Deer unit 4F, North Dakota: licenses, lottery and hunting land

North Dakota deer unit 4F covers 638 square miles in NDGF's Badlands region, across Bowman and Slope counties. In the 2026 deer gun lottery NDGF made 450 licenses available in unit 4F (150 antlered mule deer, 200 antlered whitetail deer, 50 antlerless mule deer and 50 antlerless whitetail deer). 493 residents named it as their first choice, and 263 of them drew; counting second choices, the resident drawing issued 397. 13.1% of the unit is public land, mostly BLM, and 15,881 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.

How many deer licenses does unit 4F get?

In the 2026 deer gun lottery NDGF made 450 licenses available in unit 4F (150 antlered mule deer, 200 antlered whitetail deer, 50 antlerless mule deer and 50 antlerless whitetail deer). 493 residents named it as their first choice, and 263 of them drew; counting second choices, the resident drawing issued 397. NDGF made 1,200 licenses available here in 2018 and 450 in 2026.

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 4F in 2026?

Antlered Mule Deer: 133 of 362 resident first-choice applicants drew; 20 of the 148 with no bonus points did; everyone with 6 points or more drew. Antlered Whitetail Deer: All 102 resident first-choice applicants drew, at every point level. Antlerless Mule Deer: 16 of 17 resident first-choice applicants drew; all 13 with no bonus points did; everyone with 4 points or more drew. Antlerless Whitetail Deer: All 12 resident first-choice applicants drew, at every point level.

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 4F?

13.1% of unit 4F is public land: 53,369 of its 408,078 acres. The largest share is BLM, 33,096 acres. PLOTS adds 15,881 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting; 36 PLOTS tracts are centered inside the unit.

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 4F cover?

Unit 4F takes in parts of 2 counties. Each county's page lists its PLOTS land and WMAs.

Has chronic wasting disease been found in unit 4F?

Yes. NDGF's CWD prevalence map lists unit 4F: mule deer: first detected 2022, 1 positive of 47 sampled in the last four years (2.1%).

Source: NDGF CWD prevalence by deer unit.

When is deer season in unit 4F 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.

Source: NDGF 2026-27 season dates.

How do you get to unit 4F?

Highways through the unit: US 12 (about 23 miles inside it) and US 85 (about 9 miles inside it). Just outside: Rhame (on the line), Marmarth (on the line), Bowman (on the line) and Scranton (13 miles).

Which units border deer unit 4F?

Unit 4F touches 3 other deer units. Their 2026 licenses and land, for comparison:

Questions hunters ask

How many bonus points does it take to draw deer unit 4F?

133 of 362 resident first-choice applicants drew; 20 of the 148 with no bonus points did; everyone with 6 points or more drew. Those are NDGF's 2026 figures for antlered mule deer licenses in unit 4F; the full table by point level is above. A coming year can differ.

How much public land is in deer unit 4F?

13.1% of unit 4F, 53,369 of its 408,078 acres, is public land by the state and federal maps NDGF publishes; the largest share is BLM at 33,096 acres. Another 15,881 acres are PLOTS, private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting.

What towns are in deer unit 4F?

No town is inside it. The nearest are Rhame (on the line), Marmarth (on the line) and Bowman (on the line).

When is deer season in unit 4F in 2026?

The deer gun season runs November 6 to 22, 2026 in unit 4F, 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.

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 3F1 Unit 4D Unit 4E Bowman County Slope County