Hettinger County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Hettinger County has 18,227 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (83 tracts centered in the county), 1 wildlife management area with 1,170 acres, and 11,379 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 4.2% of the county's 725,516 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Hettinger CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 725,516 acres (1,134 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 18,227 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 83 |
| Wildlife management areas | 1, 1,170 acres |
| Other public land | 11,379 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 10,133 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3E1, Deer unit 3F2, Deer unit 3F1 |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 07A, Pronghorn unit 06A, Pronghorn unit 11A, Pronghorn unit 05A |
| Towns | Mott, Regent and New England |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Hettinger County?
18,227 acres inside the county line, 2.5% of the county; 83 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 Hettinger County?
One WMA:
- Indian Creek WMA: 1,170 acres
How much public land is in Hettinger County?
1.7% of the county is public land: 12,549 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is state trust land, 10,165 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 18,227 | 2.5% |
| State trust land | 10,165 | 1.4% |
| Waterfowl production area | 1,214 | 0.2% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 1,170 | 0.2% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 10,133 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 Hettinger County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3E1 | 430,405 | 59.3% | 1,450 | 1,704 |
| Deer unit 3F2 | 154,190 | 21.3% | 2,800 | 1,641 |
| Deer unit 3F1 | 140,921 | 19.4% | 1,300 | 897 |
| Pronghorn unit 07A | 282,868 | 39% | 100 | 706 |
| Pronghorn unit 06A | 154,192 | 21.3% | 160 | 1,017 |
| Pronghorn unit 11A | 147,536 | 20.3% | 90 | 855 |
| Pronghorn unit 05A | 140,921 | 19.4% | 100 | 607 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Hettinger County?
Highways: ND 21 (about 53 miles in the county) and ND 8 (about 37 miles in the county). Towns: Mott, Regent and New England.
How do the counties around Hettinger compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 26,573 | 108 | 624 | 17,204 |
| Grant | 35,179 | 105 | 480 | 44,995 |
| Slope | 55,441 | 71 | 964 | 165,081 |
| Stark | 26,574 | 90 | 1,116 | 8,295 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Hettinger County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 83 tracts centered in Hettinger County, covering 18,227 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 Hettinger County?
Yes, 1: Indian Creek (1,170 acres).
Which deer units are in Hettinger County?
Unit 3E1 (59.3% of the county), unit 3F2 (21.3% of the county) and unit 3F1 (19.4% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Hettinger County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 10,133 acres as open in Hettinger 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 Adams County Grant County Slope County Stark County