Oliver County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Oliver County has 2,071 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (12 tracts centered in the county), 5 wildlife management areas with 964 acres, and 7,599 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 2.3% of the county's 467,920 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaBureau of ReclamationState trust landState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Oliver CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 467,920 acres (731 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 2,071 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 12 |
| Wildlife management areas | 5, 964 acres |
| Other public land | 7,599 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 6,987 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3D2, Deer unit 3B3 |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 09C |
| Towns | Center |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Oliver County?
2,071 acres inside the county line, 0.4% of the county; 12 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 Oliver County?
5 WMAs, 964 acres in all, largest first:
- Arroda Lake WMA: 410 acres
- Smith Grove WMA: 233 acres
- Wilbur Boldt WMA: 161 acres
- Lewis and Clark (Oliver) WMA: 122 acres
- Square Butte WMA: 38 acres
How much public land is in Oliver County?
1.8% of the county is public land: 8,564 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is state trust land, 7,572 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| State trust land | 7,572 | 1.6% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 2,071 | 0.4% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 965 | 0.2% |
| State park (rules vary) | 569 | 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 27 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 6,987 acres open and 477 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 Oliver County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3D2 | 282,569 | 60.4% | 1,500 | 1,297 |
| Deer unit 3B3 | 185,351 | 39.6% | 600 | 1,188 |
| Pronghorn unit 09C | 462,599 | 98.9% | 40 | 628 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Oliver County?
Highways: ND 25 (about 26 miles in the county), ND 31 (about 18 miles in the county) and ND 48 (about 9 miles in the county). Towns: Center.
How do the counties around Oliver compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burleigh | 56,293 | 131 | 13,288 | 54,594 |
| McLean | 34,694 | 163 | 30,311 | 172,650 |
| Mercer | 5,089 | 25 | 6,829 | 62,066 |
| Morton | 14,574 | 54 | 8,576 | 25,700 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Oliver County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 12 tracts centered in Oliver County, covering 2,071 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 Oliver County?
Yes, 5: Arroda Lake (410 acres), Smith Grove (233 acres), Wilbur Boldt (161 acres), Lewis and Clark (Oliver) (122 acres) and Square Butte (38 acres).
Which deer units are in Oliver County?
Unit 3D2 (60.4% of the county) and unit 3B3 (39.6% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Oliver County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 6,987 acres as open and 477 acres as closed in Oliver 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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