Bowman County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Bowman County has 28,379 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (79 tracts centered in the county), 2 wildlife management areas with 1,044 acres, and 68,418 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 13.1% of the county's 746,722 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaNational grasslandBLMCorps of EngineersState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Bowman CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 746,722 acres (1,167 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 28,379 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 79 |
| Wildlife management areas | 2, 1,044 acres |
| Other public land | 68,418 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 27,765 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 4F, Deer unit 3F1, Deer unit 4E |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 04A, Pronghorn unit 04C, Pronghorn unit 05A, Pronghorn unit 03B |
| Towns | Bowman, Rhame, Gascoyne and Scranton |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Bowman County?
28,379 acres inside the county line, 3.8% of the county; 79 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 Bowman County?
2 WMAs, 1,044 acres in all, largest first:
- Alkali Creek WMA: 595 acres
- Spring Creek WMA: 449 acres
How much public land is in Bowman County?
9.3% of the county is public land: 69,462 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is BLM, 33,154 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 33,154 | 4.4% |
| State trust land | 29,584 | 4% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 28,379 | 3.8% |
| Corps of Engineers | 5,678 | 0.8% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 1,044 | 0.1% |
| National grassland | 2 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 27,765 acres open, 640 acres where the lessee must be told first and 1,049 acres closed.
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 Bowman County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 4F | 401,660 | 53.8% | 450 | 493 |
| Deer unit 3F1 | 286,793 | 38.4% | 1,300 | 897 |
| Deer unit 4E | 58,202 | 7.8% | 400 | 1,180 |
| Pronghorn unit 04A | 401,659 | 53.8% | 110 | 1,652 |
| Pronghorn unit 04C | 184,554 | 24.7% | 50 | 322 |
| Pronghorn unit 05A | 102,238 | 13.7% | 100 | 607 |
| Pronghorn unit 03B | 58,203 | 7.8% | 80 | 1,069 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Bowman County?
Highways: US 12 (about 45 miles in the county), US 85 (about 25 miles in the county) and ND 67 (about 10 miles in the county). Towns: Bowman, Rhame, Gascoyne and Scranton.
How do the counties around Bowman compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 26,573 | 108 | 624 | 17,204 |
| Slope | 55,441 | 71 | 964 | 165,081 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Bowman County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 79 tracts centered in Bowman County, covering 28,379 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 Bowman County?
Yes, 2: Alkali Creek (595 acres) and Spring Creek (449 acres).
Which deer units are in Bowman County?
Unit 4F (53.8% of the county), unit 3F1 (38.4% of the county) and unit 4E (7.8% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Bowman County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 27,765 acres as open, 640 acres where the lessee must be told first and 1,049 acres as closed in Bowman County. 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.