County guide · South Dakota · SD WPAs

Waterfowl Production Areas & Public Hunting Land in Jerauld County, SD

Jerauld County has 9 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 1,790 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Jackson WPA at 958 acres; the average tract is about 199 acres, and 4 are smaller than 80 acres.

WPAs here are managed by the Huron Wetland Management District, which sets any district-specific rules (vehicle access, blinds, nontoxic shot, closed areas).

The county covers about 536 square miles and has roughly 1,663 residents. WPAs make up about 0.5% of its land area.

9named WPAs
1.8Kacres of WPA land
958largest WPA (ac)
1refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Jerauld County

Gold outlines are fee-title Waterfowl Production Areas — federally owned public land. Land outside them is almost always private. Switch to satellite to check water conditions and cover, and click any tract for coordinates.

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Waterfowl Production Area (public)County lineRefuge / station Tip: switch to Satellite or USGS Topo in the layer menu · click the map for GPS coordinates
Take every tract with you:KML (Google Earth / onX)GPX waypoints

All Waterfowl Production Areas in Jerauld County

Largest WPAs (acres)
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<40: 22<4040–80: 2240–8080–160: 2280–160160–320: 22160–320320+: 11320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Jackson WPA 958 26 mi S of Huron 44.00609, -98.40704 Map · Directions
Winter WPA 240 35 mi W of Huron 44.18412, -98.87298 Map · Directions
Linn WPA 166 29 mi SW of Huron 44.15650, -98.72199 Map · Directions
Zink WPA 150 22 mi SW of Huron 44.10199, -98.46964 Map · Directions
Long Lake WPA 99 28 mi SW of Huron 44.17738, -98.72214 Map · Directions
Freudenburg WPA 73 18 mi SW of Huron 44.13695, -98.37925 Map · Directions
Kraft WPA 52 31 mi SW of Huron 44.01092, -98.60865 Map · Directions
Brandenburg WPA 40 21 mi SW of Huron 44.09855, -98.41485 Map · Directions
Hoarty WPA 13 28 mi SW of Huron 44.11786, -98.67194 Map · Directions

Acreage from USFWS realty GIS polygons. Coordinates are a point inside each tract — not necessarily a parking area. Look for designated parking and boundary signs on the ground.

Hunting WPAs in Jerauld County: rules & tips

Typically allowed

  • Hunting waterfowl, upland birds, deer and other game in season under South Dakota regulations
  • Walk-in access from roads and designated parking areas
  • Fishing and trapping where state and district rules allow
  • Wildlife watching, photography and dog training outside restricted periods

Common restrictions

  • No camping, fires or overnight use on most tracts
  • Motor vehicles only on designated roads and parking areas
  • Blinds and portable stands usually removed at the end of each day
  • Nontoxic shot required for waterfowl; many districts require it for all shotgun hunting
  • Some tracts have closed areas, refuge-style rules or seasonal restrictions

Getting to Jerauld County

Distances below are straight-line from the center of the county. Most WPAs are reached by county and township gravel roads — download the GPX file and load it into your phone or GPS before you lose cell coverage.

  • Huron, SD29 mi — county center is SW of town
  • Mitchell, SD39 mi — county center is NW of town
  • Lake Andes, SD63 mi — county center is N of town
  • Madison, SD76 mi — county center is W of town

Shooting hours in Jerauld County

Today at Jerauld County

Legal light*–
Sunrise–
Sunset–

*½ hour before sunrise — the standard federal shooting-hour start for migratory game birds. Times in Chicago local time.

Full season calculator →

2026–2027 season sun table

DateShooting lightSunriseSunsetDaylight
Tue, Sep 1, 20266:26 AM6:56 AM8:13 PM13h 17m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:42 AM7:12 AM7:47 PM12h 35m
Thu, Oct 1, 20267:00 AM7:30 AM7:17 PM11h 47m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:17 AM7:47 AM6:52 PM11h 05m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:39 AM7:09 AM5:26 PM10h 17m
Sun, Nov 15, 20266:58 AM7:28 AM5:09 PM9h 41m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:19 AM7:49 AM4:58 PM9h 10m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:32 AM8:02 AM4:56 PM8h 55m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:39 AM8:09 AM5:05 PM8h 56m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:36 AM8:06 AM5:19 PM9h 14m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:22 AM7:52 AM5:42 PM9h 49m

Computed for 44.066, -98.634 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Jerauld County

Loading National Weather Service forecast…

Forecast from the National Weather Service. Wind direction matters — plan your approach downwind of where game beds.

Refuges & districts with land in Jerauld County

Huron WMD

Beadle County, SD

1 open1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

17.5K huntable acres

Neighboring counties with WPAs

Source: USFWS Realty Tracts (fee-title interest) and Esri county boundaries. Page updated October 28, 2026.