Elk unit E1W, North Dakota: licenses, lottery and hunting land
North Dakota elk unit E1W covers 2,381 square miles, across Rolette, Towner, Bottineau and Cavalier counties and others. In the 2026 elk lottery NDGF offered 155 licenses for unit E1W (125 antlerless elk and 30 any elk), and 2,760 applications named it. In 2025, 191 elk hunters in unit E1W took 43 bulls and 62 cows and calves, a 54.97% success rate by NDGF's count. 3.5% of the unit is public land, mostly state trust land, and 17,293 acres are PLOTS walk-in land on private ground (NDGF map layers, 2026).
Data updated October 2026. Lottery: NDGF, 2017 to 2026. Harvest: NDGF, 2025. Land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Seasons: NDGF 2026-27 table.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaNational wildlife refuge (rules vary)State trust landState forestState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Unit E1WNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,523,879 acres (2,381 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Rolette, Towner, Bottineau, Cavalier, Pierce, Ramsey |
| Licenses, 2026 lottery | 155: 125 antlerless elk and 30 any elk |
| Applications, 2026 | 2,760 |
| Elk harvest, 2025 | 105 by 191 hunters (54.97% success) |
| Public land | 3.5% (54,014 acres) |
| PLOTS walk-in land | 17,293 acres; 88 tracts centered in the unit |
| Wildlife management areas | 14 (10,734 acres) |
| Elk gun season, 2026 | October 2, 2026 to January 3, 2027 |
| Towns in and near it | Calio, Rolla, Bottineau, Willow City and Munich |
How many elk licenses does unit E1W get?
In the 2026 elk lottery NDGF offered 155 licenses for unit E1W (125 antlerless elk and 30 any elk), and 2,760 applications named it. NDGF made 34 licenses available here in 2017 and 155 in 2026.
| Year | License | Licenses available | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Antlerless Elk | 125 | 125 |
| 2026 | Any Elk | 30 | 2,635 |
| 2025 | Antlerless Elk | 141 | 157 |
| 2025 | Any Elk | 30 | 2,601 |
| 2024 | Antlerless Elk | 140 | 173 |
| 2024 | Any Elk | 30 | 2,674 |
| 2023 | Antlerless Elk | 65 | 156 |
| 2023 | Any Elk | 17 | 2,476 |
| 2022 | Antlerless Elk | 55 | 127 |
| 2022 | Any Elk | 25 | 2,389 |
| 2021 | Antlerless Elk | 35 | 105 |
| 2021 | Any Elk | 25 | 2,128 |
| 2020 | Antlerless Elk | 35 | 108 |
| 2020 | Any Elk | 25 | 1,856 |
| 2019 | Antlerless Elk | 35 | 78 |
| 2019 | Any Elk | 25 | 1,584 |
| 2018 | Antlerless Elk | 25 | 58 |
| 2018 | Any Elk | 9 | 1,446 |
| 2017 | Any Elk | 9 | 1,271 |
| 2017 | Cow Elk | 25 | 67 |
Source: NDGF elk lottery statistics and NDGF elk lottery archive; NDGF notes small differences from voided, revoked or refunded licenses. NDGF prints licenses available and total applications for elk; it does not print bonus points by level for elk.
How many elk were taken in unit E1W in 2025?
NDGF reports 191 hunters in unit E1W in 2025 took 43 bulls and 62 cows and calves, a 54.97% success rate. Statewide, 929 elk hunters took 576 elk.
Source: NDGF, 2025 Big 3 Harvest Statistics.
How much public land and PLOTS is in unit E1W?
3.5% of unit E1W is public land: 54,014 of its 1,523,879 acres. The largest share is state trust land, 15,994 acres. PLOTS adds 17,293 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting; 88 PLOTS tracts are centered inside the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit E1W |
|---|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 17,293 | 1.1% |
| State trust land | 15,994 | 1% |
| Waterfowl production area | 14,614 | 1% |
| State forest | 12,515 | 0.8% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 10,735 | 0.7% |
| State park (rules vary) | 1,662 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 156 | under 0.1% |
Wildlife management areas in unit E1W: Wakopa WMA (7,165 acres here), Thompson Lake WMA (872 acres here), Willow Lake WMA (602 acres here), Turtle Mountain WMA (438 acres here), C.C. Underwood WMA (321 acres here), Wall-Redfield WMA (261 acres here), School Section Lake WMA (255 acres here), V.V. Bull WMA (199 acres here), Black Lake WMA (174 acres here), Nickelson WMA (163 acres here), Turtle Mountain Forest WMA (159 acres here) and Schuster WMA (80 acres here), and 2 smaller ones.
