Unit E6 provides plenty of food, water and cover to hold elk. There aren’t any huge pieces of public access, however there are numerous smaller pieces. There’s enough small State Trust Lands and PLOTS areas to support hunters looking for public access. Additionally, if you’re wanting to hunt private property, friendly landowners have been known to allow access on occasion. Be sure you’re checking with landowners well before the season opens.

Due to nuisance elk in recent years, some landowners will allow rifle hunters to help reduce the population on their property.

Sandstone buttes, large ridges, and forested creeks and draws hold elk. The far southern edge of the unit agricultural property. There are excellent creeks and rivers throughout this unit. The semiarid soil is good for native grasses and dryland crops. The unit’s rougher prairies are used for livestock grazing. Much of E6 is desolate, with few trees outside of the creek bottoms. There are some small ponds and lakes, and even a few coulees, but wetlands are rare in this region. Small creeks and streams are common throughout the unit, and you’ll find an occasional pothole pond, but there are very few natural wetlands. Running between the Cannonball River and Lake Oahe, Unit E6 features some excellent elk habitat. The western side is somewhat desolate, made up of sandstone ridges and buttes and forested draws. This property is primarily short-grass prairies used for livestock grazing. Moving to the east you’ll find some isolated badlands formations and more ridges and draws, however the southern portion is rolling hills and excellent farming property.

Wheatgrass fields, grama grass prairies and sagebrush cover much of Unit E6’s landscape. The semiarid soils support alfalfa and wheat production near the South Dakota state line. Creek bottoms throughout this unit are forested with cottonwood, and some aspen, oak, ash, elm, and birch. You’ll also find some brushy draws and small stands of cedars.

Roads 31 and 24 running east and west, and Road 6 running north and south will get you to most places in the unit. The unit is easily accessible overall with a few ridges and deep draws limiting access to some spots. Find your spot, drive as close as you can, and hike a couple miles is our recommended strategy. A large portion of this unit is Standing Rock Reservation. State Trust Lands and walk-in PLOTS properties are mixed in with the reservation and private property. Archery and rifle elk hunting on the Standing Rock Reservation is allowed by North Dakota residents and non-residents. Since hunting on the reservation is managed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Game and Fish Department 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 reservation’s Fish and Wildlife Division. If your goal is to hunt public access, there are opportunities on some good sized State Trust Lands.

It’s about a 45-minute drive from Mandan/Bismarck to the northern edge of Unit E6. If you’re wanting to stay close to the unit and do some gambling while you’re away, check out the Prairie Knights Casino and Resort along Highway 24 near Lake Oahe. Motels, campgrounds, and RV parks are located in Mandan. Bismarck has a variety of sporting goods stores if you’re in a bind and need any supplies. If you need to zero your rifle, Schmidt Bottoms WMA shooting range has a 100- and 200-yard rifle range.