Towner County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Towner County has 10,665 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (48 tracts centered in the county), 2 wildlife management areas with 345 acres, and 16,511 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 4.1% of the county's 666,584 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 landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Towner CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 666,584 acres (1,042 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 10,665 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 48 |
| Wildlife management areas | 2, 345 acres |
| Other public land | 16,511 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 8,076 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2E |
| Towns | Cando, Egeland, Bisbee, Rocklake and Hansboro |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Towner County?
10,665 acres inside the county line, 1.6% of the county; 48 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 Towner County?
2 WMAs, 345 acres in all, largest first:
- C.C. Underwood WMA: 321 acres
- Armourdale Lake WMA: 24 acres
How much public land is in Towner County?
2.5% of the county is public land: 16,856 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is state trust land, 8,099 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 10,665 | 1.6% |
| State trust land | 8,099 | 1.2% |
| Waterfowl production area | 7,444 | 1.1% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 968 | 0.1% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 345 | 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 8,076 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 Towner County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2E | 666,584 | 100% | 500 | 1,417 |
| Elk unit E1W | 543,425 | 81.5% | 155 | 2,760 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Towner County?
Highways: US 281 (about 46 miles in the county), ND 5 (about 27 miles in the county), ND 17 (about 24 miles in the county), ND 66 (about 24 miles in the county) and ND 4 (about 10 miles in the county). Towns: Cando, Egeland, Bisbee, Rocklake, Hansboro and Perth.
How do the counties around Towner compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | 13,083 | 69 | 1,360 | 23,055 |
| Cavalier | 12,034 | 71 | 8,837 | 13,360 |
| Pierce | 30,886 | 144 | 1,584 | 26,779 |
| Ramsey | 27,780 | 141 | 2,841 | 19,415 |
| Rolette | 5,114 | 31 | 8,033 | 12,875 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Towner County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 48 tracts centered in Towner County, covering 10,665 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 Towner County?
Yes, 2: C.C. Underwood (321 acres) and Armourdale Lake (24 acres).
Which deer units are in Towner County?
Unit 2E (100% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Towner County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 8,076 acres as open in Towner 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 Benson County Cavalier County Pierce County Ramsey County Rolette County