Pronghorn unit 09A, North Dakota: licenses, lottery and hunting land
North Dakota pronghorn unit 09A covers 1,588 square miles, across Dunn and McKenzie counties. In the 2026 pronghorn lottery NDGF made 40 licenses available in unit 09A (40 any pronghorn). 282 residents named it as their first choice, and 24 of them drew. 17.2% of the unit is public land, mostly national grassland, and 2,955 acres are PLOTS walk-in land on private ground (NDGF map layers, 2026).
Data updated October 2026. Lottery: NDGF, 2022 to 2026. Land: NDGF map layers, 2026. Seasons: NDGF 2026-27 table.
NDGF wildlife management areaNational wildlife refuge (rules vary)National grasslandBLMCorps of EngineersState trust landState park (rules vary)National park (no hunting)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Unit 09ANeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,016,106 acres (1,588 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Dunn, McKenzie |
| Licenses, 2026 lottery | 40: 40 any pronghorn |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2026 | 282 |
| Public land | 17.2% (174,778 acres) |
| PLOTS walk-in land | 2,955 acres; 9 tracts centered in the unit |
| Wildlife management areas | 2 (7,460 acres) |
| Pronghorn gun season, 2026 | October 2 to 18, 2026 |
| Towns in and near it | Watford City, Killdeer, Halliday, New Town and Dodge |
How many pronghorn licenses does unit 09A get?
In the 2026 pronghorn lottery NDGF made 40 licenses available in unit 09A (40 any pronghorn). 282 residents named it as their first choice, and 24 of them drew. NDGF made 55 licenses available here in 2022 and 40 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 Pronghorn | 40 | 16 | not printed | 282 | 24 | 9% |
| 2025 | Any Pronghorn | 40 | 20 | not printed | 259 | 20 | 8% |
| 2024 | Any Pronghorn | 40 | 24 | not printed | 180 | 16 | 9% |
| 2022 | A - Any Pronghorn | 55 | 27 | not printed | 265 | 29 | 11% |
Source: NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics and NDGF pronghorn 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 09A in 2026?
Any Pronghorn: 24 of 282 resident first-choice applicants drew; 0 of the 73 with no bonus points did; the first draws came at 2 points.
| Bonus points | Any Pronghorn: drew / applied |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 / 73 |
| 1 | 0 / 50 |
| 2 | 3 / 38 |
| 3 | 1 / 30 |
| 4 | 1 / 28 |
| 5 | 5 / 17 |
| 6 | 5 / 22 |
| 7 | 4 / 10 |
| 8 | 2 / 7 |
| 9 | 3 / 6 |
| 11 | 0 / 1 |
Source: NDGF pronghorn 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 09A?
17.2% of unit 09A is public land: 174,778 of its 1,016,106 acres. The largest share is national grassland, 69,863 acres. PLOTS adds 2,955 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting; 9 PLOTS tracts are centered inside the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit 09A |
|---|---|---|
| National grassland | 69,863 | 6.9% |
| Corps of Engineers | 59,118 | 5.8% |
| State trust land | 23,142 | 2.3% |
| BLM | 15,032 | 1.5% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 7,460 | 0.7% |
| State park (rules vary) | 5,357 | 0.5% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 2,955 | 0.3% |
| National park (no hunting) | 481 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 163 | under 0.1% |
Wildlife management areas in unit 09A: Killdeer Mountains WMA (6,995 acres here) and Lost Bridge WMA (465 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 09A cover?
Unit 09A takes in parts of 2 counties. Each county's page lists its PLOTS land and WMAs.
| County | Acres in unit 09A | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| Dunn County | 632,073 | 62.2% |
| McKenzie County | 383,944 | 37.8% |
When is pronghorn season in unit 09A in 2026?
Every pronghorn license is good with a bow from the first date below, then with a gun or bow in the later season, in the unit printed on it.
| Season | Where | Opens | Closes | Apply by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronghorn: Bow | Units 1A, 1D, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4C, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A, 9C, 10A, 11A, 13A, 17A | September 4, 2026 | September 27, 2026 | no lottery |
| Pronghorn: Gun or Bow | Units 1A, 1D, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4C, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A, 9C, 10A, 11A, 13A, 17A | October 2, 2026 | October 18, 2026 | August 5, 2026 |
Source: NDGF 2026-27 season dates.
How do you get to unit 09A?
Highways through the unit: ND 22 (about 51 miles inside it), ND 23 (about 30 miles inside it), ND 200 (about 20 miles inside it), US 85 (about 16 miles inside it) and ND 73 (about 11 miles inside it). Towns inside: Watford City, Killdeer, Halliday, Dunn Center and Mandaree. Just outside: New Town (3 miles), Dodge (7 miles), Arnegard (7 miles) and Golden Valley (13 miles).
Which units border pronghorn unit 09A?
Unit 09A touches 4 other pronghorn units. Their 2026 licenses and land, for comparison:
| Unit | Licenses, 2026 | First-choice applicants | Public land | PLOTS acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 01D | 100 | 2,363 | 46.6% | 1,784 |
| Unit 08A | 40 | 369 | 2.3% | 8,228 |
| Unit 09C | 40 | 628 | 5% | 11,834 |
| Unit 10A | 50 | 351 | 21.9% | 4,935 |
Questions hunters ask
How many bonus points does it take to draw pronghorn unit 09A?
24 of 282 resident first-choice applicants drew; 0 of the 73 with no bonus points did; the first draws came at 2 points. Those are NDGF's 2026 figures for any pronghorn licenses in unit 09A; the full table by point level is above. A coming year can differ.
How much public land is in pronghorn unit 09A?
17.2% of unit 09A, 174,778 of its 1,016,106 acres, is public land by the state and federal maps NDGF publishes; the largest share is national grassland at 69,863 acres. Another 2,955 acres are PLOTS, private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting.
What towns are in pronghorn unit 09A?
Watford City, Killdeer, Halliday, Dunn Center and Mandaree are inside the unit.
When is pronghorn season in unit 09A in 2026?
Bow only from September 4 to 27, 2026, then gun or bow from October 2 to 18, 2026, in unit 09A only. Dates are from NDGF's 2026-27 season table; the lottery deadline was August 5, 2026.
Get a North Dakota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for North Dakota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, North Dakota included.
Where these numbers come from
- Licenses, applicants and bonus points: NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn 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 01D Unit 08A Unit 09C Unit 10A Dunn County McKenzie County