North Dakota Elk — Unit E2

Unit E2

North Dakota Unit E2 covers 3,162,846 acres and lies 18 miles south-east of Watford City and 39 miles south-west of New Town. 25% of it is public land, mostly national forest (16%) and military (5%). A further 10% is tribal land rather than public land. In 2025, 199 people hunted elk here and took 134 — 67% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 148 resident tags here for 148 first-choice applicants.

Resident tags (2026):190 Applicants:6,893 Hunter success (2025):67% Public land:25% Size:3,162,846 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Unit E2, 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

E2-ANTL Unit E2 antlerless elk 148 tags · 148 applicants

100% Undersubscribed
E2-ANY Unit E2 any elk 42 tags · 6,745 applicants

<1% Long shot

Hunt	Your odds	Points needed	Tags / applicants	Season
E2-ANTL ↗ Unit E2 antlerless elk	100% Undersubscribed	—	148 / 148 undersubscribed	Oct 2 – Jan 3, 2027
E2-ANY ↗ Unit E2 any elk	<1% Long shot	—	42 / 6,745	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

Unit E2 within North Dakota

Unit E2 and its neighbours

Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Who owns the ground

Private 2,066,767 ac · 65%
National Forest 500,411 ac · 16%
Tribal 304,288 ac · 10%
Department of Defense 143,598 ac · 5%
State trust land 90,323 ac · 3%
National Park Service 23,517 ac · 1%
BLM 16,242 ac · 1%
State land 13,683 ac · 0%
National Wildlife Refuge 4,014 ac · 0%

Source: PAD-US 4.1 — Manager Type (fee interests), North Dakota subset

Nearby areas

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.