Prairie Chicken Wildlife Management Area: hunting, units and nearby land
Prairie Chicken Wildlife Management Area is 4,273 acres of land managed by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in 7 pieces, in Grand Forks County. It lies in deer unit 2C and elk unit E1E. Within 5 miles of its boundary are 7,302 acres of PLOTS walk-in land and 5,020 acres of other public land.
Data updated October 2026. Boundary and acres: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaWaterfowl production areaNational wildlife refuge (rules vary)Bureau of ReclamationState trust landState park (rules vary)PLOTS (private land open to hunting)Prairie Chicken WMACounty lineLake or riverHighway
| Size | 4,273 acres (NDGF), 7 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Grand Forks |
| Deer units | Deer unit 2C |
| Elk units | Elk unit E1E |
| Deer licenses in unit 2C, 2026 | 700 (2,164 first-choice applicants) |
| PLOTS within 5 miles | 7,302 acres |
| Nearest towns | Grand Forks AFB (2 mi), Ardoch (3 mi) and Gilby (4 mi) |
Which hunting units is Prairie Chicken WMA in?
Prairie Chicken WMA lies in deer unit 2C and elk unit E1E. Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit, not the WMA alone:
| Unit | WMA acres in it | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 2C | 4,273 | 700 | 2,164 |
| Elk unit E1E | 4,273 | 116 | 4,365 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF elk lottery statistics. WMA acres in each unit measured by FilledTag from NDGF's boundaries.
What other hunting land is near Prairie Chicken WMA?
Within 5 miles of the WMA's boundary, the maps NDGF publishes show 7,302 acres of PLOTS (97 tracts centered in that ring) and 5,020 acres of other public land. Other wildlife management areas close by: Ed Bry WMA (163 acres in the ring).
| Within 5 miles | Acres |
|---|---|
| PLOTS (private land open to hunting) | 7,302 |
| Waterfowl production area | 4,443 |
| National wildlife refuge (rules vary) | 415 |
| NDGF wildlife management area | 163 |
| State trust land | 160 |
| State park (rules vary) | 32 |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 2 |
Measured by FilledTag from NDGF PLOTS Guide map layers (WMAs, PLOTS, trust land, federal land); acres outside North Dakota are not counted.
How do you get to Prairie Chicken WMA?
Prairie Chicken WMA is about 2 miles north of Grand Forks AFB, and 3 miles south of Ardoch. Highways within 8 miles: US 2 (31 miles of it), I-29 (30 miles of it), US 81 (22 miles of it) and ND 54 (2 miles of it). NDGF's PLOTS Guide shows the WMA's parking areas and roads.
Questions hunters ask
How big is Prairie Chicken WMA?
NDGF lists Prairie Chicken WMA at 4,273 acres, in 7 separate pieces. FilledTag measured 4,273 acres from NDGF's boundary.
What county is Prairie Chicken WMA in?
All of it is in Grand Forks County.
Which hunting units is Prairie Chicken WMA in?
Deer unit 2C; elk unit E1E, by NDGF's unit maps. A license is good only in the unit printed on it.
What is the closest town to Prairie Chicken WMA?
Grand Forks AFB (2 miles), Ardoch (3 miles) and Gilby (4 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Boundary and acres: NDGF wildlife management areas. Land around it: NDGF PLOTS Guide map layers (WMAs, PLOTS, trust land, federal land).
- Units: NDGF hunting unit maps. Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics.
FilledTag is not part of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Posted rules at the area and NDGF's regulations are the final word.