North Dakota Elk — Unit E7
Unit E7
North Dakota Unit E7 covers 1,339,904 acres and lies 22 miles south-west of Bottineau and 33 miles north-east of Minot. 6% of it is public land, mostly wildlife refuge (5%) and state trust land (1%). In 2025, 6 people hunted elk here and took 4 — 67% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 12 resident tags here for 1,143 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Unit E7, 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-
1% Long shot
| Hunt | Your odds | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E7-ANY ↗ Unit E7 any elk | 1% Long shot | — | 12 / 1,143 | 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 1,260,553 ac · 94%
- National Wildlife Refuge 62,172 ac · 5%
- State trust land 15,433 ac · 1%
- State land 1,351 ac · 0%
- BLM 160 ac · 0%
- National Forest 104 ac · 0%
- Other public 85 ac · 0%
- Department of Defense 22 ac · 0%
- County or city land 22 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 | 6 | 4 | 67% |
What the agency says about the area
Portions of Bottineau, McHenry, Pierce, Renville and Ward counties starting where ND Highway 14 crosses the US/Canadian border, continuing south to the junction of ND Highway 5, then east to the junction of ND Highway 60, then south to the junction of ND Highway 3, then south to US Highway 2, then west to the junction of US Highway 83, then north staying on US Highway 83 to the Canadian border, then east to the point of origin.
Boundary: North Dakota elk hunting units (NDGF General Information map service, layer 34)
Harvest: 2025 Big 3 Harvest Statistics (news release, 2026-03-05)