Rolette County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Rolette County has 5,114 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (31 tracts centered in the county), 4 wildlife management areas with 8,033 acres, and 12,875 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 4.3% of the county's 601,246 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)State trust landState forestPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Rolette CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 601,246 acres (939 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 5,114 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 31 |
| Wildlife management areas | 4, 8,033 acres |
| Other public land | 12,875 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 6,342 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2E, Deer unit 1 |
| Towns | Rolla, Rolette, Dunseith, Mylo and St. John |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Rolette County?
5,114 acres inside the county line, 0.9% of the county; 31 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 Rolette County?
4 WMAs, 8,033 acres in all, largest first:
- Wakopa WMA: 7,155 acres
- Willow Lake WMA: 602 acres
- School Section Lake WMA: 255 acres
- Rabb Lake WMA: 21 acres
How much public land is in Rolette County?
3.5% of the county is public land: 20,908 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is NDGF wildlife management area, 8,033 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| NDGF wildlife management area | 8,033 | 1.3% |
| State trust land | 6,311 | 1% |
| Waterfowl production area | 5,869 | 1% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 5,114 | 0.9% |
| State forest | 694 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 1 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 6,342 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 Rolette 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 | 404,757 | 67.3% | 500 | 1,417 |
| Deer unit 1 | 196,458 | 32.7% | 400 | 955 |
| Elk unit E1W | 601,215 | 100% | 155 | 2,760 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Rolette County?
Highways: US 281 (about 39 miles in the county), ND 66 (about 32 miles in the county), ND 30 (about 32 miles in the county), ND 3 (about 32 miles in the county), ND 5 (about 31 miles in the county) and ND 43 (about 6 miles in the county). Towns: Rolla, Rolette, Dunseith, Mylo, St. John, Shell Valley, Belcourt, East Dunseith and 1 more.
How do the counties around Rolette compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottineau | 5,564 | 26 | 2,346 | 39,727 |
| Pierce | 30,886 | 144 | 1,584 | 26,779 |
| Towner | 10,665 | 48 | 345 | 16,511 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Rolette County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 31 tracts centered in Rolette County, covering 5,114 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 Rolette County?
Yes, 4: Wakopa (7,155 acres), Willow Lake (602 acres), School Section Lake (255 acres) and Rabb Lake (21 acres).
Which deer units are in Rolette County?
Unit 2E (67.3% of the county) and unit 1 (32.7% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Rolette County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 6,342 acres as open in Rolette 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 Bottineau County Pierce County Towner County