McKenzie County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
McKenzie County has 9,525 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (21 tracts centered in the county), 10 wildlife management areas with 18,092 acres, and 621,251 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 35.4% of the county's 1,830,784 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaNational grasslandBLMCorps of EngineersBureau of ReclamationState trust landNational park (no hunting)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)McKenzie CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,830,784 acres (2,861 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 9,525 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 21 |
| Wildlife management areas | 10, 18,092 acres |
| Other public land | 621,251 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 64,587 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 4B, Deer unit 3B1, Deer unit 4A, Deer unit 4C, Deer unit 3B2, Deer unit 3D1 |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 01D, Pronghorn unit 10A, Pronghorn unit 09A, Pronghorn unit 08A |
| Towns | Watford City, Alexander, Arnegard, Mandaree and Four Bears Village |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in McKenzie County?
9,525 acres inside the county line, 0.5% of the county; 21 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 McKenzie County?
10 WMAs, 18,092 acres in all, largest first:
- Lewis and Clark WMA: 12,142 acres
- Trenton WMA: 1,733 acres
- Big Oxbow WMA: 972 acres
- Och's Point WMA: 971 acres
- Antelope Creek WMA: 890 acres
- Neu's Point WMA: 510 acres
- Tobacco Garden WMA: 341 acres
- Sullivan WMA: 265 acres
- Tweden WMA: 239 acres
- Overlook WMA: 29 acres
How much public land is in McKenzie County?
34.9% of the county is public land: 639,343 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is national grassland, 500,844 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National grassland | 500,844 | 27.4% |
| State trust land | 64,419 | 3.5% |
| Corps of Engineers | 55,294 | 3% |
| National park (no hunting) | 24,054 | 1.3% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 18,092 | 1% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 9,525 | 0.5% |
| BLM | 692 | under 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): 64,587 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 McKenzie County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 4B | 642,933 | 35.1% | 550 | 3,588 |
| Deer unit 3B1 | 614,086 | 33.5% | 850 | 2,203 |
| Deer unit 4A | 328,218 | 17.9% | 350 | 1,543 |
| Deer unit 4C | 186,787 | 10.2% | 400 | 3,004 |
| Deer unit 3B2 | 55,825 | 3% | 750 | 789 |
| Deer unit 3D1 | 2,738 | 0.1% | 900 | 921 |
| Pronghorn unit 01D | 940,972 | 51.4% | 100 | 2,363 |
| Pronghorn unit 10A | 502,334 | 27.4% | 50 | 351 |
| Pronghorn unit 09A | 383,944 | 21% | 40 | 282 |
| Pronghorn unit 08A | 2,738 | 0.1% | 40 | 369 |
| Elk unit E2 | 1,829,983 | 100% | 190 | 6,893 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around McKenzie County?
Highways: ND 200 (about 79 miles in the county), US 85 (about 77 miles in the county), ND 23 (about 48 miles in the county), ND 1806 (about 34 miles in the county), ND 16 (about 29 miles in the county) and ND 68 (about 28 miles in the county). Towns: Watford City, Alexander, Arnegard, Mandaree, Four Bears Village and East Fairview.
How do the counties around McKenzie compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | 12,570 | 27 | 154 | 322,046 |
| Dunn | 6,762 | 22 | 7,460 | 96,268 |
| Golden Valley | 40,689 | 88 | 127 | 127,207 |
| Mountrail | 15,528 | 48 | 5,055 | 111,672 |
| Williams | 16,874 | 71 | 6,989 | 91,574 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in McKenzie County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 21 tracts centered in McKenzie County, covering 9,525 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 McKenzie County?
Yes, 10: Lewis and Clark (12,142 acres), Trenton (1,733 acres), Big Oxbow (972 acres), Och's Point (971 acres), Antelope Creek (890 acres) and Neu's Point (510 acres), and 4 more.
Which deer units are in McKenzie County?
Unit 4B (35.1% of the county), unit 3B1 (33.5% of the county), unit 4A (17.9% of the county), unit 4C (10.2% of the county), unit 3B2 (3% of the county) and unit 3D1 (0.1% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in McKenzie County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 64,587 acres as open in McKenzie 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.
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