Pembina County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Pembina County has 7,450 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (42 tracts centered in the county), 16 wildlife management areas with 6,437 acres, and 2,592 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 2.3% of the county's 717,617 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaState forestState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Pembina CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 717,617 acres (1,121 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 7,450 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 42 |
| Wildlife management areas | 16, 6,437 acres |
| Other public land | 2,592 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2C, Deer unit 2D |
| Towns | Walhalla, St. Thomas, Cavalier, Pembina and Crystal |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Pembina County?
7,450 acres inside the county line, 1% of the county; 42 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 Pembina County?
16 WMAs, 6,437 acres in all, largest first:
- Jay V. Wessels WMA: 3,661 acres
- Fitzsimond Slough WMA: 619 acres
- Barron WMA: 427 acres
- Dean C. Hildebrand WMA: 282 acres
- Billings WMA: 167 acres
- Eldon S. Hillman WMA: 166 acres
- Duncklee WMA: 161 acres
- Peter and Prescott Holman WMA: 159 acres
- D.L. Thompson WMA: 159 acres
- Denault WMA: 140 acres
- LaCoste WMA: 130 acres
- Dubourt WMA: 110 acres
- Cavalier County WMA: 80 acres
- Steinke WMA: 77 acres
- Clifford WMA: 76 acres
- Eyolfson WMA: 23 acres
How much public land is in Pembina County?
1.3% of the county is public land: 9,030 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is NDGF wildlife management area, 6,438 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 7,450 | 1% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 6,438 | 0.9% |
| Waterfowl production area | 2,222 | 0.3% |
| State park (rules vary) | 931 | 0.1% |
| State forest | 370 | 0.1% |
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 Pembina County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2C | 436,948 | 60.9% | 700 | 2,164 |
| Deer unit 2D | 280,489 | 39.1% | 700 | 1,270 |
| Elk unit E1E | 717,437 | 100% | 116 | 4,365 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Pembina County?
Highways: I-29 (about 65 miles in the county), US 81 (about 56 miles in the county), ND 66 (about 38 miles in the county), ND 5 (about 38 miles in the county), ND 18 (about 34 miles in the county) and ND 32 (about 32 miles in the county). Towns: Walhalla, St. Thomas, Cavalier, Pembina, Crystal, Drayton, Neche, Hamilton and 3 more.
How do the counties around Pembina compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalier | 12,034 | 71 | 8,837 | 13,360 |
| Walsh | 13,979 | 111 | 2,214 | 2,667 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Pembina County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 42 tracts centered in Pembina County, covering 7,450 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 Pembina County?
Yes, 16: Jay V. Wessels (3,661 acres), Fitzsimond Slough (619 acres), Barron (427 acres), Dean C. Hildebrand (282 acres), Billings (167 acres) and Eldon S. Hillman (166 acres), and 10 more.
Which deer units are in Pembina County?
Unit 2C (60.9% of the county) and unit 2D (39.1% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
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.