It is unlawful to hunt big game over bait, or place bait to attract big game for the purpose of hunting, in deer units 1, 2B, 3A1, 3A2, 3A3, 3A4, 3B1, 3C, 3D1, 3D2, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1, 3F2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F.
The restriction is in place to help slow the spread of chronic wasting disease, a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines if left unchecked.
In addition, hunting big game over bait or baiting for any purpose is prohibited on all Game and Fish Department wildlife management areas. Hunting big game over bait is also prohibited on all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, U.S. Forest Service national grasslands, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed lands, and all North Dakota state trust, state park and state forest service lands.
Big game hunters should note requirements for transporting deer, elk and moose carcasses and carcass parts into and within North Dakota, as a precaution against the possible spread of chronic wasting disease.
Hunters are prohibited from transporting into or within North Dakota the whole carcass of deer, elk, moose or other members of the cervid family harvested outside of North Dakota.
In addition, hunters harvesting a white-tailed deer or mule deer from deer hunting units 3A1, 3A2, 3B1, 3C, 3D1, 3E2, 3F2, 4B and 4C, a moose from moose hunting units M10 and M11, or an elk from elk hunting units E2 and E6, cannot transport the whole carcass outside the unit. However, hunters can transport the whole carcass between adjoining CWD carcass restricted units.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department district game wardens will be enforcing all CWD transportation laws.
Hunters are encouraged to plan accordingly and be prepared to quarter a carcass, cape out an animal, or clean a skull in the field, or find a taxidermist or meat locker within the unit or state to assist.
Game and Fish maintains several freezers throughout the region for submitting heads for CWD testing, beginning Sept. 1.
For questions about how to comply with this regulation, hunters should contact a district game warden or other department staff ahead of the planned hunt.
The following lower-risk portions of the carcass can be transported:
Meat boned out.
Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached.
Meat cut and wrapped either commercially or privately.
Hides with no heads attached.
Skull plates with antlers attached and no hide or brain tissue present.
Intact skulls with no visible brain or spinal cord tissue present that has the eyes, lower jaw, tongue, salivary glands, tonsils and lymph nodes removed.
Antlers separated from the skull plate.
Upper canine teeth, also known as buglers, whistlers or ivories.
Finished taxidermy heads.
Lymph nodes extracted from the head for CWD testing contained within a sealed, plastic bag.
There is an exception to the regulation that reads “a deer carcass or boned-out meat must be accompanied by the head to the final place of storage.” The exception is: Tag the deer as required, then take two photographs using a cellphone with location, date and time stamp turned on. One photograph of the entire animal at the kill site with tag attached, and a second photograph of a closeup of the tag so that the tag information is readable. If a hunter leaves the head in the field at the kill site, after taking photos and saving them, the ear or antler with the tag attached must be cut off and accompany the meat or carcass while in transport. The photographs of the tagged deer must be shown to any game warden or other law enforcement officer upon request.
Deer Archery Season Opens Sept. 2
North Dakota’s deer bow season opens Friday, Sept. 2 at noon and continues through Jan. 1, 2023.
Hunters should plan accordingly and allow for time to receive their tag in the mail, as the tag will arrive by postal mail and not over the counter while the customer waits. This applies while purchasing a bow license at a license vendor, or at the Game and Fish Department’s main office in Bismarck. The bow tag will be mailed the next business day after the license is purchased.
All archery hunters must have a bow tag in possession before hunting.
Bowhunters must follow all regulations of the managing agency when using tree stands, ground blinds and game cameras on public hunting areas, including displaying an equipment registration number, or the owner's name, address and telephone number, on all equipment left unattended on Game and Fish wildlife management areas.
In addition, hunting big game over bait is prohibited on both public and private land in deer hunting units 1, 2B, 3A1, 3A2, 3A3, 3A4, 3B1, 3C, 3D1, 3D2, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1, 3F2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F.
North Dakota’s swan lottery has been held and all 2,200 licenses were issued.
A total of 2,288 applications were received. Unsuccessful applicants will receive a refund to their credit card.
Individual results are available online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.
Youth Outdoor Festival Sept. 1 in Minot
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department, local wildlife clubs and other sponsors will usher youngsters into fall during the annual Youth Outdoor Festival in Minot.
The event is Thursday, Sept. 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Game and Fish Conservation and Outdoors Skills Park on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair.
