Contact a biologist in your area for specific information or click Contact Me to be contacted by a biologist. You'll be asked to provide your contact information and the county where the property is located and a biologist will contact you to discuss options.

Most PLOTS agreements allow some form of haying or grazing depending on the type of PLOTS agreement. Amount, frequency and duration of haying and grazing vary based on type of agreement. In addition, biologists can assist landowners in developing haying and grazing management plans that benefit the landowner's operation as well as wildlife habitat. Cost-share for fencing and other infrastructure is available in some cases.

The landowner or renter is responsible for weed control on PLOTS.

North Dakota statute protects landowners who lease their land to the state for recreational purposes. Landowners are not liable for anyone getting injured on property enrolled in PLOTS. Refer to North Dakota Century Code 53-08-04 or contact the Department for more information regarding limited liability.

Cancellation provisions vary depending on the type of PLOTS agreement. In some cases, reimbursement for payments or cost-share is required; however, the Department will work with a landowner to make reasonable accommodations for cancellation of PLOTS agreements. Any agreement cancelled within the hunting season will be required to pay additional liquidated damages due to the inconvenience it will cause the hunting public.

Payments vary depending upon land use and type of agreement. Some agreements are annual payments while others are one-time upfront payments. Agreement lengths vary from two years up to as long as 30 years. For specific information, please contact a biologist in your area or click "Contact Me" to be contacted by a biologist.

There are a suite of options available through PLOTS, including maintaining the existing cover, enhancing the cover, using the cover for haying or grazing, farming portions of the land and leaving other portions, planting high diversity food plots, cover crops or other grasses and many more. Payments and agreement details vary. For specific information please contact a biologist in your area or click Contact Me to be contacted by a biologist.

No. PLOTS agreements do not restrict this activity, however, landowners may make a request to companies to specify the location of a drilling pad, access road, pipelines or other infrastructure to avoid or minimize impacts to their operation. The Department can assist the landowner with these decisions to ensure measures are taken to minimize habitat loss, reduce impacts to the landowner's operation and the ensure development will not hinder the intended use for hunting access. The Department encourages landowners to work with energy companies early in the lease negotiation process to minimize impacts.

PLOTS agreements are only for walk-in hunting access. If a property is developed the Department will conduct an evaluation to determine if the property will remain in PLOTS or if the agreement will be terminated. The determination depends on the extent of development on the property and if the development hinders the intended use for hunting access. The Department encourages landowners to notify the Department as early in the development process as possible to minimize the impacts.

Some PLOTS agreements are recorded and run with the land regardless of ownership. Most PLOTS agreements have a clause that allows for transfer of ownership or cancellation of the agreement, however, reimbursement for payments or cost-share will be required if the new owner does not wish to continue the PLOTS agreement. It is the responsibility of the current landowner to contact the Department within 45 days of transfer of the property.

Yes.

The goal of the Private Land Open To Sportsmen program is to provide walk-in public access for hunting on private land. PLOTS agreements do not allow activities such as horseback riding, camping, placing bait for any purpose, driving ATVs or snowmobiles, dog training and many others, without written permission from the landowner.

Game and Fish has specific regulations that apply to public use on PLOTS tracts. By establishing these regulations, the Department can better fulfill its responsibility to private landowners and help protect property enrolled in the program. In addition, the regulations provide clarity to hunters, and law enforcement officers are in a better position to enforce activities on PLOTS property.

Legal Definition

All PLOTS property is open only for public walk-in access for the purpose of hunting within legal hunting seasons, or as signed. All other activities require written permission from the property owner.

Walk-in access is defined as an individual traveling by foot with any legal firearm or bow, plus other equipment, accessories and provisions for the purposes of hunting.

Hunters may not leave equipment, accessories, or provisions unattended on a PLOTS tract without written permission of the property owner.

Regulations are enforced year-round, but do not restrict the landowner from participating in these activities on their own property enrolled in PLOTS. These regulations also do not restrict the landowner, tenant, family, hired hand, or other authorized operators from conducting normal farming or ranching activities as authorized in the PLOTS contract on their own property enrolled in PLOTS.

Lower quality habitat, such as a stubble field, is often included in a PLOTS agreement as part of a larger block of land that includes permanent, high-quality habitat. Landowners typically receive little or no payment for these low-quality acres, but there are cases where stubble fields are enrolled specifically for waterfowl hunting opportunities.

Yes. However, in such cases hunters should use good judgment and limit disturbance to the animals, and not shoot in their direction. In some cases, it may be best to come back another time as the landowner may have moved the cattle to another area or removed them completely from the tract.

