If you drew a tag in Unit 9-C, you’ll have a number of State Trust Lands and PLOTS properties to choose from. The northern portion of this unit, especially the northwest corner, is extremely rough country with hundreds of small draws and few marked roads. A great hunting unit overall, but the public access areas are scattered and smaller for the most part. 9-C contains part of the Little Missouri River and extends east along Lake Sakakawea 30+ miles to Red Butte Bay, and south through the badlands.

Good antelope numbers can be found here along with good access options. Securing land to hand will be the biggest hurdle for most, but some good opportunities can still be found on public lands.

Unit 9-C's terrain is desirable for antelope. A mixture of cropland, livestock pasture, and heavily timbered creek bottoms and draws as you head east through the unit provides food, water, and cover for a healthy antelope herd. The deep ravines and overflows branching off the Missouri River also hold antelope. You’ll also find some sandstone formations and isolated badlands. Spring Creek and Knife River both run through the northern part of this unit. The southwest corner of this features a large, heavily forested ridge and the unit’s highest point, Young Man’s Butte, at 2,749 feet. This ridge runs right along the edge of Richardton. Straight east of Richardton is nearly 2,000 acres of BLM property that is great deer habitat. Check this piece of property out if hunting access is allowed. As you go south and east, the terrain transitions to more of a typical Slope Region landscape with rolling hills, short grass prairies, farmland and forested creeks. The Fort Berthold Reservation sits within this unit, 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-C are cottonwood, although you’ll find a variety of deciduous trees here. Creek bottoms and draws are covered in thick forests of cottonwood, aspen and birch trees. You’ll also find some evergreen ridges and dense patches of buckbrush in some draws scattered throughout the unit. This unit’s semiarid soil is excellent for dryland crops like corn, barley and wheat. You’ll also come across a lot of wheatgrass pastures, oats being farmed and grama grass prairies.

Access can be limited depending on where you plan to hunt. Much of the rough ridges and sandstone buttes in the northwest corner are not accessible with a vehicle, unless it’s an ATV or UTV. This area has few marked roads. Heading south and east, access improves a great deal with a few scattered ridges, but secondary roads will get you close to most State Trust Lands and PLOTS areas. Highway 49 runs north and south through the center of this unit, providing access to a variety of secondary roads. 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-C. Overall, there are only three bridges across the Missouri River in this unit - Riverdale, Washburn and Bismark. Lake Sakakawea lays on the nothern edge of the unit.

Motels in Richardton, Hebron, Beulah, New Salem, and Hazen provide plenty of options depending on where you’re hunting. There are a number of campgrounds and RV parks along the unit’s borders. The town of Taylor, just west of Richardton, has a small gun shop. Beulah is the best centrally located town to stay with Highway 49 providing access to the unit’s secondary roads. You’ll easily find a campground or RV park along the river and surrounding areas. In the very southern portion, Bismarck and Washburn has hotel accomodations. Bismarck also has a variety of sporting goods stores if you’re in need of last-minute supplies.