Unit E2

The Killdeer Mountains, Achenbach Hills, and McGregory Buttes form the most recognizable high points for orientation and glassing. Lake Sakakawea, the unit's largest water feature, anchors the northern portion and is visible from many vantage points. Smaller reservoirs including Lake Ilo, Arnegard Dam, and Demicks Lake offer secondary navigation references.

The Yellowstone River drainage runs through the unit and serves as a natural travel corridor. Scattered buttes—Buckskin, Bull, and Aura among them—provide landmark locations for hunters without heavy timber to navigate. These features are spaced widely across open country, requiring good map work.

Terrain spans a modest 1,800 to 3,300 feet, all within lower prairie elevation bands. The unit is almost entirely open grassland and sagebrush plain with scattered juniper and cottonwood in draws and coulee bottoms. Low buttes like Eagle Butte, Bear Butte, and Chimney Butte rise as isolated landmarks but rarely exceed 300 to 400 feet above surrounding prairie.

Vegetation reflects semi-arid Great Plains character: native prairie grasses dominate the flats, while scattered timber clusters appear only in protected drainages and badland breaks. This is working ranch country with livestock grazing prominent throughout.

Road density of 1.39 miles per square mile means a fair network of gravel and dirt roads crisscrosses the unit, though not densely packed. Major highways and numbered roads provide backbone access; most hunters reach this country via I-85 or secondary highways connecting to towns like Arnegard. The challenge is private land: with nearly 80 percent privately owned, hunters must identify public sections or negotiate access beforehand.

Pressure is likely moderate to low due to terrain simplicity and sparse timber—many hunters overlook this grassland country for nearby forested units. Road access itself is straightforward, but finding huntable ground requires landowner cooperation.

E2 encompasses roughly 4,940 square miles of northwestern North Dakota's Prairie-Badlands transition zone. The unit sprawls across rolling terrain broken by isolated butte complexes and numerous water features. Populated places like Arnegard, New Hradec, and Alexander provide logistical anchors on the unit's periphery.

The landscape is overwhelmingly private land—nearly 80 percent—interspersed with scattered public sections and state trust parcels. This vast terrain complexity is relatively low, meaning navigation and orientation are generally straightforward despite the sheer acreage.

Water is abundant despite the arid appearance, primarily through man-made reservoirs and irrigation infrastructure. Lake Sakakawea dominates the north; downstream, numerous stock ponds and named reservoirs distribute across the unit. Natural drainages include the Yellowstone River, South Fork Smith Creek, Poker Jim Creek, and Chicken Creek, which run through badland breaks where cottonwoods cluster.

Springs exist but are scattered; Achenbach Spring, McPeak Spring, and others provide reliable sources for those who know their locations. The extensive canal system (Lateral H, K, L, Main Canal, M, N) reflects agricultural development but also confirms water availability throughout the unit.

E2 is primarily elk country, with animals using the scattered badland breaks during winter and migrating to higher terrain seasonally. Early season (September) may see elk in timber draws and along creeks where water and cover converge; the Yellowstone River drainage and coulee systems are logical focus areas. By mid-season, herds shift between prairie and breaks, responding to pressure and hunting activity.

Late season concentrations occur where elk can feed on remaining grass and access water via reservoirs or springs. Hunters should glass from butte summits and high prairie overlooks to locate animals at distance, then work draws and creek bottoms for closer stalking. Success depends heavily on prior landowner contact and understanding seasonal movement patterns tied to water availability and limited timber cover.