Wells County, North Dakota: PLOTS, WMAs and public hunting land
Wells County has 23,307 acres of PLOTS, private land open to walk-in hunting, inside its line (88 tracts centered in the county), 16 wildlife management areas with 11,850 acres, and 17,525 acres of other public land, by the 2026 maps NDGF publishes. Together that is 6.4% of the county's 825,876 acres.
Data updated October 2026. PLOTS, WMAs, trust land and federal land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaBureau of ReclamationState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Wells CountyNeighboring countiesLake or riverHighway
| Size | 825,876 acres (1,290 square miles) |
|---|---|
| PLOTS land inside the county line | 23,307 acres |
| PLOTS tracts centered in the county | 88 |
| Wildlife management areas | 16, 11,850 acres |
| Other public land | 17,525 acres |
| State trust land open to walk-in hunting | 5,252 acres (Trust Lands) |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2K2, Deer unit 2J2, Deer unit 2J1 |
| Towns | Harvey, Fessenden, Hamberg, Sykeston and Hurdsfield |
How much PLOTS walk-in land is in Wells County?
23,307 acres inside the county line, 2.8% of the county; 88 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 Wells County?
16 WMAs, 11,850 acres in all, largest first:
- Lonetree WMA: 7,114 acres
- Robert L. Morgan WMA: 1,480 acres
- Wells County WMA: 645 acres
- Silver Lake WMA: 640 acres
- Harvey Dam WMA: 434 acres
- Karl T. Frederick WMA: 405 acres
- Jay Sandstrom McDonald WMA: 273 acres
- Hoornaert WMA: 249 acres
- Schwartz WMA: 161 acres
- Sweetgrass WMA: 158 acres
- Tree Belt WMA: 128 acres
- Sykeston Dam WMA: 50 acres
- Heimdal WMA: 40 acres
- Manfred WMA: 33 acres
- Forward WMA: 29 acres
- Egg Lake WMA: 11 acres
How much public land is in Wells County?
3.6% of the county is public land: 29,379 acres, counting the WMAs. The largest share is NDGF wildlife management area, 11,854 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the county |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 23,307 | 2.8% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 11,854 | 1.4% |
| Waterfowl production area | 11,125 | 1.3% |
| State trust land | 5,349 | 0.6% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 1,051 | 0.1% |
State trust land by the access status the Department of Trust Lands gives each tract (the department's own acres): 5,252 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 Wells County?
Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit:
| Unit | Acres in the county | Share of the county | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2K2 | 627,277 | 76% | 1,400 | 2,793 |
| Deer unit 2J2 | 183,182 | 22.2% | 1,100 | 1,799 |
| Deer unit 2J1 | 15,417 | 1.9% | 900 | 1,372 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics.
How do you get around Wells County?
Highways: US 52 (about 54 miles in the county), ND 3 (about 39 miles in the county), ND 200 (about 37 miles in the county), ND 30 (about 31 miles in the county) and ND 15 (about 17 miles in the county). Towns: Harvey, Fessenden, Hamberg, Sykeston, Hurdsfield, Bowdon, Cathay and Heimdal.
How do the counties around Wells compare?
| County | PLOTS acres | PLOTS tracts | WMA acres | Other public acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | 13,083 | 69 | 1,360 | 23,055 |
| Eddy | 15,187 | 76 | 1,483 | 15,552 |
| Foster | 2,713 | 18 | 629 | 4,793 |
| Kidder | 21,021 | 73 | 4,750 | 43,844 |
| Pierce | 30,886 | 144 | 1,584 | 26,779 |
| Sheridan | 24,551 | 100 | 28,151 | 42,970 |
| Stutsman | 26,869 | 102 | 2,907 | 71,505 |
Questions hunters ask
How much PLOTS land is in Wells County?
NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows 88 tracts centered in Wells County, covering 23,307 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 Wells County?
Yes, 16: Lonetree (7,114 acres), Robert L. Morgan (1,480 acres), Wells County (645 acres), Silver Lake (640 acres), Harvey Dam (434 acres) and Karl T. Frederick (405 acres), and 10 more.
Which deer units are in Wells County?
Unit 2K2 (76% of the county), unit 2J2 (22.2% of the county) and unit 2J1 (1.9% of the county), by NDGF's unit map.
Can you hunt state trust land in Wells County?
Yes, where it is open. The Department of Trust Lands lists 5,252 acres as open in Wells 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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