Sargent County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Sargent County has 8,243 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (56 tracts centered in the county), 4 wildlife management areas with 2,219 acres, and 13,312 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 4.3% of the county's 555,193 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 park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Sargent CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 555,193 acres (867 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 8,243 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 56 |
| Wildlife management areas | 4, 2,219 acres |
| Other public land | 13,312 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 1,128 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2G2, Deer unit 2G1 |
| Towns | Gwinner, Cayuga, Milnor, Forman and Rutland |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Sargent County?
8,243 acres inside the county line, 1.5% of the county; 56 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 Sargent County?
4 WMAs, 2,219 acres in all, largest first:
- Tewaukon WMA: 1,366 acres
- Meszaros Slough WMA: 607 acres
- Crete Slough WMA: 163 acres
- Taayer Lake WMA: 83 acres
How much public land is in Sargent County?
2.8% of the county is public land: 15,531 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is national wildlife refuge, 7,000 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 8,243 | 1.5% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 7,000 | 1.3% |
| Waterfowl production area | 5,177 | 0.9% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 2,219 | 0.4% |
| State trust land | 1,135 | 0.2% |
| State park (rules vary) | 72 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 1,128 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 Sargent County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2G2 | 477,123 | 85.9% | 400 | 1,166 |
| Deer unit 2G1 | 77,988 | 14% | 400 | 1,710 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Sargent County?
Highways: ND 11 (about 38 miles in the county), ND 13 (about 37 miles in the county) and ND 32 (about 25 miles in the county). Towns: Gwinner, Cayuga, Milnor, Forman, Rutland, Havana, Cogswell and De Lamere.
How do the counties around Sargent compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickey | 9,533 | 55 | 3,583 | 14,379 |
| Ransom | 10,151 | 73 | 824 | 47,966 |
| Richland | 6,367 | 51 | 3,682 | 35,462 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Sargent County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 56 tracts centered in Sargent County, covering 8,243 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 Sargent County?
Yes, 4: Tewaukon (1,366 acres), Meszaros Slough (607 acres), Crete Slough (163 acres) and Taayer Lake (83 acres).
Which deer units are in Sargent County?
Unit 2G2 (85.9% of the county) and unit 2G1 (14% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Sargent County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 1,128 acres as open in Sargent 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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