Dickey County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Dickey County has 9,533 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (55 tracts centered in the county), 4 wildlife management areas with 3,583 acres, and 14,379 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 3.8% of the county's 730,683 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaBureau of ReclamationState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Dickey CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 730,683 acres (1,142 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 9,533 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 55 |
| Wildlife management areas | 4, 3,583 acres |
| Other public land | 14,379 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 3,982 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2G2, Deer unit 2H, Deer unit 2G1 |
| Towns | Oakes, Ellendale, Ludden, Fullerton and Monango |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Dickey County?
9,533 acres inside the county line, 1.3% of the county; 55 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 Dickey County?
4 WMAs, 3,583 acres in all, largest first:
- Johnson's Gulch WMA: 1,393 acres
- Hyatt Slough WMA: 1,386 acres
- Bluestem Prairie WMA: 486 acres
- Maple River WMA: 318 acres
How much public land is in Dickey County?
2.5% of the county is public land: 17,962 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 10,042 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfowl production area | 10,042 | 1.4% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 9,533 | 1.3% |
| State trust land | 4,010 | 0.5% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 3,583 | 0.5% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 327 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 3,982 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 Dickey County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2G2 | 405,104 | 55.4% | 400 | 1,166 |
| Deer unit 2H | 315,483 | 43.2% | 1,100 | 1,474 |
| Deer unit 2G1 | 10,088 | 1.4% | 400 | 1,710 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Dickey County?
Highways: ND 11 (about 57 miles in the county), ND 1 (about 27 miles in the county), US 281 (about 25 miles in the county), ND 56 (about 18 miles in the county) and ND 13 (about 8 miles in the county). Towns: Oakes, Ellendale, Ludden, Fullerton, Monango and Forbes.
How do the counties around Dickey compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaMoure | 12,829 | 73 | 2,082 | 6,913 |
| McIntosh | 8,192 | 37 | 2,408 | 23,584 |
| Ransom | 10,151 | 73 | 824 | 47,966 |
| Sargent | 8,243 | 56 | 2,219 | 13,312 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Dickey County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 55 tracts centered in Dickey County, covering 9,533 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 Dickey County?
Yes, 4: Johnson's Gulch (1,393 acres), Hyatt Slough (1,386 acres), Bluestem Prairie (486 acres) and Maple River (318 acres).
Which deer units are in Dickey County?
Unit 2G2 (55.4% of the county), unit 2H (43.2% of the county) and unit 2G1 (1.4% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Dickey County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 3,982 acres as open in Dickey 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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