North Dakota Elk — Unit E3
Unit E3
North Dakota Unit E3 covers 2,088,761 acres and lies 18 miles south-west of Belfield and 36 miles west of Dickinson. 29% of it is public land, mostly national forest (23%) and state trust land (4%). In 2025, 364 people hunted elk here and took 242 — 67% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 228 resident tags here for 228 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Unit E3, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E3-ANTL ↗ Unit E3 antlerless elk | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 228 / 228 undersubscribed | Sep 4 – Jan 3, 2027 |
| E3-ANY ↗ Unit E3 any elk | <1% Long shot | — | 91 / 9,304 | Sep 4 – 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 1,476,148 ac · 71%
- National Forest 486,086 ac · 23%
- State trust land 75,140 ac · 4%
- National Park Service 46,046 ac · 2%
- BLM 2,339 ac · 0%
- National Wildlife Refuge 1,683 ac · 0%
- State land 1,317 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 | 364 | 242 | 67% |
| 2024 | 285 | 194 | 68% |
| 2023 | 194 | 154 | 79% |
| 2021 | 177 | 109 | 62% |
| 2019 | 150 | 112 | 75% |
| 2018 | 125 | 92 | 74% |
| 2017 | 116 | 78 | 67% |
| 2016 | 80 | 47 | 60% |
| 2015 | 56 | 51 | 91% |
| 2014 | 48 | 35 | 73% |
What the agency says about the area
Billings, Golden Valley, and Slope counties, except that portion of unit E4 in Billings and Golden Valley counties and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
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