Mercer County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Mercer County has 5,089 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (25 tracts centered in the county), 7 wildlife management areas with 6,829 acres, and 62,066 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 10.4% of the county's 711,991 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaBLMCorps of EngineersBureau of ReclamationState trust landState park (rules vary)National park (no hunting)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Mercer CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 711,991 acres (1,112 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 5,089 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 25 |
| Wildlife management areas | 7, 6,829 acres |
| Other public land | 62,066 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 13,026 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3B2, Deer unit 3D2, Deer unit 3B3 |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 09C |
| Towns | Beulah, Hazen, Zap, Golden Valley and Stanton |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Mercer County?
5,089 acres inside the county line, 0.7% of the county; 25 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 Mercer County?
7 WMAs, 6,829 acres in all, largest first:
- Hille WMA: 3,078 acres
- North Beulah Mine WMA: 1,881 acres
- Harmony Lake WMA: 635 acres
- Missouri Breaks WMA: 477 acres
- Norman and Lucille Schaefer WMA: 313 acres
- Beaver Creek WMA (Mercer County): 285 acres
- Golden Valley WMA: 160 acres
How much public land is in Mercer County?
9.7% of the county is public land: 68,895 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is Corps of Engineers, 46,824 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Corps of Engineers | 46,824 | 6.6% |
| State trust land | 15,025 | 2.1% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 6,829 | 1% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 5,089 | 0.7% |
| National park (no hunting) | 1,345 | 0.2% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 138 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 79 | under 0.1% |
| State park (rules vary) | 2 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 13,026 acres open and 2,074 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 Mercer County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3B2 | 353,635 | 49.7% | 750 | 789 |
| Deer unit 3D2 | 290,461 | 40.8% | 1,500 | 1,297 |
| Deer unit 3B3 | 67,895 | 9.5% | 600 | 1,188 |
| Pronghorn unit 09C | 709,140 | 99.6% | 40 | 628 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Mercer County?
Highways: ND 200 (about 51 miles in the county), ND 1806 (about 38 miles in the county), ND 49 (about 22 miles in the county) and ND 31 (about 8 miles in the county). Towns: Beulah, Hazen, Zap, Golden Valley, Stanton and Pick City.
How do the counties around Mercer compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunn | 6,762 | 22 | 7,460 | 96,268 |
| McLean | 34,694 | 163 | 30,311 | 172,650 |
| Morton | 14,574 | 54 | 8,576 | 25,700 |
| Oliver | 2,071 | 12 | 965 | 7,599 |
| Stark | 26,574 | 90 | 1,116 | 8,295 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Mercer County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 25 tracts centered in Mercer County, covering 5,089 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 Mercer County?
Yes, 7: Hille (3,078 acres), North Beulah Mine (1,881 acres), Harmony Lake (635 acres), Missouri Breaks (477 acres), Norman and Lucille Schaefer (313 acres) and Beaver Creek (Mercer County) (285 acres), and 1 more.
Which deer units are in Mercer County?
Unit 3B2 (49.7% of the county), unit 3D2 (40.8% of the county) and unit 3B3 (9.5% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Mercer County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 13,026 acres as open and 2,074 acres as closed in Mercer County. Its map shows each tract's status.
Get a North Dakota hunt plan when they open
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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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