Madison WMD
Lake County, SD
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44K huntable acres
County guide · South Dakota · SD WPAs
Waterfowl Production Areas & Public Hunting Land in Lake County, SD
Lake County has 37 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 6,282 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Lake Henry WPA at 639 acres; the average tract is about 170 acres, and 15 are smaller than 80 acres.
WPAs here are managed by the Madison Wetland Management District, which sets any district-specific rules (vehicle access, blinds, nontoxic shot, closed areas).
The county covers about 576 square miles and has roughly 11,059 residents. WPAs make up about 1.7% of its land area.
37named WPAs
6.3Kacres of WPA land
639largest WPA (ac)
1refuges & districts
Map of WPAs in Lake 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
All Waterfowl Production Areas in Lake County
| WPA | Acres | Nearest town | GPS | Go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Henry WPA | 639 | 12 mi SW of Madison | 43.91727, -97.32403 |
Map · Directions |
| Long Lake WPA | 600 | 6.1 mi SE of Madison | 43.94206, -97.03157 |
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| Hansen WPA | 446 | 3.5 mi E of Madison | 44.02048, -97.04072 |
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| Alquire WPA 414 deeded ac |
424 | 12 mi SW of Brookings | 44.18723, -96.97716 |
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| Murfield WPA 400 deeded ac |
394 | 13 mi NE of Madison | 44.17800, -96.99745 |
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| Madison WPA | 390 | 3.2 mi SE of Madison | 43.96962, -97.07956 |
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| Kattke WPA | 331 | 13 mi NW of Madison | 44.17839, -97.22952 |
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| Pekarek WPA | 285 | 13 mi NW of Madison | 44.10048, -97.34771 |
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| Fischer WPA | 195 | 10 mi W of Madison | 44.05393, -97.30374 |
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| Ramsey WPA | 178 | 12 mi SW of Brookings | 44.18853, -96.96701 |
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| Childrens WPA | 173 | 13 mi N of Madison | 44.18649, -97.05131 |
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| Pearson WPA | 165 | 14 mi SW of Madison | 43.88010, -97.31418 |
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| Gerry WPA 560 deeded ac |
161 | 11 mi E of Madison | 43.94900, -96.90037 |
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| Hankins WPA | 160 | 12 mi NW of Madison | 44.13505, -97.28502 |
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| Habeger WPA | 160 | 12 mi N of Madison | 44.18517, -97.06488 |
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| Crandall WPA | 140 | 17 mi NW of Madison | 44.19034, -97.35182 |
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| Hart WPA | 138 | 2.4 mi NE of Madison | 44.03954, -97.08332 |
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| Wobig WPA | 119 | 14 mi SW of Madison | 43.84588, -97.28185 |
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| Regan WPA | 114 | 10.0 mi N of Madison | 44.14961, -97.06064 |
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| Ravenberg WPA | 100 | 14 mi NW of Madison | 44.11149, -97.34664 |
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| Wolf WPA | 100 | 3.2 mi S of Madison | 43.96604, -97.08700 |
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| Krug WPA | 97 | 12 mi NW of Madison | 44.14416, -97.26680 |
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| Demeray WPA | 76 | 10 mi N of Madison | 44.15797, -97.06778 |
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| Gelderman WPA | 74 | 13 mi SE of Madison | 43.84662, -96.98564 |
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| Lentsch WPA | 71 | 12 mi N of Madison | 44.17641, -97.02608 |
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| VanHove WPA | 69 | 6.9 mi NW of Madison | 44.08382, -97.20384 |
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| Molskness WPA | 60 | 11 mi E of Madison | 44.03513, -96.89244 |
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| Cassutt WPA | 60 | 7.3 mi NW of Madison | 44.10009, -97.18831 |
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| Noordsy WPA | 59 | 9.3 mi W of Madison | 44.05405, -97.28685 |
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| Glatz WPA | 59 | 11 mi W of Madison | 43.98400, -97.33250 |
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| Payne WPA 62 deeded ac |
55 | 3.1 mi SE of Madison | 43.97413, -97.07096 |
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| Bickett WPA | 43 | 17 mi NW of Madison | 44.17961, -97.36262 |
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| Adamson WPA | 41 | 6.2 mi N of Madison | 44.09616, -97.14615 |
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| Pulford WPA | 33 | 7.5 mi W of Madison | 44.04943, -97.25084 |
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| DeBoer WPA | 33 | 6.9 mi NW of Madison | 44.09758, -97.17476 |
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| Buseman WPA | 22 | 15 mi SW of Madison | 43.85276, -97.32367 |
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| Taylor WPA | 17 | 13 mi W of Madison | 44.05653, -97.35774 |
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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 Lake 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 Lake 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.
- Madison, SD1.3 mi — county center is NW of town
- Brookings, SD26 mi — county center is SW of town
- Sioux Falls, SD39 mi — county center is NW of town
- Mitchell, SD50 mi — county center is NE of town
Shooting hours in Lake County
Today at Lake 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
| Date | Shooting light | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Sep 1, 2026 | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:07 PM | 13h 16m |
| Tue, Sep 15, 2026 | 6:36 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:41 PM | 12h 35m |
| Thu, Oct 1, 2026 | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:11 PM | 11h 47m |
| Thu, Oct 15, 2026 | 7:11 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:46 PM | 11h 05m |
| Sun, Nov 1, 2026 | 6:33 AM | 7:03 AM | 5:20 PM | 10h 17m |
| Sun, Nov 15, 2026 | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:03 PM | 9h 41m |
| Tue, Dec 1, 2026 | 7:12 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:52 PM | 9h 10m |
| Tue, Dec 15, 2026 | 7:26 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:51 PM | 8h 55m |
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | 7:33 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:59 PM | 8h 57m |
| Fri, Jan 15, 2027 | 7:30 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:14 PM | 9h 14m |
| Mon, Feb 1, 2027 | 7:16 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:36 PM | 9h 50m |
Computed for 44.019, -97.133 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.
7-day forecast for Lake County
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Forecast from the National Weather Service. Wind direction matters — plan your approach downwind of where game beds.
Refuges & districts with land in Lake County
Neighboring counties with WPAs
- Brookings County, SD 26 WPAs · 6.6K ac
- Kingsbury County, SD 34 WPAs · 7.3K ac
- McCook County, SD 27 WPAs · 3.4K ac
- Miner County, SD 18 WPAs · 1.8K ac
- Minnehaha County, SD 22 WPAs · 4.7K ac
- Moody County, SD 15 WPAs · 3.2K ac
Source: USFWS Realty Tracts (fee-title interest) and Esri county boundaries. Page updated October 28, 2026.