Elk unit E3, North Dakota: licenses, lottery and hunting land
North Dakota elk unit E3 covers 3,264 square miles, across Slope, Billings and Golden Valley counties. In the 2026 elk lottery NDGF offered 319 licenses for unit E3 (228 antlerless elk and 91 any elk), and 9,532 applications named it. In 2025, 364 elk hunters in unit E3 took 121 bulls and 121 cows and calves, a 66.48% success rate by NDGF's count. 27.2% of the unit is public land, mostly national grassland, and 108,709 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 areaNational wildlife refuge (rules vary)National grasslandBLMState trust landState park (rules vary)National park (no hunting)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Unit E3Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Size | 2,088,761 acres (3,264 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Slope, Billings, Golden Valley |
| Licenses, 2026 lottery | 319: 228 antlerless elk and 91 any elk |
| Applications, 2026 | 9,532 |
| Elk harvest, 2025 | 242 by 364 hunters (66.48% success) |
| Public land | 27.2% (568,903 acres) |
| PLOTS walk-in land | 108,709 acres; 186 tracts centered in the unit |
| Wildlife management areas | 4 (1,244 acres) |
| Elk gun season, 2026 | September 4, 2026 to January 3, 2027 |
| Towns in and near it | Marmarth, Beach, Sentinel Butte, Belfield and New England |
How many elk licenses does unit E3 get?
In the 2026 elk lottery NDGF offered 319 licenses for unit E3 (228 antlerless elk and 91 any elk), and 9,532 applications named it. NDGF made 102 licenses available here in 2017 and 319 in 2026.
| Year | License | Licenses available | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Antlerless Elk | 228 | 228 |
| 2026 | Any Elk | 91 | 9,304 |
| 2025 | Antlerless Elk | 252 | 258 |
| 2025 | Any Elk | 90 | 8,556 |
| 2024 | Antlerless Elk | 210 | 261 |
| 2024 | Any Elk | 54 | 7,951 |
| 2023 | Antlerless Elk | 121 | 221 |
| 2023 | Any Elk | 55 | 8,210 |
| 2022 | Antlerless Elk | 120 | 222 |
| 2022 | Any Elk | 85 | 8,236 |
| 2021 | Antlerless Elk | 120 | 281 |
| 2021 | Any Elk | 85 | 8,048 |
| 2020 | Antlerless Elk | 120 | 247 |
| 2020 | Any Elk | 85 | 7,276 |
| 2019 | Antlerless Elk | 80 | 160 |
| 2019 | Any Elk | 80 | 6,535 |
| 2018 | Antlerless Elk | 60 | 133 |
| 2018 | Any Elk | 51 | 6,140 |
| 2017 | Any Elk | 52 | 4,983 |
| 2017 | Cow Elk | 50 | 88 |
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 E3 in 2025?
NDGF reports 364 hunters in unit E3 in 2025 took 121 bulls and 121 cows and calves, a 66.48% 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 E3?
27.2% of unit E3 is public land: 568,903 of its 2,088,761 acres. The largest share is national grassland, 488,240 acres. PLOTS adds 108,709 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting; 186 PLOTS tracts are centered inside the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit E3 |
|---|---|---|
| National grassland | 488,240 | 23.4% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 108,709 | 5.2% |
| State trust land | 75,396 | 3.6% |
| National park (no hunting) | 46,190 | 2.2% |
| BLM | 2,340 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 1,682 | 0.1% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 1,245 | 0.1% |
| State park (rules vary) | 319 | under 0.1% |
Wildlife management areas in unit E3: Cedar Lake WMA (804 acres here), Speck Davis Pond WMA (159 acres here), Bull Creek WMA (154 acres here) and Camels Hump Lake WMA (127 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. National wildlife refuges are open to hunting only where each refuge's rules allow.
Which counties does unit E3 cover?
Unit E3 takes in parts of 3 counties. Each county's page lists its PLOTS land and WMAs.
| County | Acres in unit E3 | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| Slope County | 780,398 | 37.4% |
| Billings County | 678,148 | 32.5% |
| Golden Valley County | 629,874 | 30.2% |
When is elk season in unit E3 in 2026?
Unit E3 has 3 elk season rows in NDGF's 2026-27 table. NDGF's note for the antlerless season of August 7 to 30, 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 | E3, E4 | August 7, 2026 | August 30, 2026 | March 25, 2026 |
| Elk: Regular | E3, E4 | September 4, 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 E3?
Highways through the unit: I-94 (about 80 miles inside it), US 85 (about 57 miles inside it), ND 16 (about 47 miles inside it), ND 67 (about 17 miles inside it) and ND 21 (about 13 miles inside it). Towns inside: Marmarth, Beach, Sentinel Butte, Amidon, Medora and Golva. Just outside: Belfield (2 miles), New England (3 miles), Rhame (3 miles) and Bowman (7 miles).
Which units border elk unit E3?
Unit E3 touches 3 other elk units. Their 2026 licenses and land, for comparison:
| Unit | Licenses, 2026 | Applications | Public land | PLOTS acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit E2 | 190 | 6,893 | 23.5% | 16,276 |
| Unit E4 | 10 | 1,147 | 65.5% | 0 |
| Unit E5 | no lottery | 4.5% | 712,141 |
Questions hunters ask
How many people apply for an any-elk license in unit E3?
NDGF counted 9,304 applications for unit E3's 91 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 E3?
27.2% of unit E3, 568,903 of its 2,088,761 acres, is public land by the state and federal maps NDGF publishes; the largest share is national grassland at 488,240 acres. Another 108,709 acres are PLOTS, private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting.
What towns are in elk unit E3?
Marmarth, Beach, Sentinel Butte, Amidon and Medora are inside the unit, with 1 smaller places.
When is elk season in unit E3 in 2026?
Antlerless August 7 to 30, 2026, regular September 4, 2026 to January 3, 2027 and antlerless January 9 to 17, 2027 for unit E3. 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 E2 Unit E4 Slope County Billings County Golden Valley County