Submitted Photo PLOTS is a voluntary agreement between the private landowner and Game and Fish which allows walk-in public access for hunting on private land. Photo from NDGF.

Here’s something to think about while driving or walking across North Dakota his fall. More than 93% of land in North Dakota is held in private ownership. Think about how great that is for a state where hunting, fishing, trapping and conservation is considered an important component for quality of life. We have generations of hunting heritage in our lore while under 10% of the land is public. It highlights how important the hunter-landowner relationship has been and will be.

The whole conversation about the tens of thousands of us who spend time outdoors hunting is even more impressive when you consider that for months out of the year, the landscape is covered in a white blanket, with icy roads and frigid temperatures.

We’re indeed a hardy bunch that realizes how important fresh air on the other side of the window is something we all appreciate.

We appreciate the public trust doctrine of fish and wildlife managed by the Game and Fish Department and owned in public trust by the people who call North Dakota home.

It’s all this that makes the 836,000 acres of Private Land Open To Sportsmen (PLOTS) small in terms of acreage but huge in terms of importance for the outdoor heritage.

If you want to hunt in North Dakota and you’ve never lived here, do not know any landowners or have direct access to hunting land, the PLOTS program provides just that for you. It’s a starting point or a bridge of private land with walk-in hunting.

PLOTS is a voluntary agreement between the private landowner and Game and Fish which allows walk-in public access for hunting on private land.

Where do you find this out? The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide for 2024 is now available.

The guide features about 836,000 PLOTS acres. Hunters are encouraged to use mobile mapping and browser-based applications to locate and identify boundaries of PLOTS tracts.

The PLOTS guide features maps highlighting these walk-in areas, identified in the field by inverted triangular yellow signs, as well as other public lands.

The guides are not available by mail, so hunters will have to pick one up at a local vendor or Game and Fish offices.

If you’re like me and you enjoy numbers, chew on the breakdown shared by Game and Fish Private Lands Coordinator Kevin Kading:

– 2,700 agreements, 2,500 cooperators

– 1,600 acres of new grass seeding

– 1,700 acres of newly seeded CRP

– 17,000 acres CRP enrolled

– 1,300 acres of wildlife food plots

– 24,000 acres open for waterfowl driving access

We also need to acknowledge the landowners who take part and also the partnerships working with the Game and Fish Department: Pheasants Forever, Outdoor Heritage Fund, North Dakota

Natural Resources Trust, Ducks Unlimited and the Mule Deer Foundation.

Here’s a rundown of a few common sense reminders:

– Treat PLOTS tracts as if they were your own.

– Remove all trash and empty shells.

– Do not block field approaches or gates with vehicles.

– Clean game well away from ditches and approaches.

– Steer clear of livestock.

If you find an area listed as a PLOTS tract, but that is not marked with yellow triangular PLOTS signs from the department, we suggest that you err on the side of caution and avoid entering the area until you have checked it out with us.

In accordance with NDCC 20.1-08-04.9, nonresidents may not hunt any game during the first seven days of the pheasant season on North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife management areas or on Conservation PLOTS areas.