This unit is located in the north-central portion of the state, with the North Dakota border making up its northern border, and the Missouri River acting as the eastern border. The most notable terrain feature of the unit is the Grand River which runs from west to east across the entire unit. The bulk of the property in the unit is owned by the Standing Rock Reservation and has little agriculture throughout. There are countless creek bottoms scattered across the unit, but overall the elevation change is very mellow with some large areas with very little change. In the southwest corner of the unit, you will find a decent piece of public land which is in the Grand River National Grassland. Overall this unit has excellent habitat throughout and has a healthy population of mule deer and whitetail if you can gain access.

The bulk of this unit is made up of the Standing Rock Reservation. If you are interested in hunting the reservation, there are options that happen through a lottery system conducted by the Standing Rock Game and Fish.

This northern unit has some vast areas that are relatively flat with little contour throughout. The Grand River is the most significant terrain feature in the unit spanning the entire unit from west to east eventually spilling into Lake Oahe across from the town of Mobridge. The entire unit has approximately a thousand feet of elevation change but it is almost always very gradual. There are a number of small creek beds throughout the unit creating excellent habitat for both mule deer and whitetail.

Given the sheer size of this unit, there are a number of state highways that run throughout it. The most notable is Highway Unit 12, running across the northern border for roughly 40 miles until it turns southeast as it heads toward Lake Oahe in the southeast corner of the unit. Highways 63 and 65 run north and south in the more central portions of the unit eventually continuing into North Dakota. Any of these routes have countless county roads, and some less established roads in all directions.

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 amounts of timber including a mix of Cottonwood, American Elm, Green Ash, and Bur Oak are located along the riparian zone of the Grand River.

Lodging, camping, and other amenities are pretty scarce here. Overall there is very little of anything located in the unit, and there isn’t much around the borders of the unit either. If planning on hunting this unit, especially when planning a DIY hunt of any kind, plan on getting what you need prior to heading into the field.