Schmidt Bottoms Wildlife Management Area: hunting, units and nearby land
Schmidt Bottoms Wildlife Management Area is 1,318 acres of land managed by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, in Morton County. It lies in deer unit 3C and pronghorn unit 11A. Within 5 miles of its boundary are 3,819 acres of other public land but no PLOTS land.
Data updated October 2026. Boundary and acres: NDGF map layers, 2026. Lottery: NDGF 2026.
NDGF wildlife management areaCorps of EngineersState trust landSchmidt Bottoms WMACounty lineLake or riverHighway
| Size | 1,318 acres (NDGF) |
|---|---|
| County | Morton |
| Deer units | Deer unit 3C |
| Pronghorn units | Pronghorn unit 11A |
| Deer licenses in unit 3C, 2026 | 800 (1,431 first-choice applicants) |
| PLOTS within 5 miles | 0 acres |
| Nearest towns | Lincoln (6 mi), Bismarck (9 mi) and Mandan (11 mi) |
Which hunting units is Schmidt Bottoms WMA in?
Schmidt Bottoms WMA lies in deer unit 3C and pronghorn unit 11A. Each unit's 2026 lottery, for the whole unit, not the WMA alone:
| Unit | WMA acres in it | Licenses, 2026 | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer unit 3C | 1,318 | 800 | 1,431 |
| Pronghorn unit 11A | 1,312 | 90 | 855 |
Lottery: NDGF deer lottery statistics; NDGF pronghorn lottery statistics. WMA acres in each unit measured by FilledTag from NDGF's boundaries.
What other hunting land is near Schmidt Bottoms WMA?
Within 5 miles of the WMA's boundary, the maps NDGF publishes show no PLOTS land and 3,819 acres of other public land. Other wildlife management areas close by: Graner Bottoms WMA (3,645 acres in the ring), Kimball Bottoms WMA (2,877 acres in the ring), MacLean Bottoms WMA (1,467 acres in the ring), Apple Creek Bottoms WMA (1,081 acres in the ring) and Little Heart Bottoms WMA (666 acres in the ring).
| Within 5 miles | Acres |
|---|---|
| NDGF wildlife management area | 9,735 |
| Corps of Engineers | 2,798 |
| State trust land | 1,021 |
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 Schmidt Bottoms WMA?
Schmidt Bottoms WMA is about 6 miles southwest of Lincoln, and 9 miles south of Bismarck. Highways within 8 miles: ND 1804 (19 miles of it), ND 1806 (19 miles of it), ND 6 (11 miles of it) and ND 810 (9 miles of it). NDGF's PLOTS Guide shows the WMA's parking areas and roads.
Questions hunters ask
How big is Schmidt Bottoms WMA?
NDGF lists Schmidt Bottoms WMA at 1,318 acres. FilledTag measured 1,318 acres from NDGF's boundary.
What county is Schmidt Bottoms WMA in?
All of it is in Morton County.
Which hunting units is Schmidt Bottoms WMA in?
Deer unit 3C; pronghorn unit 11A, by NDGF's unit maps. A license is good only in the unit printed on it.
What is the closest town to Schmidt Bottoms WMA?
Lincoln (6 miles), Bismarck (9 miles) and Mandan (11 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.