Deer unit 2B, North Dakota: licenses, lottery and hunting land
North Dakota deer unit 2B covers 4,555 square miles in NDGF's Red River region, across Cass, Traill, Grand Forks and Steele counties and others. In the 2026 deer gun lottery NDGF made 900 licenses available in unit 2B (700 any antlered deer and 200 any antlerless deer). 3,269 residents named it as their first choice, and 159 of them drew; counting second choices, the resident drawing issued 160. 0.5% of the unit is public land, mostly waterfowl production area, and 42,812 acres are PLOTS walk-in land on private ground (NDGF map layers, 2026).
Data updated October 2026. Lottery: NDGF, 2018 to 2026. Land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Seasons: NDGF 2026-27 table.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaState trust landPLOTS (private land open to hunting)Unit 2BNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| NDGF region | Red River |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,915,026 acres (4,555 square miles) |
| Counties | Cass, Traill, Grand Forks, Steele, Nelson, Barnes |
| Licenses, 2026 lottery | 900: 700 any antlered deer and 200 any antlerless deer |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2026 | 3,269 |
| Public land | 0.5% (15,982 acres) |
| PLOTS walk-in land | 42,812 acres; 263 tracts centered in the unit |
| Wildlife management areas | 11 (4,845 acres) |
| CWD (NDGF map) | Detected; first found 2025 |
| Deer gun season, 2026 | November 6 to 22, 2026 |
| Towns in and near it | Fargo, Grand Forks, West Fargo, Finley and Oriska |
How many deer licenses does unit 2B get?
In the 2026 deer gun lottery NDGF made 900 licenses available in unit 2B (700 any antlered deer and 200 any antlerless deer). 3,269 residents named it as their first choice, and 159 of them drew; counting second choices, the resident drawing issued 160. NDGF made 1,700 licenses available here in 2018 and 900 in 2026.
| Year | License | Licenses available | Set aside for landowners (gratis) | Issued in the resident drawing (all choices) | First-choice resident applicants | First-choice applicants who drew | Share who drew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Any Antlered Deer | 700 | 522 | 159 | 2,656 | 159 | 6% |
| 2026 | Any Antlerless Deer | 200 | 198 | 1 | 613 | 0 | 0% |
| 2025 | Any Antlered Deer | 700 | 481 | 207 | 2,831 | 207 | 7% |
| 2025 | Any Antlerless Deer | 400 | 259 | 136 | 653 | 136 | 21% |
| 2024 | Any Antlered Deer | 900 | 475 | 410 | 2,824 | 409 | 14% |
| 2024 | Any Antlerless Deer | 600 | 256 | 341 | 758 | 341 | 45% |
| 2023 | Any Antlered Deer | 1,000 | 488 | 492 | 2,950 | 492 | 17% |
| 2023 | Any Antlerless Deer | 800 | 263 | 534 | 745 | 534 | 72% |
| 2022 | Any Antlered Deer | 1,300 | 534 | 777 | 3,227 | 773 | 24% |
| 2022 | Any Antlerless Deer | 1,000 | 287 | 729 | 774 | 707 | 91% |
| 2021 | Any Antlered Deer | 1,200 | 532 | 683 | 3,361 | 683 | 20% |
| 2021 | Any Antlerless Deer | 900 | 286 | 631 | 792 | 630 | 80% |
| 2020 | Any Antlered Deer | 1,100 | 513 | 599 | 3,507 | 598 | 17% |
| 2020 | Any Antlerless Deer | 800 | 276 | 536 | 850 | 536 | 63% |
| 2019 | Any Antlered Deer | 1,100 | 480 | 635 | 3,664 | 633 | 17% |
| 2019 | Any Antlerless Deer | 800 | 259 | 556 | 884 | 556 | 63% |
| 2018 | Any Antlered Deer | 1,000 | 493 | 497 | 3,793 | 518 | 14% |
| 2018 | Any Antlerless Deer | 700 | 266 | 427 | 1,002 | 443 | 44% |
Source: NDGF deer lottery statistics and NDGF deer lottery archive; NDGF notes small differences from voided, revoked or refunded licenses. "First-choice applicants who drew" adds up NDGF's successful applicants at every bonus point level; "share who drew" divides it by first-choice resident applicants, for that year only. It is not a forecast.
How many bonus points did it take to draw unit 2B in 2026?
Any Antlered Deer: 159 of 2,656 resident first-choice applicants drew; 1 of the 447 with no bonus points did. Any Antlerless Deer: 0 of 613 resident first-choice applicants drew; 0 of the 192 with no bonus points did.
| Bonus points | Any Antlered Deer: drew / applied | Any Antlerless Deer: drew / applied |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 / 447 | 0 / 192 |
| 1 | 11 / 677 | 0 / 246 |
| 2 | 6 / 577 | 0 / 131 |
| 3 | 7 / 450 | 0 / 29 |
| 4 | 83 / 340 | 0 / 14 |
| 5 | 36 / 141 | 0 / 1 |
| 6 | 14 / 22 | none applied |
| 7 | 1 / 1 | none applied |
| 10 | 0 / 1 | none applied |
Source: NDGF deer lottery statistics, "Bonus Points (Successful Applicants/Total Applicants)". The top column is NDGF's own top bucket. An applicant who does not draw a first choice earns a bonus point for the next lottery.
How much public land and PLOTS is in unit 2B?
