Steele County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Steele County has 10,834 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (51 tracts centered in the county), 4 wildlife management areas with 1,736 acres, and 3,391 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 3.5% of the county's 457,833 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaCorps of EngineersPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Steele CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 457,833 acres (715 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 10,834 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 51 |
| Wildlife management areas | 4, 1,736 acres |
| Other public land | 3,391 acres |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2B, Deer unit 2F2, Deer unit 2F1 |
| Towns | Finley, Sharon, Hope and Luverne |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Steele County?
10,834 acres inside the county line, 2.4% 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 Steele County?
4 WMAs, 1,736 acres in all, largest first:
- Otto Spies WMA: 868 acres
- Golden Lake WMA: 501 acres
- Kloster Family WMA: 206 acres
- Pederson WMA: 161 acres
How much public land is in Steele County?
1.1% of the county is public land: 5,127 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 3,257 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 10,834 | 2.4% |
| Waterfowl production area | 3,257 | 0.7% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 1,736 | 0.4% |
| Corps of Engineers | 134 | under 0.1% |
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 Steele County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2B | 336,407 | 73.5% | 900 | 3,269 |
| Deer unit 2F2 | 72,239 | 15.8% | 400 | 1,648 |
| Deer unit 2F1 | 49,186 | 10.7% | 900 | 1,630 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Steele County?
Highways: ND 32 (about 35 miles in the county), ND 200 (about 29 miles in the county) and ND 38 (about 10 miles in the county). Towns: Finley, Sharon, Hope and Luverne.
How do the counties around Steele compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | 14,731 | 96 | 2,447 | 17,334 |
| Cass | 2,270 | 24 | 1,669 | 3,451 |
| Grand Forks | 16,773 | 183 | 5,952 | 9,312 |
| Griggs | 7,760 | 39 | 101 | 7,739 |
| Nelson | 29,416 | 158 | 2,181 | 6,264 |
| Traill | 1,478 | 10 | 77 | 712 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Steele County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 51 tracts centered in Steele County, covering 10,834 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 Steele County?
Yes, 4: Otto Spies (868 acres), Golden Lake (501 acres), Kloster Family (206 acres) and Pederson (161 acres).
Which deer units are in Steele County?
Unit 2B (73.5% of the county), unit 2F2 (15.8% of the county) and unit 2F1 (10.7% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
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 Barnes County Cass County Grand Forks County Griggs County Nelson County Traill County