Barnes County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Barnes County has 14,731 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (96 tracts centered in the county), 7 wildlife management areas with 2,442 acres, and 17,334 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 3.6% of the county's 968,599 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaNational wildlife refuge (rules vary)BLMCorps of EngineersState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Barnes CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 968,599 acres (1,513 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 14,731 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 96 |
| Wildlife management areas | 7, 2,442 acres |
| Other public land | 17,334 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 2,803 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2F2, Deer unit 2G, Deer unit 2B |
| Towns | Valley City, Litchville, Rogers, Wimbledon and Sanborn |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Barnes County?
14,731 acres inside the county line, 1.5% of the county; 96 PLOTS tracts are centered in the county. PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) is private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting through NDGF. The NDGF PLOTS Guide map (2026) shows each tract.
Which wildlife management areas are in Barnes County?
7 WMAs, 2,442 acres in all, largest first:
- Valley City WMA: 798 acres
- Olson WMA: 638 acres
- Clausen Springs WMA: 564 acres
- Koldok WMA: 216 acres
- Ray Holland Marsh WMA: 204 acres
- Ashtabula Rearing Pond WMA: 14 acres
- Moon Lake WMA: 8 acres
How much public land is in Barnes County?
2% of the county is public land: 19,781 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 7,996 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 14,731 | 1.5% |
| Waterfowl production area | 7,996 | 0.8% |
| Corps of Engineers | 6,212 | 0.6% |
| State trust land | 2,801 | 0.3% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 2,447 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 320 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 5 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 2,803 acres open.
Measured by FilledTag inside the Census county line from NDGF PLOTS Guide map layers (WMAs, PLOTS, trust land, federal land); overlapping maps are counted once.
Which hunting units are in Barnes County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2F2 | 464,698 | 48% | 400 | 1,648 |
| Deer unit 2G | 373,866 | 38.6% | 200 | 623 |
| Deer unit 2B | 129,951 | 13.4% | 900 | 3,269 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Barnes County?
Highways: I-94 (about 73 miles in the county), US 52 (about 73 miles in the county), ND 1 (about 54 miles in the county), ND 32 (about 42 miles in the county), ND 26 (about 22 miles in the county) and ND 9 (about 17 miles in the county). Towns: Valley City, Litchville, Rogers, Wimbledon, Sanborn, Kathryn, Fingal, Nome and 5 more.
How do the counties around Barnes compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass | 2,270 | 24 | 1,669 | 3,451 |
| Griggs | 7,760 | 39 | 101 | 7,739 |
| LaMoure | 12,829 | 73 | 2,082 | 6,913 |
| Ransom | 10,151 | 73 | 824 | 47,966 |
| Steele | 10,834 | 51 | 1,736 | 3,391 |
| Stutsman | 26,869 | 102 | 2,907 | 71,505 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Barnes County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 96 tracts centered in Barnes County, covering 14,731 acres inside the county line. PLOTS is private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting; NDGF's PLOTS Guide shows each tract and its rules.
Are there wildlife management areas in Barnes County?
Yes, 7: Valley City (798 acres), Olson (638 acres), Clausen Springs (564 acres), Koldok (216 acres), Ray Holland Marsh (204 acres) and Ashtabula Rearing Pond (14 acres), and 1 more.
Which deer units are in Barnes County?
Unit 2F2 (48% of the county), unit 2G (38.6% of the county) and unit 2B (13.4% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Barnes County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 2,803 acres as open in Barnes County, and none closed. Its map shows each tract's status.
Get a North Dakota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for North Dakota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, North Dakota included.
Where these numbers come from
- PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF PLOTS Guide map layers (WMAs, PLOTS, trust land, federal land); NDGF PLOTS Guide map (2026).
- Units and lottery: NDGF hunting unit maps; NDGF deer lottery statistics.
- County line, highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 boundaries, TIGER/Line and Gazetteer.
FilledTag is not part of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. PLOTS tracts change each year; check NDGF's current PLOTS Guide before you go.
North Dakota hunting Cass County Griggs County LaMoure County Ransom County Steele County Stutsman County