Young outdoor enthusiasts will experience outdoor activities that relate to archery, fishing, waterfowl and upland game. Prizes will be awarded.
For more information, contact Game and Fish outreach biologist Greg Gullickson at 701-720-1640.
Federal Duck Stamp Required Sept. 1
A federal duck stamp is required for waterfowl hunters 16 and older beginning Sept. 1. Waterfowl includes ducks, geese, swans, mergansers and coots.
This year’s 2022-23 federal duck stamp is available for electronic purchase through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, or at license vendors registered with the department’s licensing system. Physical stamps are not available at North Dakota license vendors but can still be purchased at many U.S. Postal Service offices.
The electronic stamp is a purchase item like any other hunting or fishing license. When the purchase is completed the electronic stamp is valid immediately. “Federal Duck Stamp” will be printed on the license certificate, along with an expiration date 45 days from the date of purchase. The physical stamp will be sent by postal mail.
The physical stamp is processed and sent by the official duck stamp vendor in Texas and should arrive to buyers well before the expiration date printed on the electronic license. The physical stamp must remain in possession of the hunter after the 45-day electronic stamp has expired. Individuals with questions regarding the status of their physical stamp can contact the federal duck stamp vendor customer service number at 800-852-4897.
The federal duck stamp has a fee of $25. An additional $2 fee is added to cover shipping and handling costs of the physical stamp.
Fall Turkey Season Set, Apply Online
North Dakota’s fall turkey season is set with 3,975 licenses available to hunters, 150 more than last year.
Unit 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) remains closed because of a low turkey population.
Fall turkey hunters, including gratis applicants, interested in applying can submit an online application through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline is Sept. 7.
Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply in the first lottery. Nonresidents can apply for remaining fall turkey licenses following the first lottery.
The fall wild turkey season runs from Oct. 8 through Jan. 1, 2023.
PLOTS Guide Online
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide for 2022 is now available online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, the free printed PLOTS guides will be available in late August at most license vendors and other locations throughout the state.
The guide will feature about 800,000 PLOTS acres. Because the guide is printed in mid-August, some PLOTS tracts highlighted in the guide may have been removed from the program since the time of printing. There will also be some PLOTS tracts where the habitat and condition of the tract will have changed significantly. Conversely, Game and Fish may have added new tracts to the program after the guide went to press.
To minimize possible confusion, Game and Fish will update PLOTS map sheets weekly on its website.
The PLOTS guide features maps highlighting these walk-in areas, identified in the field by inverted triangular yellow signs, as well as other public lands.
The guides are not available to mail, so hunters will have to pick one up at a local vendor or Game and Fish offices, or print individual maps from the website.
Swan Application Deadline Aug. 17
The deadline to submit a swan application is Aug. 17.
Applicants must submit an online application through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.
North Dakota residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply. The resident swan license is $10, while the nonresident fee is $30.
Equipment Registration Number Used for Identification
Hunters, trappers and anglers are reminded that an equipment registration number, or the individual’s name, address and telephone number, must be displayed on all equipment requiring identification.
In addition, written permission is required from the owner of the property, or an individual authorized by the owner, for an individual to install camera/video equipment on private property, and the equipment must be identified.
While on state wildlife management areas, identification is required on items such as ground blinds, tree stands, cameras and traps.
Identification must be attached to cable devices set on either private or public land, and on fish houses left unattended on the ice.
Owners can generate an equipment registration number by visiting Buy and Apply at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. One registration number will be issued that can be used on all equipment requiring identification.
The equipment registration number does not expire.
Concurrent Season Deer Licenses Available Aug. 17
Hunters can purchase additional, concurrent season deer licenses Aug. 17 at 8 a.m. Central time on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. There is no limit on the number of concurrent season licenses a hunter can purchase.
Concurrent season licenses can be used during the archery season with a bow; deer gun season with a bow, rifle or muzzleloader; or during the muzzleloader season with a muzzleloader. However, youth under 14 (at the end of the calendar year) will be issued a concurrent season license for archery only.
Hunters with concurrent season licenses are restricted to the type of antlerless deer printed on the license and must stay in the unit in which the license is assigned.
Pronghorn Lottery Held
North Dakota’s pronghorn lottery has been held and all 1,965 licenses were issued.
In total, 16,499 applications were received, including 818 gratis applications.
Individual results are available online at North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department