Sully County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Sully County has 14,224 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (26 tracts centered in the county), 17 game production areas covering 19,590 acres, and 15,062 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 7.1% of the county's 684,955 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 areaCorps 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)Sully CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 684,955 acres (1,070 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 14,224 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 26 (13,278 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 17, 19,590 acres |
| School and public land | 14,139 acres |
| Other public land | 923 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 59A, Deer unit 59B |
| Antelope units | Antelope unit 59A |
| Towns | Onida, Agar and Cow Creek |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Sully County?
14,224 acres inside the county line, 2.1% of the county. 26 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (13,278 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 Sully County?
17 GPAs, 19,590 acres in all, largest first:
- Little Bend GPA: 5,495 acres
- Medicine Knoll Creek GPA: 4,155 acres
- Sutton GPA: 2,703 acres
- Okobojo Creek GPA: 1,264 acres
- Mail Shack GPA: 1,176 acres
- Stone Lake GPA: 1,113 acres
- Cottonwood Lake - Sully GPA: 1,075 acres
- Ft. Sully GPA: 723 acres
- Koenig Area GPA: 647 acres
- Elk 6 GPA: 323 acres
- Cow Creek GPA: 196 acres
- Pleasant 8 GPA: 160 acres
- Lake 2 GPA: 159 acres
- Lambrecht GPA: 154 acres
- Hofer GPA: 98 acres
- Onida GPA: 78 acres
- Pleasant 9 GPA: 67 acres
How much public land is in Sully County?
5.1% of the county is public land: 34,652 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is game production area, 19,590 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Game production area (GFP) | 19,590 | 2.9% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 14,224 | 2.1% |
| School and public land | 14,139 | 2.1% |
| State park or recreation area (rules vary) | 887 | 0.1% |
| Corps of Engineers | 656 | 0.1% |
| Waterfowl production area | 267 | under 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 5 | 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 Sully County?
The units GFP names for Sully County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 59A | Sully, west of US 83 | 175 | 107 (2025) |
| Deer unit 59B | Sully, east of US 83 | 95 | 46 (2025) |
| Antelope unit 59A | Sully | 6 | 3 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Sully County?
Highways: SD 1804 (about 32 miles in the county) and US 83 (about 24 miles in the county). Towns: Onida, Agar and Cow Creek.
How do the counties around Sully compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey | 35,293 | 25 | 3,540 | 6,618 |
| Hughes | 4,309 | 6 | 5,668 | 5,798 |
| Hyde | 3,784 | 3 | 1,612 | 25,147 |
| Potter | 3,970 | 10 | 3,990 | 22,330 |
| Stanley | 19,588 | 14 | 17,140 | 64,806 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Sully County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 14,224 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Sully County's line, from 26 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 Sully County?
Yes, 17: Little Bend (5,495 acres), Medicine Knoll Creek (4,155 acres), Sutton (2,703 acres), Okobojo Creek (1,264 acres), Mail Shack (1,176 acres) and Stone Lake (1,113 acres), and 11 more.
What hunting units are in Sully County?
GFP names deer units 59A and 59B and antelope unit 59A for Sully County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Sully County?
5.1% of the county, 34,652 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is game production area at 19,590 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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