Stutsman County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Stutsman County has 26,869 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (102 tracts centered in the county), 3 wildlife management areas with 2,905 acres, and 71,505 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 6.9% of the county's 1,470,725 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)Corps of EngineersBureau of ReclamationState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Stutsman CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,470,725 acres (2,298 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 26,869 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 102 |
| Wildlife management areas | 3, 2,905 acres |
| Other public land | 71,505 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 15,628 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2J2, Deer unit 2I, Deer unit 2F2, Deer unit 2G |
| Towns | Jamestown, Medina, Spiritwood Lake, Kensal and Courtenay |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Stutsman County?
26,869 acres inside the county line, 1.8% of the county; 102 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 Stutsman County?
3 WMAs, 2,905 acres in all, largest first:
- Chase Lake WMA: 2,811 acres
- Leo M. Kirsch WMA: 85 acres
- Spiritwood Lake WMA: 9 acres
How much public land is in Stutsman County?
5.1% of the county is public land: 74,412 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 28,838 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfowl production area | 28,838 | 2% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 26,869 | 1.8% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 20,224 | 1.4% |
| State trust land | 15,743 | 1.1% |
| Corps of Engineers | 4,237 | 0.3% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 2,907 | 0.2% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 2,463 | 0.2% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 15,628 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 Stutsman County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2J2 | 560,422 | 38.1% | 1,100 | 1,799 |
| Deer unit 2I | 394,964 | 26.9% | 1,200 | 2,200 |
| Deer unit 2F2 | 365,690 | 24.9% | 400 | 1,648 |
| Deer unit 2G | 149,645 | 10.2% | 200 | 623 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Stutsman County?
Highways: I-94 (about 97 miles in the county), US 52 (about 70 miles in the county), US 281 (about 65 miles in the county), ND 20 (about 36 miles in the county), ND 9 (about 33 miles in the county) and ND 36 (about 28 miles in the county). Towns: Jamestown, Medina, Spiritwood Lake, Kensal, Courtenay, Streeter, Woodworth, Cleveland and 5 more.
How do the counties around Stutsman compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | 14,731 | 96 | 2,447 | 17,334 |
| Foster | 2,713 | 18 | 629 | 4,793 |
| Griggs | 7,760 | 39 | 101 | 7,739 |
| Kidder | 21,021 | 73 | 4,750 | 43,844 |
| LaMoure | 12,829 | 73 | 2,082 | 6,913 |
| Logan | 10,037 | 52 | 597 | 21,642 |
| Wells | 23,307 | 88 | 11,854 | 17,525 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Stutsman County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 102 tracts centered in Stutsman County, covering 26,869 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 Stutsman County?
Yes, 3: Chase Lake (2,811 acres), Leo M. Kirsch (85 acres) and Spiritwood Lake (9 acres).
Which deer units are in Stutsman County?
Unit 2J2 (38.1% of the county), unit 2I (26.9% of the county), unit 2F2 (24.9% of the county) and unit 2G (10.2% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Stutsman County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 15,628 acres as open in Stutsman 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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