Roberts County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Roberts County has 26,536 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (104 tracts centered in the county), 24 game production areas covering 6,862 acres, and 4,893 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 5.3% of the county's 726,794 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)Roberts CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 726,794 acres (1,136 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 26,536 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 99 (25,154 acres in all) |
| CREP tracts centered in the county | 5 (773 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 24, 6,862 acres |
| School and public land | 0 acres |
| Other public land | 4,893 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 55A |
| Towns | Ortley, Sisseton, White Rock, Summit and Wilmot |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Roberts County?
26,536 acres inside the county line, 3.7% of the county. 99 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (25,154 acres in all), and 5 CREP tracts (773 acres). 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 Roberts County?
24 GPAs, 6,862 acres in all, largest first:
- White Rock GPA: 2,933 acres
- Peever Slough + 40 GPA: 598 acres
- Summit GPA: 367 acres
- Eastman GPA: 329 acres
- Okeson GPA: 319 acres
- Harmon GPA: 273 acres
- Ortley GPA: 271 acres
- Bde Saka GPA: 241 acres
- Crawford GPA: 234 acres
- Sather Slough GPA: 190 acres
- Mud Lake - Roberts GPA: 154 acres
- Victor GPA: 120 acres
- Smith - Roberts GPA: 114 acres
- Diamond GPA: 102 acres
- Osterloh GPA: 90 acres
- Knutson GPA: 81 acres
- Dunn GPA: 78 acres
- Shepard GPA: 78 acres
- Spink 80 GPA: 77 acres
- Big Stone Ponds GPA: 53 acres
- Traverse GPA: 48 acres
- Knebel Slough GPA: 41 acres
- Braaten GPA: 37 acres
- Big Stone Lake GPA: 33 acres
How much public land is in Roberts County?
1.6% of the county is public land: 11,755 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is game production area, 6,862 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 26,536 | 3.7% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 6,862 | 0.9% |
| Waterfowl production area | 4,893 | 0.7% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 807 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 129 | 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 Roberts County?
The units GFP names for Roberts County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 55A | Roberts | 550 | 258 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Roberts County?
Highways: US 81 (about 93 miles in the county), I-29 (about 93 miles in the county), SD 127 (about 37 miles in the county), SD 109 (about 30 miles in the county), SD 15 (about 25 miles in the county) and SD 10 (about 22 miles in the county). Towns: Ortley, Sisseton, White Rock, Summit, Wilmot, Rosholt, New Effington, Corona and 5 more.
How do the counties around Roberts compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | 66,931 | 378 | 14,802 | 12,490 |
| Grant | 16,954 | 54 | 1,658 | 5,364 |
| Marshall | 49,153 | 276 | 11,402 | 14,631 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Roberts County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 26,536 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Roberts County's line, from 104 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 Roberts County?
Yes, 24: White Rock (2,933 acres), Peever Slough + 40 (598 acres), Summit (367 acres), Eastman (329 acres), Okeson (319 acres) and Harmon (273 acres), and 18 more.
What hunting units are in Roberts County?
GFP names deer unit 55A for Roberts County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Roberts County?
1.6% of the county, 11,755 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is game production area at 6,862 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 Day County Grant County Marshall County