Cavalier County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Cavalier County has 12,034 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (71 tracts centered in the county), 5 wildlife management areas with 8,836 acres, and 13,360 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 3.5% of the county's 966,570 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaBLMBureau of ReclamationState trust landState forestState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Cavalier CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 966,570 acres (1,510 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 12,034 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 71 |
| Wildlife management areas | 5, 8,836 acres |
| Other public land | 13,360 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 556 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2E, Deer unit 2D, Deer unit 2C |
| Towns | Alsen, Loma, Calio, Langdon and Munich |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Cavalier County?
12,034 acres inside the county line, 1.2% of the county; 71 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 Cavalier County?
5 WMAs, 8,836 acres in all, largest first:
- Pembina Hills WMA: 5,043 acres
- Charles V. Pulver WMA: 1,679 acres
- Cavalier County WMA: 1,355 acres
- Wilbur Allen WMA: 670 acres
- North Walsh County WMB WMA: 89 acres
How much public land is in Cavalier County?
2.3% of the county is public land: 22,197 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 12,336 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfowl production area | 12,336 | 1.3% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 12,034 | 1.2% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 8,837 | 0.9% |
| State park (rules vary) | 1,063 | 0.1% |
| State trust land | 561 | 0.1% |
| State forest | 201 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 199 | under 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 63 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 556 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 Cavalier County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2E | 573,862 | 59.4% | 500 | 1,417 |
| Deer unit 2D | 313,569 | 32.4% | 700 | 1,270 |
| Deer unit 2C | 78,852 | 8.2% | 700 | 2,164 |
| Elk unit E1E | 872,946 | 90.3% | 116 | 4,365 |
| Elk unit E1W | 93,338 | 9.7% | 155 | 2,760 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Cavalier County?
Highways: ND 66 (about 48 miles in the county), ND 5 (about 48 miles in the county) and ND 1 (about 30 miles in the county). Towns: Alsen, Loma, Calio, Langdon, Munich, Milton, Nekoma, Osnabrock and 4 more.
How do the counties around Cavalier compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pembina | 7,450 | 42 | 6,438 | 2,592 |
| Ramsey | 27,780 | 141 | 2,841 | 19,415 |
| Towner | 10,665 | 48 | 345 | 16,511 |
| Walsh | 13,979 | 111 | 2,214 | 2,667 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Cavalier County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 71 tracts centered in Cavalier County, covering 12,034 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 Cavalier County?
Yes, 5: Pembina Hills (5,043 acres), Charles V. Pulver (1,679 acres), Cavalier County (1,355 acres), Wilbur Allen (670 acres) and North Walsh County WMB (89 acres).
Which deer units are in Cavalier County?
Unit 2E (59.4% of the county), unit 2D (32.4% of the county) and unit 2C (8.2% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Cavalier County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 556 acres as open in Cavalier 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 Pembina County Ramsey County Towner County Walsh County