Cass County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Cass County has 2,270 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (24 tracts centered in the county), 3 wildlife management areas with 1,669 acres, and 3,451 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 0.7% of the county's 1,131,364 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Cass CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,131,364 acres (1,768 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 2,270 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 24 |
| Wildlife management areas | 3, 1,669 acres |
| Other public land | 3,451 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 40 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2B |
| Towns | Fargo, West Fargo, Horace, Argusville and Mapleton |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Cass County?
2,270 acres inside the county line, 0.2% of the county; 24 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 Cass County?
3 WMAs, 1,669 acres in all, largest first:
- Erie Dam (Brewer Lake) WMA: 1,090 acres
- Hamilton Wills WMA: 482 acres
- Magnolia WMA: 97 acres
How much public land is in Cass County?
0.5% of the county is public land: 5,120 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 3,411 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfowl production area | 3,411 | 0.3% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 2,270 | 0.2% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 1,669 | 0.1% |
| State trust land | 40 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 40 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 Cass County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2B | 1,130,923 | 100% | 900 | 3,269 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Cass County?
Highways: I-94 (about 90 miles in the county), US 52 (about 90 miles in the county), I-29 (about 88 miles in the county), US 81 (about 78 miles in the county), ND 18 (about 46 miles in the county) and ND 38 (about 27 miles in the county). Towns: Fargo, West Fargo, Horace, Argusville, Mapleton, Casselton, Tower City, Oxbow and 22 more.
How do the counties around Cass compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | 14,731 | 96 | 2,447 | 17,334 |
| Ransom | 10,151 | 73 | 824 | 47,966 |
| Richland | 6,367 | 51 | 3,682 | 35,462 |
| Steele | 10,834 | 51 | 1,736 | 3,391 |
| Traill | 1,478 | 10 | 77 | 712 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Cass County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 24 tracts centered in Cass County, covering 2,270 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 Cass County?
Yes, 3: Erie Dam (Brewer Lake) (1,090 acres), Hamilton Wills (482 acres) and Magnolia (97 acres).
Which deer units are in Cass County?
Unit 2B (100% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Cass County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 40 acres as open in Cass 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.
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