On the east side of the state, Unit 2F1 is part of the Sheyenne-James region, which offers phenomenal whitetail habitat, especially if you like to hunt out of a tree stand. The Sheyenne River flows through large portions of the unit, starting in the northwest corner, meandering west along the northern border before turning and running north to south along the eastern edge of the unit.

In general, if you are looking to put a large deer on the ground in this unit, you are going to either need to know a landowner, be good at knocking on doors and asking for permission, or be willing to pay for access to private ground.

The terrain in 2F1 is what makes it such a unique and exciting place to hunt. The land that follows along the Sheyenne River has a ton of riparian, river-bottom habitat, the kind of terrain that deer love, with plenty of nooks and crannies for cover while still having an ample amount of food and water. A large portion of the river’s banks is lined with trees, making it an excellent travel corridor for whitetail and a prime location for a tree-stand hunter. The same can be said for the terrain along the James River. The ravines that come off the river have small patches of cover and provide good opportunities for whitetail hunters.

There are several highways running in all directions throughout this unit that make virtually every area easy to access. The terrain is largely flat, and even if the area you want to get to requires some walking, it is relatively easy to access. While there aren’t many large swaths of public land in this unit, unlike 2L to the north and 2F2 to the south, there are still many smaller access areas that dot the land. In the north-central portion of the unit, there is a large parcel of state land along the Sheyenne River that would be an excellent area for a tree-stand hunter. Much of the rest of the unit is made up of farmed agricultural land that will house deer, but you will likely have to find private-access in order to be successful. The James River flows through the southwest portion of the unit. There is very little public land along this stretch of river. If you want to hunt this section, you will likely need to figure out which landowners allow hunting. However, there is some state land that contains excellent habitat, so it is certainly not impossible to find a DIY public-land deer along the James River.

2F1 is comprised largely of agricultural lands. However, it does have a lot of riparian habitat, as both the Sheyenne River and James River flow through it. The river bottoms, especially along the James River, can be thickly forested with deciduous trees and make for excellent travel corridors.

Carrington in the southwest portion of the unit has numerous hotels and motels. New Rockford is also on the east side of the unit, but is further north and provides a few small places to stay. Coopers town is on the other side of the unit and has a few hotels as well as a campground. If primitive camping is more your style, most of the WMAs allow camping but be sure to check each WMAs specific regulations.