Burke County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Burke County has 33,891 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (150 tracts centered in the county), 3 wildlife management areas with 528 acres, and 51,123 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 11.8% of the county's 722,540 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 landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Burke CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 722,540 acres (1,129 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 33,891 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 150 |
| Wildlife management areas | 3, 528 acres |
| Other public land | 51,123 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 15,640 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3A1, Deer unit 3A2, Deer unit 3A3 |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 13A |
| Towns | Powers Lake, Bowbells, Portal, Flaxton and Columbus |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Burke County?
33,891 acres inside the county line, 4.7% of the county; 150 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 Burke County?
3 WMAs, 528 acres in all, largest first:
- Smishek Lake WMA: 202 acres
- Short Creek WMA: 164 acres
- Leaf Mountain WMA: 162 acres
How much public land is in Burke County?
7.1% of the county is public land: 51,651 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is national wildlife refuge, 31,326 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 33,891 | 4.7% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 31,326 | 4.3% |
| State trust land | 16,225 | 2.2% |
| Waterfowl production area | 3,572 | 0.5% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 528 | 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 15,640 acres open and 476 acres where the lessee must be told first.
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 Burke County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3A1 | 550,279 | 76.2% | 4,000 | 3,713 |
| Deer unit 3A2 | 89,149 | 12.3% | 2,400 | 1,887 |
| Deer unit 3A3 | 82,957 | 11.5% | 2,500 | 3,269 |
| Pronghorn unit 13A | 550,282 | 76.2% | 60 | 1,099 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Burke County?
Highways: ND 5 (about 43 miles in the county), ND 8 (about 38 miles in the county), ND 40 (about 35 miles in the county), US 52 (about 33 miles in the county) and ND 50 (about 26 miles in the county). Towns: Powers Lake, Bowbells, Portal, Flaxton, Columbus, Lignite and Larson.
How do the counties around Burke compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divide | 25,270 | 127 | 1,762 | 31,679 |
| Mountrail | 15,528 | 48 | 5,055 | 111,672 |
| Renville | 3,030 | 15 | 0 | 27,472 |
| Ward | 19,948 | 70 | 40 | 31,108 |
| Williams | 16,874 | 71 | 6,989 | 91,574 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Burke County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 150 tracts centered in Burke County, covering 33,891 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 Burke County?
Yes, 3: Smishek Lake (202 acres), Short Creek (164 acres) and Leaf Mountain (162 acres).
Which deer units are in Burke County?
Unit 3A1 (76.2% of the county), unit 3A2 (12.3% of the county) and unit 3A3 (11.5% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Burke County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 15,640 acres as open and 476 acres where the lessee must be told first in Burke 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.
North Dakota hunting Divide County Mountrail County Renville County Ward County Williams County