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North Dakota

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North Dakota Unit Finder

Answer six questions and get North Dakota hunting units ranked by habitat fit, 2026 season dates, public and PLOTS land, and NDGF license and harvest data.

How the North Dakota finder works

North Dakota Game and Fish issues deer gun licenses by unit through a lottery. NDGF does not publish deer harvest by unit, so this tool estimates it from each unit's 2024 and 2025 licenses by type and NDGF's statewide success rate for that license type, scaled to the reported statewide harvest. Elk and moose use NDGF's reported 2025 harvest by unit.

Units are also scored on USGS land-cover and elevation data, the share of public land, and PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) walk-in tracts, plus the 2026 bow, gun and muzzleloader deer seasons.

Species covered

  • Mule deer
  • White-tailed deer
  • Elk
  • Moose

Upland birds (ranked by county)

  • Ring-necked pheasant
  • Sharp-tailed grouse
  • Gray (Hungarian) partridge
  • Forest grouse

Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)

  • Ducks
  • Canada and dark geese
  • Snow and Ross's geese
  • Mourning dove
  • Sandhill crane
  • Tundra swan
  • American woodcock

About every species on the species page →

Data sources

North Dakota hunting FAQ

Does North Dakota publish deer harvest by unit?

No. NDGF publishes statewide success by license type and license numbers by unit. This tool combines the two into a per-unit estimate and labels it as an estimate.

Where are the best North Dakota mule deer units?

Mule deer licenses are offered in the Badlands and Slope units of western North Dakota. Pick mule deer and the tool ranks the units that had mule deer licenses.

Is PLOTS land counted as public land?

PLOTS walk-in tracts are counted separately from public land and add to the public-access score. Nonresidents may not hunt PLOTS or other public land during the first 9½ days of deer bow season.

North Dakota harvest leaders

The hunting units with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.

Elk (2025)

  1. Unit E3: 242 per year, 66% success
  2. Unit E2: 134 per year, 67% success
  3. Unit E1W: 105 per year, 55% success
  4. Unit E1E: 69 per year, 52% success
  5. Unit E4: 19 per year, 86% success

Moose (2025)

  1. Unit M10: 106 per year, 93% success
  2. Unit M9: 68 per year, 85% success
  3. Unit M11: 47 per year, 86% success
  4. Unit M8: 13 per year, 87% success
  5. Unit M6: 8 per year, 80% success

Ducks (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Stutsman County: 41,642 per year
  2. Ramsey County: 29,940 per year
  3. Logan County: 23,300 per year
  4. Sheridan County: 23,064 per year
  5. Kidder County: 22,330 per year

Canada and dark geese (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. McLean County: 20,360 per year
  2. Stutsman County: 7,018 per year
  3. Benson County: 6,658 per year
  4. McHenry County: 6,259 per year
  5. Ramsey County: 6,094 per year