0.5% of unit 2B is public land: 15,982 of its 2,915,026 acres. The largest share is waterfowl production area, 9,897 acres. PLOTS adds 42,812 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting; 263 PLOTS tracts are centered inside the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit 2B |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 42,812 | 1.5% |
| Waterfowl production area | 9,897 | 0.3% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 4,844 | 0.2% |
| State trust land | 1,241 | under 0.1% |
Wildlife management areas in unit 2B: Erie Dam (Brewer Lake) WMA (1,090 acres here), Oakville Prairie Bio Station WMA (961 acres here), Otto Spies WMA (868 acres here), Golden Lake WMA (501 acres here), Hamilton Wills WMA (482 acres here), McVille WMA (237 acres here), Koldok WMA (216 acres here), Pederson WMA (161 acres here), Crawford Oakville Prairie WMA (155 acres here), Magnolia WMA (97 acres here) and Traill County WMA (77 acres here).
Measured by FilledTag inside NDGF's unit boundary from NDGF PLOTS Guide map layers (WMAs, PLOTS, trust land, federal land). Where two maps overlap, the acres are counted once. State trust land is open to walk-in hunting unless the Department of Trust Lands lists the tract as closed; some tracts ask that the lessee be told first.
Which counties does unit 2B cover?
Unit 2B takes in parts of 6 counties. Each county's page lists its PLOTS land and WMAs.
| County | Acres in unit 2B | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 1,130,923 | 38.8% |
| Traill County | 551,807 | 18.9% |
| Grand Forks County | 512,969 | 17.6% |
| Steele County | 336,407 | 11.5% |
| Nelson County | 252,173 | 8.7% |
| Barnes County | 129,951 | 4.5% |
Has chronic wasting disease been found in unit 2B?
Yes. NDGF's CWD prevalence map lists unit 2B: whitetail deer: first detected 2025, 1 positive of 328 sampled in the last four years (0.3%).
Source: NDGF CWD prevalence by deer unit.
When is deer season in unit 2B in 2026?
The deer gun season runs November 6 to 22, 2026 in every unit. Bow, youth and muzzleloader seasons are statewide. NDGF's note for the bow (nonresident) season of September 4, 2026 to January 3, 2027: Nonresidents may hunt only on private land, excluding Private Land Open To Sportsman, during the first 9 1/2 days of the Deer Bow season. Exemption: PLOTS landowners may hunt on their enrolled property.
| Season | Where | Opens | Closes | Apply by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer: Bow (Resident) | Statewide | September 4, 2026 | January 3, 2027 | no lottery |
| Deer: Bow (Nonresident) | Statewide | September 4, 2026 | January 3, 2027 | no lottery |
| Deer: Bow (Resident Youth) | Statewide | September 4, 2026 | January 3, 2027 | no lottery |
| Deer: Regular | All Units | November 6, 2026 | November 22, 2026 | June 3, 2026 |
| Deer: Youth Season | Statewide | September 18, 2026 | September 27, 2026 | June 3, 2026 |
| White-tailed deer: Muzzleloader | Statewide | November 27, 2026 | December 13, 2026 | June 3, 2026 |
Source: NDGF 2026-27 season dates.
How do you get to unit 2B?
Highways through the unit: I-29 (about 185 miles inside it), US 81 (about 178 miles inside it), I-94 (about 100 miles inside it), US 52 (about 100 miles inside it) and ND 18 (about 97 miles inside it). Towns inside: Fargo, Grand Forks, West Fargo, Horace, Argusville, Mapleton and 44 more. Just outside: Finley (on the line), Oriska (on the line), Pillsbury (on the line) and Sharon (on the line).
Which units border deer unit 2B?
Unit 2B touches 7 other deer units. Their 2026 licenses and land, for comparison:
| Unit | Licenses, 2026 | First-choice applicants | Public land | PLOTS acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 2A | 200 | 845 | 1.3% | 4,068 |
| Unit 2C | 700 | 2,164 | 1.2% | 42,094 |
| Unit 2F1 | 900 | 1,630 | 2.8% | 21,379 |
| Unit 2F2 | 400 | 1,648 | 2.9% | 18,951 |
| Unit 2G | 200 | 623 | 1.4% | 4,662 |
| Unit 2G1 | 400 | 1,710 | 6.7% | 18,838 |
| Unit 2L | 50 | 351 | 2.1% | 6,854 |
Questions hunters ask
How many bonus points does it take to draw deer unit 2B?
159 of 2,656 resident first-choice applicants drew; 1 of the 447 with no bonus points did. Those are NDGF's 2026 figures for any antlered deer licenses in unit 2B; the full table by point level is above. A coming year can differ.
How much public land is in deer unit 2B?
0.5% of unit 2B, 15,982 of its 2,915,026 acres, is public land by the state and federal maps NDGF publishes; the largest share is waterfowl production area at 9,897 acres. Another 42,812 acres are PLOTS, private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting.
What towns are in deer unit 2B?
Fargo, Grand Forks, West Fargo, Horace and Argusville are inside the unit, with 45 smaller places.
When is deer season in unit 2B in 2026?
The deer gun season runs November 6 to 22, 2026 in unit 2B, as in every unit. Bow season runs September 4, 2026 to January 3, 2027, the youth season September 18 to 27, 2026 and the white-tailed muzzleloader season November 27 to December 13, 2026. Dates are from NDGF's 2026-27 season table; the lottery deadline was June 3, 2026.
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Where these numbers come from
- Licenses, applicants and bonus points: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF deer lottery archive.
- Seasons: NDGF 2026-27 season dates.
- Unit boundary: NDGF hunting unit maps. Land: NDGF PLOTS Guide map layers (WMAs, PLOTS, trust land, federal land). Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 and 2024 Gazetteer.
FilledTag is not part of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Numbers are copied from NDGF or measured from the maps it publishes; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
North Dakota hunting Unit 2A Unit 2C Unit 2F1 Unit 2F2 Unit 2G Unit 2G1 Unit 2L Cass County Traill County Grand Forks County