North Dakota statute prohibits hunting within 440 yards of an occupied dwelling, with exceptions. The first is the “landowner exception,” which allows a person to hunt on his or her own land even if doing so is within 440 yards of another’s occupied dwelling.

The second exception is the “consent exception,” which allows hunting if the “occupier” consents to allow hunting within 440 yards of his or her building.

When a landowner enrolls land into a PLOTS agreement, permission to hunt on the land is granted. There is also a “public lands” exception to this law. Private lands enrolled in a public access program, such as PLOTS, fall into this category since the landowner has signed an agreement granting public access.

A hunter on public land, or PLOTS land, is not required to obtain the consent of the person occupying a building located within 440 yards of the hunter.

For safety purposes, fluorescent orange “No Shooting Toward Building” signs are placed on these PLOTS tracts to notify hunters there is a building or dwelling nearby.

PLOTS land is walk-in access only and you cannot drive on it unless you get specific permission from the landowner. Exception: Some PLOTS tracts are enrolled specifically for waterfowl hunting. These tracts are identified with a special green “Attention Waterfowl Hunters” sign. The PLOTS agreement for these areas allows driving access, on harvested cropland only, to allow hunters to set out decoys.

No. PLOTS agreements are for walk-in hunting access only. All other activities require landowner permission.

No. PLOTS agreements are for walk-in hunting access only. All other activities require landowner permission.

Yes, unless the PLOTS tract has a special sign stating “No Hunting in Unharvested Crop.”

North Dakota statute prohibits hunting in unharvested cereal and oilseed crops, including sprouted winter wheat, alfalfa, clover and other grasses grown for seed, without the owner’s consent. However, when a landowner enrolls land into a PLOTS agreement, permission is granted to the public to hunt on the land; therefore, it is legal to hunt in standing crops on PLOTS unless there is a special sign. In those cases, after the crops are harvested the fields may be legally hunted.

No. PLOTS agreements are for walk-in hunting access only. All other activities require landowner permission.

Yes, but they must be removed when a hunter leaves unless the landowner grants written permission to leave them overnight. The same rule applies to other hunting equipment, accessories or provisions.

Hunting deer over bait is legal on PLOTS tracts but any type of bait qualifies as a “provision” for PLOTS purposes, and therefore bait must be removed when the hunter leaves, unless written permission is granted by the landowner.

Yes. PLOTS tracts are open to all legal hunting.

All PLOTS tracts are open to walk-in public hunting access during all legal hunting seasons, or as signed.

Yes, except for the first seven days of the pheasant season. (Exception: Nonresidents hunting on PLOTS land they own.) Nonresidents are also not allowed to hunt on Game and Fish Department wildlife management areas the first seven days of the pheasant season. The nonresident restriction on PLOTS and WMAs applies to all types of hunting, not just pheasant hunting.

Nontoxic shot regulations on PLOTS are the same as for other private land. Nontoxic shot is required while hunting ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, tundra swans, mergansers, snipe and coot statewide.

Nontoxic shot is not required to hunt upland game, turkeys or big game on PLOTS.

No. Most oil pads are either owned or leased by an energy company and parking a vehicle on them is considered trespassing.

No. Most oil field roads are either owned or leased by an energy company and driving on them is considered trespassing.

It is legal to hunt around oil wells that are located on PLOTS tracts, but use extreme caution. Always attempt to stay upwind of any oil well due to the potential presence of hydrogen sulfide gas. Keep a safe distance and hunt away from the well, and don’t shoot in the direction of a well or any other infrastructure.

No. Private Land Open To Sportsmen property is limited to public walk-in access for the purpose of hunting within legal hunting seasons. Collecting shed antlers is not considered hunting as defined by North Dakota Century Code 20.1-01-02. All other activities, including shed hunting, require landowner permission.

Private Land Open To Sportsmen property is limited to public walk-in access for the purpose of hunting within legal hunting seasons, or as signed. State law requires trappers to obtain written permission from landowners or operators before placing or setting any traps or cable devices on private land, including PLOTS lands. The owner or operator may determine the length of time permission is granted. For those trappers who do secure permission to trap on PLOTS lands, please keep in mind these lands are heavily used by upland game and waterfowl hunters and their dogs throughout their respective seasons. Hunters should familiarize themselves with traps and cable devices and be prepared by learning methods to release a dog if caught in a trap or cable device. Hunters should consider carrying a short-nosed cable cutter.