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. National wildlife refuges are open to hunting only where each refuge's rules allow.
Which counties does unit E1W cover?
Unit E1W takes in parts of 6 counties. Each county's page lists its PLOTS land and WMAs.
| County | Acres in unit E1W | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| Rolette County | 601,215 | 39.5% |
| Towner County | 543,425 | 35.7% |
| Bottineau County | 212,819 | 14% |
| Cavalier County | 93,338 | 6.1% |
| Pierce County | 62,715 | 4.1% |
| Ramsey County | 10,200 | 0.7% |
When is elk season in unit E1W in 2026?
Unit E1W has 4 elk season rows in NDGF's 2026-27 table. NDGF's note for the antlerless season of August 7 to September 27, 2026: This season is restricted to private land only within the boundaries of the hunter’s assigned unit. Hunting on private land enrolled in the Private Land Open To Sportsman program is prohibited, except by the enrolled landowner.
| Season | Where | Opens | Closes | Apply by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk: Antlerless | E1E, E1W, E2, E6, E7 | August 7, 2026 | September 27, 2026 | March 25, 2026 |
| Elk: Bow | E1E, E1W, E2, E6, E7 | September 4, 2026 | September 27, 2026 | March 25, 2026 |
| Elk: Regular | E1E, E2, E1W | October 2, 2026 | January 3, 2027 | March 25, 2026 |
| Elk: Antlerless | E1E, E1W, E2, E3, E4, E6, E7 | January 9, 2027 | January 17, 2027 | March 25, 2026 |
Source: NDGF 2026-27 season dates.
How do you get to unit E1W?
Highways through the unit: ND 5 (about 78 miles inside it), US 281 (about 77 miles inside it), ND 66 (about 62 miles inside it), ND 3 (about 35 miles inside it) and ND 30 (about 35 miles inside it). Towns inside: Calio, Rolla, Bottineau, Rolette, Dunseith, Mylo and 15 more. Just outside: Willow City (on the line), Munich (on the line), Wolford (on the line) and Starkweather (2 miles).
Which units border elk unit E1W?
Unit E1W touches 3 other elk units. Their 2026 licenses and land, for comparison:
| Unit | Licenses, 2026 | Applications | Public land | PLOTS acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit E1E | 116 | 4,365 | 1.7% | 59,379 |
| Unit E5 | no lottery | 4.5% | 712,141 | |
| Unit E7 | 12 | 1,143 | 6.2% | 7,664 |
Questions hunters ask
How many people apply for an any-elk license in unit E1W?
NDGF counted 2,635 applications for unit E1W's 30 any-elk licenses in 2026. North Dakota elk licenses are for residents only and are drawn by lottery.
How much public land is in elk unit E1W?
3.5% of unit E1W, 54,014 of its 1,523,879 acres, is public land by the state and federal maps NDGF publishes; the largest share is state trust land at 15,994 acres. Another 17,293 acres are PLOTS, private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting.
What towns are in elk unit E1W?
Calio, Rolla, Bottineau, Rolette and Dunseith are inside the unit, with 16 smaller places.
When is elk season in unit E1W in 2026?
Antlerless August 7 to September 27, 2026, bow September 4 to 27, 2026, regular October 2, 2026 to January 3, 2027 and antlerless January 9 to 17, 2027 for unit E1W. Dates are from NDGF's 2026-27 season table; the lottery deadline was March 25, 2026.
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Where these numbers come from
- Licenses, applicants and bonus points: NDGF elk lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery archive.
- Elk harvest: NDGF, 2025 Big 3 Harvest Statistics.
- 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 E1E Rolette County Towner County Bottineau County