Billings County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Billings County has 12,570 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (27 tracts centered in the county), 1 wildlife management area with 154 acres, and 322,046 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 45.4% of the county's 737,899 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaNational grasslandState trust landState park (rules vary)National park (no hunting)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Billings CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 737,899 acres (1,153 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 12,570 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 27 |
| Wildlife management areas | 1, 154 acres |
| Other public land | 322,046 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 30,922 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 4C, Deer unit 4D, Deer unit 3D1, Deer unit 4B |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 01A, Pronghorn unit 02B, Pronghorn unit 08A, Pronghorn unit 02A |
| Towns | Medora |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Billings County?
12,570 acres inside the county line, 1.7% of the county; 27 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 Billings County?
One WMA:
- Bull Creek WMA: 154 acres
How much public land is in Billings County?
43.7% of the county is public land: 322,200 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is national grassland, 291,024 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National grassland | 291,024 | 39.4% |
| National park (no hunting) | 46,203 | 6.3% |
| State trust land | 31,022 | 4.2% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 12,570 | 1.7% |
| State park (rules vary) | 319 | under 0.1% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 154 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 30,922 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 Billings County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 4C | 316,719 | 42.9% | 400 | 3,004 |
| Deer unit 4D | 220,302 | 29.9% | 500 | 2,888 |
| Deer unit 3D1 | 126,973 | 17.2% | 900 | 921 |
| Deer unit 4B | 73,897 | 10% | 550 | 3,588 |
| Pronghorn unit 01A | 390,586 | 52.9% | 130 | 3,044 |
| Pronghorn unit 02B | 185,092 | 25.1% | 55 | 1,056 |
| Pronghorn unit 08A | 126,973 | 17.2% | 40 | 369 |
| Pronghorn unit 02A | 35,195 | 4.8% | 70 | 675 |
| Elk unit E3 | 678,148 | 91.9% | 319 | 9,532 |
| Elk unit E4 | 59,639 | 8.1% | 10 | 1,147 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Billings County?
Highways: I-94 (about 38 miles in the county) and US 85 (about 25 miles in the county). Towns: Medora.
How do the counties around Billings compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunn | 6,762 | 22 | 7,460 | 96,268 |
| Golden Valley | 40,689 | 88 | 127 | 127,207 |
| McKenzie | 9,525 | 21 | 18,092 | 621,251 |
| Slope | 55,441 | 71 | 964 | 165,081 |
| Stark | 26,574 | 90 | 1,116 | 8,295 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Billings County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 27 tracts centered in Billings County, covering 12,570 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 Billings County?
Yes, 1: Bull Creek (154 acres).
Which deer units are in Billings County?
Unit 4C (42.9% of the county), unit 4D (29.9% of the county), unit 3D1 (17.2% of the county) and unit 4B (10% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Billings County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 30,922 acres as open in Billings 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 Dunn County Golden Valley County McKenzie County Slope County Stark County