Ransom County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Ransom County has 10,151 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (73 tracts centered in the county), 3 wildlife management areas with 824 acres, and 47,966 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 10.7% of the county's 552,838 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 grasslandState trust landState forestState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Ransom CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 552,838 acres (864 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 10,151 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 73 |
| Wildlife management areas | 3, 824 acres |
| Other public land | 47,966 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 1,120 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2G1 |
| Towns | Lisbon, Enderlin, Sheldon, Fort Ransom and Elliott |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Ransom County?
10,151 acres inside the county line, 1.8% of the county; 73 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 Ransom County?
3 WMAs, 824 acres in all, largest first:
- Mirror Pool WMA: 428 acres
- Fort Ransom WMA: 236 acres
- Englevale Slough WMA: 160 acres
How much public land is in Ransom County?
8.8% of the county is public land: 48,790 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is national grassland, 42,034 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National grassland | 42,034 | 7.6% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 10,151 | 1.8% |
| Waterfowl production area | 4,317 | 0.8% |
| State trust land | 1,112 | 0.2% |
| State park (rules vary) | 934 | 0.2% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 824 | 0.1% |
| State forest | 503 | 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 1,120 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 Ransom County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2G1 | 552,799 | 100% | 400 | 1,710 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Ransom County?
Highways: ND 27 (about 36 miles in the county), ND 32 (about 24 miles in the county) and ND 46 (about 18 miles in the county). Towns: Lisbon, Enderlin, Sheldon, Fort Ransom, Elliott, Englevale and McLeod.
How do the counties around Ransom compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | 14,731 | 96 | 2,447 | 17,334 |
| Cass | 2,270 | 24 | 1,669 | 3,451 |
| Dickey | 9,533 | 55 | 3,583 | 14,379 |
| LaMoure | 12,829 | 73 | 2,082 | 6,913 |
| Richland | 6,367 | 51 | 3,682 | 35,462 |
| Sargent | 8,243 | 56 | 2,219 | 13,312 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Ransom County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 73 tracts centered in Ransom County, covering 10,151 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 Ransom County?
Yes, 3: Mirror Pool (428 acres), Fort Ransom (236 acres) and Englevale Slough (160 acres).
Which deer units are in Ransom County?
Unit 2G1 (100% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Ransom County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 1,120 acres as open in Ransom 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 Barnes County Cass County Dickey County LaMoure County Richland County Sargent County