Stanley County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Stanley County has 19,588 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (14 tracts centered in the county), 7 game production areas covering 17,140 acres, and 64,806 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 10.5% of the county's 970,888 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 grasslandBLMCorps of EngineersSchool 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)Stanley CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 970,888 acres (1,517 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 19,588 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 14 (19,609 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 7, 17,140 acres |
| School and public land | 8,170 acres |
| Other public land | 56,636 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 45D, Deer unit 58A, Deer unit 58D |
| Antelope units | Antelope unit 58A |
| Towns | Fort Pierre |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Stanley County?
19,588 acres inside the county line, 2% of the county. 14 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (19,609 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 Stanley County?
7 GPAs, 17,140 acres in all, largest first:
- Brush Creek GPA: 6,009 acres
- Chantier Creek GPA: 5,113 acres
- Minneconjou GPA: 3,886 acres
- Frozen Man Creek GPA: 700 acres
- Schomer Draw GPA: 661 acres
- Antelope Creek GPA: 594 acres
- Ft. George GPA: 178 acres
How much public land is in Stanley County?
8.4% of the county is public land: 81,946 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is national forest or grassland, 35,404 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National forest or grassland | 35,404 | 3.6% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 19,588 | 2% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 17,140 | 1.8% |
| BLM | 15,994 | 1.6% |
| School and public land | 8,170 | 0.8% |
| Corps of Engineers | 5,238 | 0.5% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 1,290 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 73 | 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 Stanley County?
The units GFP names for Stanley County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 45D | Fort Pierre National Grasslands area | 87 | 50 (2025) |
| Deer unit 58A | Stanley | 324 | 241 (2025) |
| Deer unit 58D | Stanley, Wheelchair for mobility users only (Nov 21-22) | 10 | 2 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 58A | Stanley, excl. PRA-45B | 21 | 24 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Stanley County?
Highways: SD 1806 (about 70 miles in the county), US 14 (about 52 miles in the county), SD 34 (about 40 miles in the county), SD 63 (about 37 miles in the county) and US 83 (about 30 miles in the county). Towns: Fort Pierre.
How do the counties around Stanley compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey | 35,293 | 25 | 3,540 | 6,618 |
| Haakon | 52,873 | 26 | 1,243 | 15,981 |
| Hughes | 4,309 | 6 | 5,668 | 5,798 |
| Jones | 6,703 | 10 | 621 | 23,965 |
| Lyman | 8,995 | 25 | 12,726 | 75,311 |
| Sully | 14,224 | 26 | 19,590 | 15,062 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Stanley County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 19,588 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Stanley County's line, from 14 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 Stanley County?
Yes, 7: Brush Creek (6,009 acres), Chantier Creek (5,113 acres), Minneconjou (3,886 acres), Frozen Man Creek (700 acres), Schomer Draw (661 acres) and Antelope Creek (594 acres), and 1 more.
What hunting units are in Stanley County?
GFP names deer units 45D, 58A and 58D and antelope unit 58A for Stanley County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Stanley County?
8.4% of the county, 81,946 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is national forest or grassland at 35,404 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 Dewey County Haakon County Hughes County Jones County Lyman County Sully County