 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (63 tracts centered in the county), 2 game production areas covering 7,030 acres, and 204,458 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 17.8% of the county's 1,849,631 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 grasslandBLMBureau of ReclamationSchool and public landState park or recreation area (rules vary)Other GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Perkins CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,849,631 acres (2,890 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 117,767 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 63 (125,653 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 2, 7,030 acres |
| School and public land | 72,354 acres |
| Other public land | 132,104 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 53A, Deer unit 53C |
| Antelope units | Antelope unit 53A, Antelope unit 53B |
| Towns | Lemmon, Bison and Prairie City |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Perkins County?
117,767 acres inside the county line, 6.4% of the county. 63 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (125,653 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 Perkins County?
2 GPAs, 7,030 acres in all, largest first:
- Shadehill Reservoir GPA: 6,714 acres
- Sorum Dam GPA: 317 acres
How much public land is in Perkins County?
11.4% of the county is public land: 211,488 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is national forest or grassland, 123,582 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National forest or grassland | 123,582 | 6.7% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 117,767 | 6.4% |
| School and public land | 72,354 | 3.9% |
| BLM | 8,062 | 0.4% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 7,030 | 0.4% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 1,617 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 607 | under 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 460 | 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 Perkins County?
The units GFP names for Perkins County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 53A | North Perkins | 918 | 673 (2025) |
| Deer unit 53C | South Perkins | 1,026 | 767 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 53A | Perkins, north of SD Hwy 20 | 77 | 53 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 53B | south Perkins/north Meade | 204 | 90 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Perkins County?
Highways: SD 73 (about 72 miles in the county), SD 20 (about 52 miles in the county), SD 75 (about 29 miles in the county) and US 12 (about 19 miles in the county). Towns: Lemmon, Bison and Prairie City.
How do the counties around Perkins compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte | 238,977 | 45 | 4,332 | 220,345 |
| Corson | 79,323 | 27 | 316 | 68,526 |
| Harding | 183,204 | 42 | 900 | 356,519 |
| Meade | 84,498 | 21 | 1,695 | 129,922 |
| Ziebach | 57,671 | 30 | 195 | 13,935 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Perkins County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 117,767 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Perkins County's line, from 63 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 Perkins County?
Yes, 2: Shadehill Reservoir (6,714 acres) and Sorum Dam (317 acres).
What hunting units are in Perkins County?
GFP names deer units 53A and 53C and antelope units 53A and 53B for Perkins County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Perkins County?
11.4% of the county, 211,488 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is national forest or grassland at 123,582 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 Butte County Corson County Harding County Meade County Ziebach County