Hunt Zone 2I, North Dakota

Rolling glacial moraine landscape in south-central North Dakota at elevations of 1,800-2,100 feet. The unit is defined by two prominent moraines — the Altamont Moraine on the west and the Streeter Moraine on the east — which create broken, uneven topography ideal for deer cover despite limited tree growth. Long Lake Creek flows through the Altamont Moraine area providing riparian habitat. The predominant land use is agricultural cropland (small grains, soybeans, sunflowers) interspersed with native grass patches, wetland potholes, shelterbelts, and scattered sloughs. The pothole-studded landscape is part of the broader Prairie Pothole Region, supporting both deer and exceptional waterfowl habitat.

Public land access is very limited at approximately 3.6% of the unit's roughly 3,086 square miles. Public land consists of scattered state Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) managed by NDGF, USFWS Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) associated with the Prairie Pothole Region, and PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) parcels — voluntary landowner agreements giving public hunting access to approximately 836,000 statewide acres annually. No national grasslands or large federal blocks are present within the core of Zone 2I. Hunters are strongly advised to secure private landowner permission or use the NDGF Hunting Atlas and onX to locate PLOTS parcels before the season. The unit is not within a centerfire rifle restriction zone.

Dominated by row crops and small grain agriculture. Native mixed-grass prairie remnants persist on moraine slopes and in USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields. Shelterbelts of planted conifers and deciduous trees provide critical thermal cover and bedding. Wetland potholes with cattail and sedge fringe provide refugia. Riparian corridors along Long Lake Creek and tributary drainages support willows, cottonwood, and shrub cover. Overall tree and shrub cover is sparse relative to eastern ND units, but the moraine topography compensates with terrain-based concealment.

Deer use agricultural fields heavily for feeding (corn, sunflower, small grain stubble), moving between crop fields and cover in the moraines, creek drainages, and shelterbelt corridors. Morning and evening movement follows field edges and draws. During the November gun season rut, bucks range widely across the agricultural matrix. Whitetails predominantly occupy the coulees, creek bottoms, and shelterbelt edges; mule deer are present but secondary. Wetland pothole edges and cattail sloughs provide thermal and escape cover.

Zone 2I is a private-land-access unit where hunter success is strongly correlated with pre-season scouting and landowner relationships. The unit supports a healthy whitetail population with some mule deer. Waterfowl hunting (ducks, geese) is exceptional in the same unit due to pothole density — many hunters combine deer and waterfowl trips. Deer gun licenses are issued by weighted lottery drawing. The 2026 proclamation allocated 800 Type A (any antlered) and 400 Type B (any antlerless) deer gun licenses for Zone 2I. Statewide archery is available to all licensed hunters without unit restriction. Muzzleloader season is white-tailed deer only. Overall statewide gun hunter success in 2025 was 57% (whitetail antlered 53%, mule deer 82%). No zone-level harvest breakdown is publicly reported by NDGF.