Grand Forks County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Grand Forks County has 16,773 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (183 tracts centered in the county), 7 wildlife management areas with 5,953 acres, and 9,312 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 3.5% of the county's 921,207 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 landState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Grand Forks CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 921,207 acres (1,439 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 16,773 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 183 |
| Wildlife management areas | 7, 5,953 acres |
| Other public land | 9,312 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 1,275 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2B, Deer unit 2C |
| Towns | Grand Forks, Northwood, Inkster, Niagara and Larimore |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Grand Forks County?
16,773 acres inside the county line, 1.8% of the county; 183 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 Grand Forks County?
7 WMAs, 5,953 acres in all, largest first:
- Prairie Chicken WMA: 4,273 acres
- Oakville Prairie Bio Station WMA: 961 acres
- Grand Forks County WMB WMA: 182 acres
- Ed Bry WMA: 163 acres
- Forest River Biology Station WMA: 159 acres
- Crawford Oakville Prairie WMA: 155 acres
- Kellys Slough WMA: 60 acres
How much public land is in Grand Forks County?
1.7% of the county is public land: 15,264 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 6,976 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 16,773 | 1.8% |
| Waterfowl production area | 6,976 | 0.8% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 5,952 | 0.6% |
| State trust land | 1,289 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 1,045 | 0.1% |
| State park (rules vary) | 776 | 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 2 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 1,275 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 Grand Forks 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 | 512,969 | 55.7% | 900 | 3,269 |
| Deer unit 2C | 408,110 | 44.3% | 700 | 2,164 |
| Elk unit E1E | 408,123 | 44.3% | 116 | 4,365 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Grand Forks County?
Highways: US 2 (about 80 miles in the county), I-29 (about 75 miles in the county), US 81 (about 70 miles in the county), ND 15 (about 40 miles in the county), ND 18 (about 31 miles in the county) and ND 32 (about 13 miles in the county). Towns: Grand Forks, Northwood, Inkster, Niagara, Larimore, Thompson, Emerado, Manvel and 2 more.
How do the counties around Grand Forks compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | 29,416 | 158 | 2,181 | 6,264 |
| Steele | 10,834 | 51 | 1,736 | 3,391 |
| Traill | 1,478 | 10 | 77 | 712 |
| Walsh | 13,979 | 111 | 2,214 | 2,667 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Grand Forks County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 183 tracts centered in Grand Forks County, covering 16,773 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 Grand Forks County?
Yes, 7: Prairie Chicken (4,273 acres), Oakville Prairie Bio Station (961 acres), Grand Forks County WMB (182 acres), Ed Bry (163 acres), Forest River Biology Station (159 acres) and Crawford Oakville Prairie (155 acres), and 1 more.
Which deer units are in Grand Forks County?
Unit 2B (55.7% of the county) and unit 2C (44.3% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Grand Forks County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 1,275 acres as open in Grand Forks 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 Nelson County Steele County Traill County Walsh County