McLean County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
McLean County has 34,694 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (163 tracts centered in the county), 13 wildlife management areas with 30,311 acres, and 172,650 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 16% of the county's 1,489,860 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)BLMCorps of EngineersBureau of ReclamationState trust landState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)McLean CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,489,860 acres (2,328 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 34,694 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 163 |
| Wildlife management areas | 13, 30,311 acres |
| Other public land | 172,650 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 20,856 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3A3, Deer unit 2K1, Deer unit 2J1, Deer unit 3B3, Deer unit 3B2 |
| Towns | Washburn, Garrison, Riverdale, Underwood and Max |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in McLean County?
34,694 acres inside the county line, 2.3% of the county; 163 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 McLean County?
13 WMAs, 30,311 acres in all, largest first:
- Audubon WMA: 10,780 acres
- Wolf Creek WMA: 5,127 acres
- Riverdale WMA: 3,077 acres
- Douglas Creek WMA: 2,814 acres
- de Trobriand WMA: 2,644 acres
- Deepwater Creek WMA: 2,477 acres
- Painted Woods WMA: 1,214 acres
- Coal Lake WMA: 795 acres
- Custer Mine WMA: 692 acres
- Charles Schroeder WMA: 441 acres
- Van Hook WMA: 128 acres
- Wilton Mine WMA: 107 acres
- Blue Lake WMA: 15 acres
How much public land is in McLean County?
13.6% of the county is public land: 202,961 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is Corps of Engineers, 130,870 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Corps of Engineers | 130,870 | 8.8% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 34,694 | 2.3% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 30,311 | 2% |
| State trust land | 21,024 | 1.4% |
| Waterfowl production area | 12,544 | 0.8% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 5,200 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 2,949 | 0.2% |
| BLM | 63 | under 0.1% |
| State park (rules vary) | 3 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 20,856 acres open and 160 acres closed.
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 McLean County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3A3 | 522,358 | 35.1% | 2,500 | 3,269 |
| Deer unit 2K1 | 489,257 | 32.8% | 1,500 | 1,969 |
| Deer unit 2J1 | 200,512 | 13.5% | 900 | 1,372 |
| Deer unit 3B3 | 172,394 | 11.6% | 600 | 1,188 |
| Deer unit 3B2 | 105,339 | 7.1% | 750 | 789 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around McLean County?
Highways: ND 1804 (about 122 miles in the county), US 83 (about 116 miles in the county), ND 37 (about 53 miles in the county), ND 41 (about 52 miles in the county), ND 200 (about 43 miles in the county) and ND 53 (about 38 miles in the county). Towns: Washburn, Garrison, Riverdale, Underwood, Max, Wilton, Turtle Lake, Benedict and 5 more.
How do the counties around McLean compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burleigh | 56,293 | 131 | 13,288 | 54,594 |
| Dunn | 6,762 | 22 | 7,460 | 96,268 |
| McHenry | 19,631 | 85 | 1,132 | 68,154 |
| Mercer | 5,089 | 25 | 6,829 | 62,066 |
| Mountrail | 15,528 | 48 | 5,055 | 111,672 |
| Oliver | 2,071 | 12 | 965 | 7,599 |
| Sheridan | 24,551 | 100 | 28,151 | 42,970 |
| Ward | 19,948 | 70 | 40 | 31,108 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in McLean County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 163 tracts centered in McLean County, covering 34,694 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 McLean County?
Yes, 13: Audubon (10,780 acres), Wolf Creek (5,127 acres), Riverdale (3,077 acres), Douglas Creek (2,814 acres), de Trobriand (2,644 acres) and Deepwater Creek (2,477 acres), and 7 more.
Which deer units are in McLean County?
Unit 3A3 (35.1% of the county), unit 2K1 (32.8% of the county), unit 2J1 (13.5% of the county), unit 3B3 (11.6% of the county) and unit 3B2 (7.1% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in McLean County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 20,856 acres as open and 160 acres as closed in McLean County. 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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