North Dakota Moose — Unit M5
Unit M5
North Dakota Unit M5 covers 2,549,899 acres and lies 6 miles north of Park River and 16 miles west of Grafton. 2% of it is public land, mostly state land (1%) and wildlife refuge (1%). In 2025, 7 people hunted moose here and took 3 — 43% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 6 resident tags here for 480 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every moose license type on offer in Unit M5, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M5-ANY ↗ Unit M5 any moose | 1% Long shot | — | 6 / 480 | Oct 9 – Nov 1, 2026 |
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 2,507,358 ac · 98%
- State land 20,273 ac · 1%
- National Wildlife Refuge 14,050 ac · 1%
- Department of Defense 5,545 ac · 0%
- State trust land 2,402 ac · 0%
- BLM 219 ac · 0%
- County or city land 50 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 | 7 | 3 | 43% |
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | 63% |
| 2023 | 8 | 7 | 88% |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| 2019 | 5 | 4 | 80% |
| 2018 | 5 | 4 | 80% |
| 2017 | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| 2016 | 5 | 4 | 80% |
| 2015 | 5 | 4 | 80% |
| 2014 | 5 | 3 | 60% |
What the agency says about the area
Those portions of Cavalier, Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina, Ramsey and Walsh counties bordered on the north by Canada, on the west by ND Highway 1, on the south by US Highway 2, and on the east by Minnesota.
Boundary: North Dakota moose hunting units (NDGF General Information map service, layer 38)
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