Foster County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Foster County has 2,713 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (18 tracts centered in the county), 2 wildlife management areas with 629 acres, and 4,793 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 2% of the county's 413,962 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)Bureau of ReclamationState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Foster CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 413,962 acres (647 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 2,713 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 18 |
| Wildlife management areas | 2, 629 acres |
| Other public land | 4,793 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 3,251 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2F1, Deer unit 2F2, Deer unit 2J2, Deer unit 2K2 |
| Towns | Carrington, McHenry, Grace City and Glenfield |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Foster County?
2,713 acres inside the county line, 0.7% of the county; 18 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 Foster County?
2 WMAs, 629 acres in all, largest first:
- George Karpen WMA: 470 acres
- Rusten Slough WMA: 159 acres
How much public land is in Foster County?
1.3% of the county is public land: 5,422 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is state trust land, 3,173 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 3,173 | 0.8% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 2,713 | 0.7% |
| Waterfowl production area | 1,491 | 0.4% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 629 | 0.2% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 116 | under 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 13 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 3,251 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 Foster County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2F1 | 166,483 | 40.2% | 900 | 1,630 |
| Deer unit 2F2 | 157,209 | 38% | 400 | 1,648 |
| Deer unit 2J2 | 50,194 | 12.1% | 1,100 | 1,799 |
| Deer unit 2K2 | 40,076 | 9.7% | 1,400 | 2,793 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Foster County?
Highways: ND 200 (about 36 miles in the county), US 281 (about 19 miles in the county), ND 20 (about 18 miles in the county), US 52 (about 17 miles in the county) and ND 9 (about 4 miles in the county). Towns: Carrington, McHenry, Grace City and Glenfield.
How do the counties around Foster compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddy | 15,187 | 76 | 1,483 | 15,552 |
| Griggs | 7,760 | 39 | 101 | 7,739 |
| Stutsman | 26,869 | 102 | 2,907 | 71,505 |
| Wells | 23,307 | 88 | 11,854 | 17,525 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Foster County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 18 tracts centered in Foster County, covering 2,713 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 Foster County?
Yes, 2: George Karpen (470 acres) and Rusten Slough (159 acres).
Which deer units are in Foster County?
Unit 2F1 (40.2% of the county), unit 2F2 (38% of the county), unit 2J2 (12.1% of the county) and unit 2K2 (9.7% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Foster County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 3,251 acres as open in Foster 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 Eddy County Griggs County Stutsman County Wells County