North Dakota Moose — Unit M9
Unit M9
North Dakota Unit M9 covers 6,150,847 acres and lies 21 miles south-west of Rugby and 34 miles east of Velva. 4% of it is public land, mostly wildlife refuge (2%) and state trust land (1%). In 2025, 80 people hunted moose here and took 68 — 85% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 40 resident tags here for 451 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every moose license type on offer in Unit M9, 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-
9% Long shot
-
<1% Long shot
| Hunt | Your odds | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M9-ANTL ↗ Unit M9 antlerless moose | 9% Long shot | — | 40 / 451 | Oct 9 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| M9-ANY ↗ Unit M9 any moose | <1% Long shot | — | 28 / 7,238 | 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 5,856,525 ac · 95%
- National Wildlife Refuge 120,357 ac · 2%
- State trust land 82,961 ac · 1%
- State land 49,845 ac · 1%
- Tribal 20,817 ac · 0%
- Department of Defense 15,602 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 2,064 ac · 0%
- BLM 1,631 ac · 0%
- National Forest 739 ac · 0%
- County or city land 167 ac · 0%
- Other public 135 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 | 80 | 68 | 85% |
| 2024 | 76 | 69 | 91% |
| 2023 | 84 | 76 | 90% |
| 2021 | 114 | 100 | 88% |
| 2019 | 114 | 90 | 79% |
| 2018 | 93 | 83 | 89% |
| 2017 | 79 | 73 | 92% |
| 2016 | 68 | 65 | 96% |
| 2015 | 44 | 42 | 95% |
| 2014 | 24 | 24 | 100% |
What the agency says about the area
Those portions of Benson, Bottineau, McHenry, McLean, Towner, Pierce, Ramsey, Renville, Sheridan, Ward and Wells counties bordered on the east by ND Highway 1 and the boundary of hunting unit M6, on the north by hunting units M8, M4 and Canada. The western and southern borders are ND Highway 256 and US Highway 83 to the point where the highway crosses the southern portion of Lake Sakakawea, then west along Lake Sakakawea and south along the Missouri River to Washburn, then north on ND Highway 200A, then east on ND Highway 200 to the junction of US Highway 281 at Carrington.
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