Bottineau County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Bottineau County has 5,564 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (26 tracts centered in the county), 8 wildlife management areas with 2,346 acres, and 39,727 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 4.4% of the county's 1,086,403 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)State trust landState forestState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Bottineau CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,086,403 acres (1,698 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 5,564 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 26 |
| Wildlife management areas | 8, 2,346 acres |
| Other public land | 39,727 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 3,272 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3A4, Deer unit 3A2, Deer unit 1, Deer unit 2E |
| Towns | Bottineau, Willow City, Overly, Lansford and Gardena |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Bottineau County?
5,564 acres inside the county line, 0.5% of the county; 26 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 Bottineau County?
8 WMAs, 2,346 acres in all, largest first:
- Thompson Lake WMA: 872 acres
- Turtle Mountain WMA: 438 acres
- Wall-Redfield WMA: 261 acres
- V.V. Bull WMA: 199 acres
- Black Lake WMA: 174 acres
- Nickelson WMA: 163 acres
- Turtle Mountain Forest WMA: 159 acres
- Schuster WMA: 80 acres
How much public land is in Bottineau County?
3.9% of the county is public land: 42,073 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is national wildlife refuge, 22,067 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 22,067 | 2% |
| State forest | 11,820 | 1.1% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 5,564 | 0.5% |
| State trust land | 3,277 | 0.3% |
| Waterfowl production area | 2,563 | 0.2% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 2,346 | 0.2% |
| State park (rules vary) | 1,661 | 0.2% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 3,272 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 Bottineau County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3A4 | 589,504 | 54.3% | 2,000 | 3,075 |
| Deer unit 3A2 | 284,031 | 26.1% | 2,400 | 1,887 |
| Deer unit 1 | 136,504 | 12.6% | 400 | 955 |
| Deer unit 2E | 76,315 | 7% | 500 | 1,417 |
| Elk unit E1W | 212,819 | 19.6% | 155 | 2,760 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Bottineau County?
Highways: ND 5 (about 65 miles in the county), US 83 (about 44 miles in the county), ND 14 (about 34 miles in the county), ND 60 (about 20 miles in the county), ND 43 (about 18 miles in the county) and ND 256 (about 16 miles in the county). Towns: Bottineau, Willow City, Overly, Lansford, Gardena, Westhope, Antler, Maxbass and 4 more.
How do the counties around Bottineau compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McHenry | 19,631 | 85 | 1,132 | 68,154 |
| Pierce | 30,886 | 144 | 1,584 | 26,779 |
| Renville | 3,030 | 15 | 0 | 27,472 |
| Rolette | 5,114 | 31 | 8,033 | 12,875 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Bottineau County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 26 tracts centered in Bottineau County, covering 5,564 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 Bottineau County?
Yes, 8: Thompson Lake (872 acres), Turtle Mountain (438 acres), Wall-Redfield (261 acres), V.V. Bull (199 acres), Black Lake (174 acres) and Nickelson (163 acres), and 2 more.
Which deer units are in Bottineau County?
Unit 3A4 (54.3% of the county), unit 3A2 (26.1% of the county), unit 1 (12.6% of the county) and unit 2E (7% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Bottineau County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 3,272 acres as open in Bottineau 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 McHenry County Pierce County Renville County Rolette County