Pronghorn unit 09C, North Dakota: licenses, lottery and hunting land
North Dakota pronghorn unit 09C covers 2,674 square miles, across Mercer, Oliver, Morton and Dunn counties and others. In the 2026 pronghorn lottery NDGF made 40 licenses available in unit 09C (40 any pronghorn). 628 residents named it as their first choice, and 20 of them drew. 5% of the unit is public land, mostly Corps of Engineers, and 11,834 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 areaBLMCorps of EngineersBureau of ReclamationState trust landState park (rules vary)National park (no hunting)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Unit 09CNeighboring unitsLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,711,127 acres (2,674 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Mercer, Oliver, Morton, Dunn, Stark |
| Licenses, 2026 lottery | 40: 40 any pronghorn |
| First-choice resident applicants, 2026 | 628 |
| Public land | 5% (86,177 acres) |
| PLOTS walk-in land | 11,834 acres; 63 tracts centered in the unit |
| Wildlife management areas | 15 (9,243 acres) |
| Pronghorn gun season, 2026 | October 2 to 18, 2026 |
| Towns in and near it | Beulah, Hebron, Hazen, Halliday and Richardton |
How many pronghorn licenses does unit 09C get?
In the 2026 pronghorn lottery NDGF made 40 licenses available in unit 09C (40 any pronghorn). 628 residents named it as their first choice, and 20 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 | 20 | not printed | 628 | 20 | 3% |
| 2025 | Any Pronghorn | 40 | 20 | not printed | 551 | 20 | 4% |
| 2024 | Any Pronghorn | 55 | 52 | not printed | 446 | 3 | 1% |
| 2022 | A - Any Pronghorn | 55 | 52 | not printed | 625 | 3 | under 1% |
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 09C in 2026?
Any Pronghorn: 20 of 628 resident first-choice applicants drew; 0 of the 160 with no bonus points did; everyone with 17 points or more drew.
| Bonus points | Any Pronghorn: drew / applied |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 / 160 |
| 1 | 0 / 110 |
| 2 | 1 / 81 |
| 3 | 0 / 61 |
| 4 | 2 / 50 |
| 5 | 0 / 42 |
| 6 | 2 / 33 |
| 7 | 1 / 27 |
| 8 | 2 / 16 |
| 9 | 3 / 25 |
| 10 | 2 / 9 |
| 11 | 5 / 8 |
| 12 | 1 / 4 |
| 13 | 0 / 1 |
| 17 | 1 / 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 09C?
5% of unit 09C is public land: 86,177 of its 1,711,127 acres. The largest share is Corps of Engineers, 46,440 acres. PLOTS adds 11,834 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting; 63 PLOTS tracts are centered inside the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit 09C |
|---|---|---|
| Corps of Engineers | 46,440 | 2.7% |
| State trust land | 28,272 | 1.7% |
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 11,834 | 0.7% |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 9,243 | 0.5% |
| BLM | 2,059 | 0.1% |
| National park (no hunting) | 1,343 | 0.1% |
| State park (rules vary) | 552 | under 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 163 | under 0.1% |
Wildlife management areas in unit 09C: Hille WMA (3,078 acres here), North Beulah Mine WMA (1,881 acres here), Sweet Briar Lake WMA (893 acres here), Harmony Lake WMA (635 acres here), Missouri Breaks WMA (477 acres here), Storm Creek WMA (472 acres here), Arroda Lake WMA (410 acres here), Norman and Lucille Schaefer WMA (313 acres here), Beaver Creek WMA (Mercer County) (285 acres here), Smith Grove WMA (232 acres here), Wilbur Boldt WMA (161 acres here) and Golden Valley WMA (160 acres here), and 3 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.
Which counties does unit 09C cover?
Unit 09C takes in parts of 5 counties. Each county's page lists its PLOTS land and WMAs.
| County | Acres in unit 09C | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer County | 709,140 | 41.4% |
| Oliver County | 462,599 | 27% |
| Morton County | 298,899 | 17.5% |
| Dunn County | 171,219 | 10% |
| Stark County | 68,860 | 4% |
When is pronghorn season in unit 09C 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 09C?
Highways through the unit: I-94 (about 82 miles inside it), ND 200 (about 61 miles inside it), ND 1806 (about 53 miles inside it), ND 8 (about 40 miles inside it) and ND 25 (about 35 miles inside it). Towns inside: Beulah, Hebron, Hazen, Zap, Golden Valley, Center and 4 more. Just outside: Halliday (on the line), Richardton (on the line), Mandan (on the line) and Washburn (on the line).
Which units border pronghorn unit 09C?
Unit 09C touches 3 other pronghorn units. Their 2026 licenses and land, for comparison:
| Unit | Licenses, 2026 | First-choice applicants | Public land | PLOTS acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 08A | 40 | 369 | 2.3% | 8,228 |
| Unit 09A | 40 | 282 | 17.2% | 2,955 |
| Unit 11A | 90 | 855 | 3.5% | 34,731 |
Questions hunters ask
How many bonus points does it take to draw pronghorn unit 09C?
20 of 628 resident first-choice applicants drew; 0 of the 160 with no bonus points did; everyone with 17 points or more drew. Those are NDGF's 2026 figures for any pronghorn licenses in unit 09C; the full table by point level is above. A coming year can differ.
How much public land is in pronghorn unit 09C?
5% of unit 09C, 86,177 of its 1,711,127 acres, is public land by the state and federal maps NDGF publishes; the largest share is Corps of Engineers at 46,440 acres. Another 11,834 acres are PLOTS, private land the owner has opened to walk-in hunting.
What towns are in pronghorn unit 09C?
Beulah, Hebron, Hazen, Zap and Golden Valley are inside the unit, with 5 smaller places.
When is pronghorn season in unit 09C in 2026?
Bow only from September 4 to 27, 2026, then gun or bow from October 2 to 18, 2026, in unit 09C 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 08A Unit 09A Unit 11A Mercer County Oliver County Morton County