McHenry County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
McHenry County has 19,631 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (85 tracts centered in the county), 4 wildlife management areas with 1,132 acres, and 68,154 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 7.3% of the county's 1,223,412 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)National grasslandBLMState trust landState forestPLOTS (private land open to hunting)McHenry CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,223,412 acres (1,912 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 19,631 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 85 |
| Wildlife management areas | 4, 1,132 acres |
| Other public land | 68,154 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 22,720 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3A4, Deer unit 2K2, Deer unit 2K1 |
| Towns | Drake, Kief, Velva, Towner and Karlsruhe |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in McHenry County?
19,631 acres inside the county line, 1.6% of the county; 85 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 McHenry County?
4 WMAs, 1,132 acres in all, largest first:
- Sand Hill WMA: 621 acres
- Heffner Lake WMA: 272 acres
- Round Lake Township WMA: 159 acres
- Upham WMA: 80 acres
How much public land is in McHenry County?
5.7% of the county is public land: 69,286 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is national wildlife refuge, 37,247 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 37,247 | 3% |
| State trust land | 22,833 | 1.9% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 19,631 | 1.6% |
| Waterfowl production area | 5,884 | 0.5% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 1,132 | 0.1% |
| BLM | 923 | 0.1% |
| National grassland | 761 | 0.1% |
| State forest | 506 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 22,720 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 McHenry County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3A4 | 828,293 | 67.7% | 2,000 | 3,075 |
| Deer unit 2K2 | 206,894 | 16.9% | 1,400 | 2,793 |
| Deer unit 2K1 | 188,226 | 15.4% | 1,500 | 1,969 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around McHenry County?
Highways: US 2 (about 80 miles in the county), ND 14 (about 73 miles in the county), US 52 (about 46 miles in the county), ND 41 (about 27 miles in the county), ND 53 (about 7 miles in the county) and ND 97 (about 3 miles in the county). Towns: Drake, Kief, Velva, Towner, Karlsruhe, Bergen, Anamoose, Balfour and 5 more.
How do the counties around McHenry compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottineau | 5,564 | 26 | 2,346 | 39,727 |
| McLean | 34,694 | 163 | 30,311 | 172,650 |
| Pierce | 30,886 | 144 | 1,584 | 26,779 |
| Renville | 3,030 | 15 | 0 | 27,472 |
| Sheridan | 24,551 | 100 | 28,151 | 42,970 |
| Ward | 19,948 | 70 | 40 | 31,108 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in McHenry County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 85 tracts centered in McHenry County, covering 19,631 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 McHenry County?
Yes, 4: Sand Hill (621 acres), Heffner Lake (272 acres), Round Lake Township (159 acres) and Upham (80 acres).
Which deer units are in McHenry County?
Unit 3A4 (67.7% of the county), unit 2K2 (16.9% of the county) and unit 2K1 (15.4% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in McHenry County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 22,720 acres as open in McHenry 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 Bottineau County McLean County Pierce County Renville County Sheridan County Ward County