If you’re lucky enough to draw in unit 9-A, there’s some exceptional opportunities for antelope and good ground to hunt. The majority of the western side of the unit is rough badlands. There is a good amount of public access areas, providing hunters with excellent options to hunt throughout the unit. Overall, if you’ve drawn an antelope tag, they can be found throughout this unit, but the majority of herds tend to stick to the Little Missouri River valley and the Little Missouri National Grassland.

Great antelope populations along with a good trophy potential can be found in this unit. Securing land to hand will be the biggest hurdle for most, but some good opportunities can still be found on public lands.

Unit 9-A provides great habitat for antelope. The badlands and valleys located in the western portion of the unit south of Lake Sakakawea provide the feed and cover they need. A mixture of cropland, creek bottoms and rougher terrain are present as you head east through the unit. Fort Berthold Reservation is part of this unit and there are some great opportunities for an excellent harvest. Some of the State Trust Lands near Lake Sakakawea are in extremely rough badlands where hiking is the only access option, and depending on conditions, there’s a chance that you may not be able to access some of these areas at all.

Primary trees found in unit 9-A are cottonwood, although you’ll find a variety of deciduous trees here. Creek bottoms and badlands valleys are covered in thick forests of cottonwood, aspen, and birch trees. You’ll also find some evergreen ridges and dense patches of willows scattered throughout the unit. The Little Missouri River flows right through a portion of this unit, creating a heavily forested valley of deciduous trees, primarily aspen and oak. There’s also some dense stands of ponderosa pine along the river valley. Most creek bottoms and draws are forested with aspen and oak as well as some ash, elm, birch and juniper. Buckbrush thickets are common throughout this unit as well. Primary grasses in this unit include blue grama grass and wheatgrass. The Killdeer forest is the state’s largest deciduous forest excluding floodplains bordering major rivers. It consists of a dense aspen and oak forest with some ash, elm, birch, and juniper. Buckbrush thickets are common in this unit as well and provide a perfect place for whitetails to bed down during the day.

Access can be limited depending on where you plan to hunt. Much of the rough badlands throughout this unit, but primarily northeast of Killdeer, are not accessible. However, the oil industry is active in this area and the gravel roads that do exist are high quality to accommodate the increased truck traffic. There are some trails that will get you deep into the badlands as well, but you’ll probably still have to do some hiking to make it a successful hunt. If you elect for a tribal license, the only bridge across the Little Missouri River in this unit is on Highway 22 at the western edge of 9-A. The State Trust Lands and PLOTS properties in the eastern portion of the unit are generally accessible, but the terrain is fairly rough throughout this unit, making some public areas tricky to access depending on conditions. At nearly 155,000 acres, the Fort Berthold Reservation takes up a large portion of Unit 9-A. Archery and rifle deer hunting on the reservation is allowed by North Dakota residents and non-residents. Since hunting on the reservation is managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs rather than North Dakota’s Game and Fish agency, a tribal license is required and some regulations may vary. You can find additional information online or by contacting the Fort Berthold Fish and Wildlife Division. The north shore of Lake Sakakawea forms the northern boundary of Unit 9-A. Virtually all of the northwest portion of the unit is Fort Berthold Reservation land. Much of this unit is badlands and creek bottoms – antelope habitat. The southwest portion of the unit features a number of huntable State Trust Lands. A few of these State Trust areas are a short drive from the town of Killdeer in the southern part of the unit. If you are able to access the Trust Lands, or have access to private property in this area, you’ll have a great opportunity for a good buck in the badlands and cottonwood-covered valleys. There are some trail roads that will get you deep into the badlands, but you’ll probably still have to do some hiking to get to a great hunting spot. The Little Missouri River flows right through the western side of this unit, creating a heavily forested valley of deciduous trees. The unit’s largest public access area, the Little Missouri National Grassland, includes around 70,000+ acres of badlands to hunt on both sides of the river. There’s also a lot of BLM land along the Little Missouri River valley and State Trust Lands scattered throughout the unit. Additionally, the Killdeer Mountains WMA features nearly 7,000 acres of prime mule deer habitat.

Killdeer, Watford City and Beulah are your best options for motel accommodations. There are a number of campgrounds and RV parks along Highway 200 and Highway 85. There’s also campgrounds along the Missouri River on Hille WMA north of Beulah if you’re hunting in that area. The town of Twin Buttes does have a gas station on Fort Berthold Reservation south of Lake Sakakawea. Watford City has a couple sporting goods stores as well in case you need ammunition or other gear.