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Elk unit E4, North Dakota: licenses, lottery and hunting land

North Dakota elk unit E4 covers 111 square miles, across Billings and Golden Valley counties. In the 2026 elk lottery NDGF offered 10 licenses for unit E4 (10 any elk), and 1,147 applications named it. In 2025, 22 elk hunters in unit E4 took 18 bulls and 1 cow or calf, an 86.36% success rate by NDGF's count. 65.5% of the unit is public land, mostly national grassland, and NDGF's map shows no PLOTS land in it (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.

Map of North Dakota elk unit E4: public land by manager, PLOTS walk-in land, neighboring units E3, highways and Medora and Sentinel Butte

National grasslandState trust landNational park (no hunting)Unit E4Neighboring unitsLake or riverHighway

Elk unit E4 at a glance
Size71,223 acres (111 square miles)
CountiesBillings, Golden Valley
Licenses, 2026 lottery10: 10 any elk
Applications, 20261,147
Elk harvest, 202519 by 22 hunters (86.36% success)
Public land65.5% (46,665 acres)
PLOTS walk-in land0 acres; 0 tracts centered in the unit
Elk gun season, 2026September 4, 2026 to January 3, 2027
Towns in and near itMedora and Sentinel Butte

How many elk licenses does unit E4 get?

In the 2026 elk lottery NDGF offered 10 licenses for unit E4 (10 any elk), and 1,147 applications named it. NDGF made 10 licenses available here in 2017 and 10 in 2026.

YearLicenseLicenses availableApplications
2026Any Elk101,147
2025Any Elk101,098
2024Any Elk101,147
2023Any Elk101,141
2022Any Elk101,065
2021Any Elk101,236
2020Any Elk101,147
2019Any Elk101,118
2018Any Elk101,028
2017Any Elk10954

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 E4 in 2025?

NDGF reports 22 hunters in unit E4 in 2025 took 18 bulls and 1 cow or calf, an 86.36% 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 E4?

65.5% of unit E4 is public land: 46,665 of its 71,223 acres. The largest share is national grassland, 38,551 acres. NDGF's 2026 PLOTS map shows no PLOTS tract in it.

ManagerAcresShare of unit E4
National grassland38,55154.1%
State trust land8,11411.4%
National park (no hunting)13under 0.1%

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 E4 cover?

Unit E4 takes in parts of 2 counties. Each county's page lists its PLOTS land and WMAs.

CountyAcres in unit E4Share of the unit
Billings County59,63983.7%
Golden Valley County11,58416.3%

When is elk season in unit E4 in 2026?

Unit E4 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.

SeasonWhereOpensClosesApply by
Elk: AntlerlessE3, E4August 7, 2026August 30, 2026March 25, 2026
Elk: RegularE3, E4September 4, 2026January 3, 2027March 25, 2026
Elk: AntlerlessE1E, E1W, E2, E3, E4, E6, E7January 9, 2027January 17, 2027March 25, 2026

Source: NDGF 2026-27 season dates.

How do you get to unit E4?

No numbered highway crosses the unit. Just outside: Medora (2 miles), Sentinel Butte (6 miles), Belfield (11 miles) and Beach (13 miles).

Which units border elk unit E4?

Unit E4 touches 1 other elk unit. Their 2026 licenses and land, for comparison:

UnitLicenses, 2026ApplicationsPublic landPLOTS acres
Unit E33199,53227.2%108,709

Questions hunters ask

How many people apply for an any-elk license in unit E4?

NDGF counted 1,147 applications for unit E4's 10 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 E4?

65.5% of unit E4, 46,665 of its 71,223 acres, is public land by the state and federal maps NDGF publishes; the largest share is national grassland at 38,551 acres. NDGF's map shows no PLOTS land in it.

What towns are in elk unit E4?

No town is inside it. The nearest are Medora (2 miles), Sentinel Butte (6 miles) and Belfield (11 miles).

When is elk season in unit E4 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 E4. 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

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 E3 Billings County Golden Valley County