Slope County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Slope County has 55,441 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (71 tracts centered in the county), 2 wildlife management areas with 964 acres, and 165,081 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 28.4% of the county's 780,627 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaNational wildlife refuge (rules vary)National grasslandBLMState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Slope CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 780,627 acres (1,220 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 55,441 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 71 |
| Wildlife management areas | 2, 964 acres |
| Other public land | 165,081 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 23,606 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 4E, Deer unit 3F1, Deer unit 4D, Deer unit 3E1, Deer unit 4F |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 03B, Pronghorn unit 05A, Pronghorn unit 03A, Pronghorn unit 07A, Pronghorn unit 04A |
| Towns | Marmarth and Amidon |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Slope County?
55,441 acres inside the county line, 7.1% of the county; 71 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 Slope County?
2 WMAs, 964 acres in all, largest first:
- Cedar Lake WMA: 805 acres
- Speck Davis Pond WMA: 159 acres
How much public land is in Slope County?
21.3% of the county is public land: 166,045 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is national grassland, 139,761 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| National grassland | 139,761 | 17.9% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 55,441 | 7.1% |
| State trust land | 23,635 | 3% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 1,682 | 0.2% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 964 | 0.1% |
| BLM | 3 | under 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 23,606 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 Slope County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 4E | 410,629 | 52.6% | 400 | 1,180 |
| Deer unit 3F1 | 212,188 | 27.2% | 1,300 | 897 |
| Deer unit 4D | 92,653 | 11.9% | 500 | 2,888 |
| Deer unit 3E1 | 58,784 | 7.5% | 1,450 | 1,704 |
| Deer unit 4F | 6,266 | 0.8% | 450 | 493 |
| Pronghorn unit 03B | 418,013 | 53.5% | 80 | 1,069 |
| Pronghorn unit 05A | 212,188 | 27.2% | 100 | 607 |
| Pronghorn unit 03A | 85,229 | 10.9% | 20 | 286 |
| Pronghorn unit 07A | 58,784 | 7.5% | 100 | 706 |
| Pronghorn unit 04A | 6,266 | 0.8% | 110 | 1,652 |
| Elk unit E3 | 780,398 | 100% | 319 | 9,532 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Slope County?
Highways: US 85 (about 32 miles in the county), ND 67 (about 17 miles in the county), ND 21 (about 13 miles in the county) and US 12 (about 9 miles in the county). Towns: Marmarth and Amidon.
How do the counties around Slope compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 26,573 | 108 | 624 | 17,204 |
| Billings | 12,570 | 27 | 154 | 322,046 |
| Bowman | 28,379 | 79 | 1,044 | 68,418 |
| Golden Valley | 40,689 | 88 | 127 | 127,207 |
| Hettinger | 18,227 | 83 | 1,170 | 11,379 |
| Stark | 26,574 | 90 | 1,116 | 8,295 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Slope County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 71 tracts centered in Slope County, covering 55,441 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 Slope County?
Yes, 2: Cedar Lake (805 acres) and Speck Davis Pond (159 acres).
Which deer units are in Slope County?
Unit 4E (52.6% of the county), unit 3F1 (27.2% of the county), unit 4D (11.9% of the county), unit 3E1 (7.5% of the county) and unit 4F (0.8% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Slope County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 23,606 acres as open in Slope 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 Adams County Billings County Bowman County Golden Valley County Hettinger County Stark County