Tripp County, South Dakota: Walk-In Areas, GPAs and public hunting land
Tripp County has 1,044 acres of private land open to public hunting through GFP's Walk-In Area and CREP programs inside its line (3 tracts centered in the county), 8 game production areas covering 948 acres, and 5,036 acres of other public land, by the maps GFP publishes. That is 0.7% of the county's 1,034,975 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)BLMSchool and public landOther GFP land (access sites, lakes)Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting)Tripp CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,034,975 acres (1,617 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Walk-In and CREP land inside the county line | 1,044 acres |
| Walk-In Area tracts centered in the county | 3 (1,044 acres in all) |
| Game production areas | 8, 948 acres |
| School and public land | 4,876 acres |
| Other public land | 160 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 60A |
| Towns | Winner, Colome, New Witten, Hamill and Ideal |
How much Walk-In Area land is in Tripp County?
1,044 acres inside the county line, 0.1% of the county. 3 Walk-In Area tracts are centered in the county (1,044 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 Tripp County?
8 GPAs, 948 acres in all, largest first:
- Mclaughlin GPA: 159 acres
- King Dam GPA: 159 acres
- Roosevelt Lake GPA: 157 acres
- Brown GPA: 157 acres
- Rahn Lake GPA: 119 acres
- Covey Dam GPA: 81 acres
- Little Dog Ear Lake GPA: 77 acres
- George "Bud" & Katherine Mann GPA: 39 acres
How much public land is in Tripp County?
0.6% of the county is public land: 5,984 acres, counting the GPAs. The largest share is school and public land, 4,876 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| School and public land | 4,876 | 0.5% |
| Walk-In Area or CREP (private land open to hunting) | 1,044 | 0.1% |
| Game production area (GFP) | 948 | 0.1% |
| Other GFP land (access sites, lakes) | 897 | 0.1% |
| BLM | 160 | 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 Tripp County?
The units GFP names for Tripp County, with their 2026 licenses and latest harvest projection, for the whole unit:
| Unit | GFP's description | Licenses, 2026 | Taken (GFP projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 60A | Tripp | 702 | 325 (2025) |
Sources: GFP 2026 draw applications; GFP harvest projections.
How do you get around Tripp County?
Highways: US 183 (about 63 miles in the county), SD 44 (about 43 miles in the county), US 18 (about 40 miles in the county), SD 49 (about 29 miles in the county) and SD 53 (about 28 miles in the county). Towns: Winner, Colome, New Witten, Hamill and Ideal.
How do the counties around Tripp compare?
| County | Walk-In and CREP acres | Tracts | GPA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregory | 12,926 | 6 | 12,998 | 2,927 |
| Lyman | 8,995 | 25 | 12,726 | 75,311 |
| Mellette | 24,248 | 16 | 0 | 11,490 |
| Todd | 2,315 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Questions hunters ask
How much Walk-In Area land is in Tripp County?
GFP's public hunting atlas shows 1,044 acres of Walk-In Area and CREP land inside Tripp County's line, from 3 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 Tripp County?
Yes, 8: Mclaughlin (159 acres), King Dam (159 acres), Roosevelt Lake (157 acres), Brown (157 acres), Rahn Lake (119 acres) and Covey Dam (81 acres), and 2 more.
What hunting units are in Tripp County?
GFP names deer unit 60A for Tripp County in its 2026 applications.
How much public land is in Tripp County?
0.6% of the county, 5,984 acres, is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules; the largest share is school and public land at 4,876 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 Gregory County Lyman County Mellette County Todd County