Located in the central-northeastern portion of the state, Unit 03A is bordered on the north by North Dakota, on the east by Units 48A and 22A, the south by 57A, and the west by 26A and 47A. The unit is primarily private land, but has some walk-in areas in the northeast corner. The major rivers running through this unit are the Elm River and the James River which offer some fantastic habitat if you can gain access, as well as miles of rolling hills covered in CRP and prairie grass.

If you are planning a hunt in this unit it would be best if you arrive with prior arrangements made on some portion of private land or focus all of your efforts on the walk-in parcels available.

Elevations decrease as you move from west to east and from north to south, there are a few hundred feet of elevation change across the entire unit. The bulk of the unit is very flat with little roll to the overall landscape, but there are areas that are slightly more broken near the Columbia Road Reservoir.

Highways 10, 281, 37, and 12 offer access to the unit. Overall, there are countless county roads covering the majority of the unit which makes navigating around the area fairly simple. It is recommended that hunters ask for permission to private land to increase their chances of success.

A mix of short and tall prairie grass and countless species of wildflowers can be found in most areas of the unit that haven’t been turned for agricultural purposes. Very sparse timber which is primarily a mix of Cottonwood, American Elm, Green Ash, and Bur Oak can be found along the riparian zone of both the Elm and James Rivers, as well as other small creek beds scattered across the unit.

Located close to the southwest corner of the unit at the intersection of 281 and 12 sits Aberdeen, a town of almost 29,000 people offering many options in the food, lodging, and shopping categories. If you are looking for a place to camp there are very limited locations in the unit, but there are a few established campgrounds in Aberdeen.