Emmons County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Emmons County has 24,546 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (93 tracts centered in the county), 5 wildlife management areas with 4,227 acres, and 45,735 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 7.5% of the county's 995,386 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)Corps of EngineersState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Emmons CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 995,386 acres (1,555 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 24,546 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 93 |
| Wildlife management areas | 5, 4,227 acres |
| Other public land | 45,735 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 13,221 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3C, Deer unit 2I, Deer unit 2H, Deer unit 3F2 |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 17A |
| Towns | Linton, Hazelton, Strasburg, Hague and Braddock |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Emmons County?
24,546 acres inside the county line, 2.5% of the county; 93 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 Emmons County?
5 WMAs, 4,227 acres in all, largest first:
- MacLean Bottoms WMA: 3,072 acres
- Beaver Creek WMA (Emmons County): 749 acres
- Badger Bay WMA: 214 acres
- Hague WMA: 162 acres
- Mike J. Hurkes WMA: 30 acres
How much public land is in Emmons County?
5% of the county is public land: 49,963 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is Corps of Engineers, 28,205 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Corps of Engineers | 28,205 | 2.8% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 24,546 | 2.5% |
| State trust land | 13,598 | 1.4% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 4,228 | 0.4% |
| Waterfowl production area | 3,604 | 0.4% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 328 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 13,221 acres open and 313 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 Emmons County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3C | 535,699 | 53.8% | 800 | 1,431 |
| Deer unit 2I | 295,100 | 29.6% | 1,200 | 2,200 |
| Deer unit 2H | 162,843 | 16.4% | 1,100 | 1,474 |
| Deer unit 3F2 | 1,742 | 0.2% | 2,800 | 1,641 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Emmons County?
Highways: ND 1804 (about 56 miles in the county), US 83 (about 52 miles in the county), ND 13 (about 31 miles in the county), ND 34 (about 19 miles in the county) and ND 11 (about 9 miles in the county). Towns: Linton, Hazelton, Strasburg, Hague and Braddock.
How do the counties around Emmons compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burleigh | 56,293 | 131 | 13,288 | 54,594 |
| Kidder | 21,021 | 73 | 4,750 | 43,844 |
| Logan | 10,037 | 52 | 597 | 21,642 |
| McIntosh | 8,192 | 37 | 2,408 | 23,584 |
| Morton | 14,574 | 54 | 8,576 | 25,700 |
| Sioux | 18,036 | 23 | 297 | 55,844 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Emmons County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 93 tracts centered in Emmons County, covering 24,546 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 Emmons County?
Yes, 5: MacLean Bottoms (3,072 acres), Beaver Creek (Emmons County) (749 acres), Badger Bay (214 acres), Hague (162 acres) and Mike J. Hurkes (30 acres).
Which deer units are in Emmons County?
Unit 3C (53.8% of the county), unit 2I (29.6% of the county), unit 2H (16.4% of the county) and unit 3F2 (0.2% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Emmons County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 13,221 acres as open and 313 acres as closed in Emmons 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.
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