Richland County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Richland County has 6,367 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (51 tracts centered in the county), 7 wildlife management areas with 3,682 acres, and 35,462 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 4.9% of the county's 925,260 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 grasslandBLMState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Richland CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 925,260 acres (1,446 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 6,367 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 51 |
| Wildlife management areas | 7, 3,682 acres |
| Other public land | 35,462 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 80 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2A, Deer unit 2G1, Deer unit 2G2 |
| Towns | Wahpeton, Hankinson, Walcott, Colfax and Wyndmere |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Richland County?
6,367 acres inside the county line, 0.7% of the county; 51 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 Richland County?
7 WMAs, 3,682 acres in all, largest first:
- Wild Rice WMA: 2,080 acres
- Stack Slough WMA: 597 acres
- Swan Lake WMA: 295 acres
- Mud Lake WMA: 266 acres
- Park Lake WMA: 163 acres
- Grant Township WMA: 157 acres
- Mirror Pool WMA: 124 acres
How much public land is in Richland County?
4.2% of the county is public land: 39,144 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is national grassland, 28,426 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National grassland | 28,426 | 3.1% |
| Waterfowl production area | 6,484 | 0.7% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 6,367 | 0.7% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 3,682 | 0.4% |
| State trust land | 393 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 159 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 80 acres open and 320 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 Richland County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2A | 727,901 | 78.7% | 200 | 845 |
| Deer unit 2G1 | 113,710 | 12.3% | 400 | 1,710 |
| Deer unit 2G2 | 83,014 | 9% | 400 | 1,166 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Richland County?
Highways: I-29 (about 96 miles in the county), US 81 (about 96 miles in the county), ND 18 (about 53 miles in the county), ND 13 (about 42 miles in the county), ND 11 (about 35 miles in the county) and ND 127 (about 23 miles in the county). Towns: Wahpeton, Hankinson, Walcott, Colfax, Wyndmere, Lidgerwood, Great Bend, Fairmount and 6 more.
How do the counties around Richland compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass | 2,270 | 24 | 1,669 | 3,451 |
| Ransom | 10,151 | 73 | 824 | 47,966 |
| Sargent | 8,243 | 56 | 2,219 | 13,312 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Richland County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 51 tracts centered in Richland County, covering 6,367 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 Richland County?
Yes, 7: Wild Rice (2,080 acres), Stack Slough (597 acres), Swan Lake (295 acres), Mud Lake (266 acres), Park Lake (163 acres) and Grant Township (157 acres), and 1 more.
Which deer units are in Richland County?
Unit 2A (78.7% of the county), unit 2G1 (12.3% of the county) and unit 2G2 (9% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Richland County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 80 acres as open and 320 acres as closed in Richland 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.
North Dakota hunting Cass County Ransom County Sargent County