Sheridan County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Sheridan County has 24,551 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (100 tracts centered in the county), 7 wildlife management areas with 28,147 acres, and 42,970 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 14.9% of the county's 643,458 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaBLMBureau of ReclamationState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Sheridan CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 643,458 acres (1,005 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 24,551 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 100 |
| Wildlife management areas | 7, 28,147 acres |
| Other public land | 42,970 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 25,778 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2K1, Deer unit 2J1, Deer unit 2K2 |
| Towns | McClusky, Goodrich, Martin and Denhoff |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Sheridan County?
24,551 acres inside the county line, 3.8% of the county; 100 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 Sheridan County?
7 WMAs, 28,147 acres in all, largest first:
- Lonetree WMA: 25,225 acres
- Rolling Hills WMA: 982 acres
- Old John's Lake WMA: 945 acres
- Sprynczynatyk WMA: 486 acres
- McClusky WMA: 192 acres
- Cottonwood Slough WMA: 159 acres
- Lincoln Valley East WMA: 158 acres
How much public land is in Sheridan County?
11.1% of the county is public land: 71,121 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is NDGF wildlife management area, 28,151 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| NDGF wildlife management area | 28,151 | 4.4% |
| State trust land | 25,874 | 4% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 24,551 | 3.8% |
| Waterfowl production area | 12,402 | 1.9% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 4,501 | 0.7% |
| BLM | 193 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 25,778 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 Sheridan County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2K1 | 293,600 | 45.6% | 1,500 | 1,969 |
| Deer unit 2J1 | 198,587 | 30.9% | 900 | 1,372 |
| Deer unit 2K2 | 151,272 | 23.5% | 1,400 | 2,793 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Sheridan County?
Highways: ND 14 (about 37 miles in the county), ND 200 (about 33 miles in the county), US 52 (about 5 miles in the county) and ND 53 (about 5 miles in the county). Towns: McClusky, Goodrich, Martin and Denhoff.
How do the counties around Sheridan compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burleigh | 56,293 | 131 | 13,288 | 54,594 |
| Kidder | 21,021 | 73 | 4,750 | 43,844 |
| McHenry | 19,631 | 85 | 1,132 | 68,154 |
| McLean | 34,694 | 163 | 30,311 | 172,650 |
| Pierce | 30,886 | 144 | 1,584 | 26,779 |
| Wells | 23,307 | 88 | 11,854 | 17,525 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Sheridan County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 100 tracts centered in Sheridan County, covering 24,551 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 Sheridan County?
Yes, 7: Lonetree (25,225 acres), Rolling Hills (982 acres), Old John's Lake (945 acres), Sprynczynatyk (486 acres), McClusky (192 acres) and Cottonwood Slough (159 acres), and 1 more.
Which deer units are in Sheridan County?
Unit 2K1 (45.6% of the county), unit 2J1 (30.9% of the county) and unit 2K2 (23.5% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Sheridan County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 25,778 acres as open in Sheridan 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 Burleigh County Kidder County McHenry County McLean County Pierce County Wells County