Unit 13-A

Key landmarks for navigation and glassing include Twin Butte, Bull Butte, Smoky Butte, and Barr Butte, which rise above the prairie and serve as orientation points across the open country. David Watts Bluff, Sowers Bluff, and Sliding Bluff provide visual reference from distance. The Missouri River and its associated bays—Hofflund, White Tail, and Sanish—define major water corridors and drainage systems.

Named coulees including Bobs Coulee, Cedar Coulee, and Chinaman Coulee offer natural travel routes and concentration areas. Eagle Nest Rock provides a distinctive landmark. These features, while modest in absolute relief, stand out clearly in the flat prairie and help hunters navigate and locate pronghorn.

Nearly the entire unit sits at lower elevations between 1,800 and 2,600 feet, creating uniform prairie grassland habitat with minimal tree cover. Short-grass and mixed-grass prairie dominates the landscape, broken only by scattered ponderosa pine in protected draws and along some creek bottoms. Open, treeless country comprises 95% of the unit, making it classic pronghorn terrain where visibility drives hunting strategy.

Drainage bottoms and coulee systems provide slightly different vegetation—willow, cottonwood, and riparian species—but represent small habitat patches within vast grassland. The elevation uniformity means habitat changes come from water access and soil conditions, not altitude.

The unit features a connected road network with nearly 1,900 miles of roads and significant highway infrastructure—531 miles of paved highways serve the region. Towns like Williston provide substantial amenities and staging areas. However, 95% of the unit is private land, making access a critical limiting factor.

Permission is essential and should be secured well before the season. The well-developed road system means popular areas near towns and major draws receive hunting pressure during the season. Strategic access to less-hunted private land via back roads requires reconnaissance.

Early scouting and relationship-building with landowners separates successful hunts from frustrating experiences on public pressure zones.

Unit 13-A encompasses over 5,000 square miles of northwestern North Dakota's high plains and Missouri River breaks country. The landscape sits entirely below 2,600 feet elevation, characterized by rolling grassland prairie interrupted by scattered buttes, bluffs, and drainage systems. The Missouri River forms a dominant hydrological and geographic feature, creating associated bays and backwater areas throughout the region.

Small towns including Williston, Grenora, Fortuna, and Bonetraill serve as population centers. The unit represents classic northern Great Plains terrain where flatness dominates but drainage systems create subtle but huntable terrain variations.

Water is abundant in this unit compared to typical prairie country. The Missouri River dominates with associated bays and backwater areas providing reliable water year-round. Lake Zahl, Lake Trenton, Blacktail Lake, and numerous smaller lakes and sloughs scattered throughout offer secondary water sources.

Named creeks including Nelson Creek, White Earth River, Tobacco Garden Creek, and Sand Creek flow through drainages that concentrate wildlife. Hungry Gulch Spring, Mort Adams Spring, and other springs provide additional reliable sources. This water abundance makes the unit attractive for pronghorn, which congregate near water during dry periods and migration.

Seasonally, some creek systems and sloughs may dry, requiring knowledge of reliable sources.

Unit 13-A is pronghorn-focused country where open prairie demands glassing and stalking skills. Early season hunting often finds pronghorn in scattered bands across grassland; locate groups from high points like buttes or ridges, then plan approaches using terrain and coulees for concealment. Water sources become critical during mid and late season—concentrate effort where pronghorn must visit lakes, sloughs, or creeks.

The Missouri River system supports pronghorn populations; hunt the breaks and river-adjacent country differently than open prairie. Migration corridors through named valleys and coulees deserve attention during transitions. Success requires permission on private land, binoculars for glassing vast distances, and patience to locate scattered animals across the enormous landscape.

Early morning and evening glass distant grassland; mid-day hunt closer terrain and water access points.