North Dakota Elk — Unit E1W
Unit E1W
North Dakota Unit E1W covers 1,523,878 acres and lies 6 miles south of Rolla and 27 miles north-west of Cando. 4% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (2%) and wildlife refuge (1%). In 2025, 191 people hunted elk here and took 105 — 55% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 125 resident tags here for 125 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Unit E1W, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice resident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice resident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
100% Undersubscribed
-
1% Long shot
| Hunt | Your odds | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1W-ANTL ↗ Unit E1W antlerless elk | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 125 / 125 undersubscribed | Oct 2 – Jan 3, 2027 |
| E1W-ANY ↗ Unit E1W any elk | 1% Long shot | — | 30 / 2,635 | Oct 2 – Jan 3, 2027 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 resident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per application | $27 | $7 | $62 |
Application window: closes Mar 25, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- Private 1,421,880 ac · 93%
- Tribal 45,818 ac · 3%
- State trust land 29,484 ac · 2%
- National Wildlife Refuge 14,742 ac · 1%
- State land 11,952 ac · 1%
- BLM 0 ac · 0%
Source: PAD-US 4.1 — Manager Type (fee interests), North Dakota subset
How the hunting has gone
What North Dakota Game and Fish Department publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 191 | 105 | 55% |
| 2024 | 198 | 133 | 67% |
| 2023 | 104 | 66 | 63% |
| 2021 | 54 | 45 | 83% |
| 2019 | 52 | 31 | 60% |
| 2018 | 37 | 27 | 73% |
| 2017 | 34 | 16 | 47% |
What the agency says about the area
Rolette County and those portions of Bottineau, Towner, Ramsey, Pierce and Cavalier counties bordered on the north by Canada, on the east by ND Highway 20, on the south by ND Highway 17, then west to the junction of ND Highway 17 and ND Highway 60, then continuing west along ND Highway 60 to ND Highway 5, then west to ND Highway 14, then north to Canada.
Boundary: North Dakota elk hunting units (NDGF General Information map service, layer 34)
Harvest: 2025 Big 3 Harvest Statistics (news release, 2026-03-05)
Harvest: North Dakota OUTDOORS, Buffaloberry Patch, May 2025
Harvest: North Dakota OUTDOORS, Buffaloberry Patch, May 2024