Ramsey County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Ramsey County has 27,780 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (141 tracts centered in the county), 5 wildlife management areas with 2,838 acres, and 19,415 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 6% of the county's 832,663 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)Bureau of ReclamationState trust landState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Ramsey CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 832,663 acres (1,301 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 27,780 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 141 |
| Wildlife management areas | 5, 2,838 acres |
| Other public land | 19,415 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 2,057 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2E, Deer unit 2L, Deer unit 2C |
| Towns | Devils Lake, Crary, Lawton, Brocket and Edmore |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Ramsey County?
27,780 acres inside the county line, 3.3% of the county; 141 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 Ramsey County?
5 WMAs, 2,838 acres in all, largest first:
- Wild Prairie WMA: 1,819 acres
- Kenner Marsh WMA: 632 acres
- Crary WMA: 310 acres
- Pelican Township WMA: 71 acres
- Shirek WMA: 6 acres
How much public land is in Ramsey County?
2.7% of the county is public land: 22,256 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 9,474 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 27,780 | 3.3% |
| Waterfowl production area | 9,474 | 1.1% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 7,847 | 0.9% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 2,841 | 0.3% |
| State trust land | 2,075 | 0.2% |
| State park (rules vary) | 628 | 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 19 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 2,057 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 Ramsey County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2E | 636,187 | 76.4% | 500 | 1,417 |
| Deer unit 2L | 148,601 | 17.8% | 50 | 351 |
| Deer unit 2C | 47,874 | 5.7% | 700 | 2,164 |
| Elk unit E1E | 180,228 | 21.6% | 116 | 4,365 |
| Elk unit E1W | 10,200 | 1.2% | 155 | 2,760 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Ramsey County?
Highways: US 2 (about 85 miles in the county), ND 20 (about 38 miles in the county), ND 17 (about 35 miles in the county), ND 1 (about 24 miles in the county), ND 19 (about 13 miles in the county) and US 281 (about 3 miles in the county). Towns: Devils Lake, Crary, Lawton, Brocket, Edmore, Hampden, Starkweather and Churchs Ferry.
How do the counties around Ramsey compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | 13,083 | 69 | 1,360 | 23,055 |
| Cavalier | 12,034 | 71 | 8,837 | 13,360 |
| Nelson | 29,416 | 158 | 2,181 | 6,264 |
| Towner | 10,665 | 48 | 345 | 16,511 |
| Walsh | 13,979 | 111 | 2,214 | 2,667 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Ramsey County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 141 tracts centered in Ramsey County, covering 27,780 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 Ramsey County?
Yes, 5: Wild Prairie (1,819 acres), Kenner Marsh (632 acres), Crary (310 acres), Pelican Township (71 acres) and Shirek (6 acres).
Which deer units are in Ramsey County?
Unit 2E (76.4% of the county), unit 2L (17.8% of the county) and unit 2C (5.7% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Ramsey County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 2,057 acres as open in Ramsey 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.
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