Nelson County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Nelson County has 29,416 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (158 tracts centered in the county), 5 wildlife management areas with 2,180 acres, and 6,264 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 5.9% of the county's 645,681 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)State trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Nelson CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 645,681 acres (1,009 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 29,416 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 158 |
| Wildlife management areas | 5, 2,180 acres |
| Other public land | 6,264 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 2,694 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2B, Deer unit 2C, Deer unit 2F1, Deer unit 2L, Deer unit 2E |
| Towns | McVille, Petersburg, Lakota, Aneta and Tolna |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Nelson County?
29,416 acres inside the county line, 4.6% of the county; 158 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 Nelson County?
5 WMAs, 2,180 acres in all, largest first:
- Black Swan WMA: 685 acres
- Hoghaug Wildlife Sanctuary WMA: 591 acres
- Wall WMA: 479 acres
- McVille WMA: 237 acres
- Engel's Point WMA: 188 acres
How much public land is in Nelson County?
1.3% of the county is public land: 8,445 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 3,512 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 29,416 | 4.6% |
| Waterfowl production area | 3,512 | 0.5% |
| State trust land | 2,720 | 0.4% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 2,181 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 32 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 2,694 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 Nelson County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2B | 252,173 | 39.1% | 900 | 3,269 |
| Deer unit 2C | 155,589 | 24.1% | 700 | 2,164 |
| Deer unit 2F1 | 116,352 | 18% | 900 | 1,630 |
| Deer unit 2L | 93,364 | 14.5% | 50 | 351 |
| Deer unit 2E | 28,204 | 4.4% | 500 | 1,417 |
| Elk unit E1E | 155,589 | 24.1% | 116 | 4,365 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Nelson County?
Highways: US 2 (about 52 miles in the county), ND 1 (about 37 miles in the county), ND 32 (about 33 miles in the county), ND 15 (about 32 miles in the county) and ND 35 (about 12 miles in the county). Towns: McVille, Petersburg, Lakota, Aneta, Tolna, Michigan City, Pekin and Dahlen.
How do the counties around Nelson compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | 13,083 | 69 | 1,360 | 23,055 |
| Eddy | 15,187 | 76 | 1,483 | 15,552 |
| Grand Forks | 16,773 | 183 | 5,952 | 9,312 |
| Griggs | 7,760 | 39 | 101 | 7,739 |
| Ramsey | 27,780 | 141 | 2,841 | 19,415 |
| Steele | 10,834 | 51 | 1,736 | 3,391 |
| Walsh | 13,979 | 111 | 2,214 | 2,667 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Nelson County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 158 tracts centered in Nelson County, covering 29,416 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 Nelson County?
Yes, 5: Black Swan (685 acres), Hoghaug Wildlife Sanctuary (591 acres), Wall (479 acres), McVille (237 acres) and Engel's Point (188 acres).
Which deer units are in Nelson County?
Unit 2B (39.1% of the county), unit 2C (24.1% of the county), unit 2F1 (18% of the county), unit 2L (14.5% of the county) and unit 2E (4.4% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Nelson County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 2,694 acres as open in Nelson 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 Benson County Eddy County Grand Forks County Griggs County Ramsey County Steele County