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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department


News Releases


Waterfowl Book Makes Great Gift



Can’t find a gift for your waterfowl hunter? You might want to check out the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s, “The Duck Factory – A History of Waterfowl in North Dakota.”

Authored by Mike Jacobs and Erik Fritzell, the 213-page, soft-cover publication in full color traces the history of waterfowl species and their habitats in North Dakota.

Migratory game bird program leader Mike Szymanski said there is a lot of interesting information about the interactions with people and waterfowl in North Dakota.

“We wanted to make the book appealing to both waterfowl hunters and people interested in history, and I believe we did that,” Szymanski said. “The book is user-friendly and contains a ton of really cool, old photos of hunting scenes and historical figures.”

“The Duck Factory” is an important story because of North Dakota’s longtime and continuing contribution to the world of migratory birds, Szymanski said. “North Dakota is the most important state for breeding ducks,” he added. “The contribution of ducks from North Dakota into the fall flight is unmatched by any other state, and its importance to duck hunters cannot be understated. Describing the history of waterfowl in North Dakota was a story that we felt was certainly worth telling.”

The book is sold only online for $24.99, including shipping, on the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, by clicking on Buy and Apply, and then Shop.

2021 Tentative Season Dates



The North Dakota Game and Fish Department annually provides its best estimate for opening dates to help hunters prepare for hunting seasons.

Dates become official when approved by governor’s proclamation. Tentative opening dates for 2021 include:

2021 Tentative Season Opening Dates
Season Tentative Open Date
Spring Turkey April 10
Dove September 1
Deer and Pronghorn Bow, Mountain Lion September 3
Sharptail, Hun, Ruffed Grouse, Squirrel September 11
Youth Deer September 17
Youth Waterfowl September 18
Early Resident Waterfowl September 25
Pronghorn Gun October 1
Regular Waterfowl, Youth Pheasant October 2
Pheasant, Fall Turkey October 9
Mink, Muskrat, Weasel Trapping October 23
Deer Gun November 5

Coyote Catalog Available



The North Dakota Game and Fish Department and North Dakota Department of Agriculture are once again opening the Coyote Catalog, a statewide effort designed to connect committed coyote hunters and trappers with landowners who are dealing with coyotes in their areas.

Landowners can sign up on the Department of Agriculture website, nd.gov/ndda/. 

Hunters and trappers can sign up at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. 

Anyone who registered for the Coyote Catalog in the past must register again to activate their names on the database.  

Throughout winter, hunters or trappers may receive information on participating landowners, and they should contact landowners to make arrangements. 

Landowners experiencing coyote depredation of livestock should first contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services. 

The Coyote Catalog will remain active through March 31. 

For more information, contact Ryan Herigstad at Game and Fish, 701-595-4463 or rherigstad@nd.gov; or Jamie Good, at the Department of Agriculture, 701-328-2659 or jgood@nd.gov

River Otter Trapping Season Closed



North Dakota’s river otter trapping season is closed immediately. The statewide season’s predetermined harvest limit of 20 has been reached.

Only North Dakota residents were eligible to participate, with a season limit of one otter per trapper.

Winter Fishing Regulations



Anglers are encouraged to refer to the North Dakota 2020-22 Fishing Guide or the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website for winter fishing regulations, plus fishing questions and answers.

Some winter fishing regulations include:

  • A maximum of four rods is legal for ice fishing.
  • Tip-ups are legal, and each tip-up is considered a single rod.
  • Mechanical devices that set the hook are legal; however, the use of any device that automatically retrieves the fish is illegal.
  • There is no restriction on the size of the hole in the ice while fishing. Materials used to mark holes must be in possession of anglers and spearers as soon as a hole larger than 10 inches in diameter is made in the ice.
  • It is only legal to release fish back into the water immediately after they are caught. Once a fish is held in a bucket or on a stringer, they can no longer be legally released in any water.
  • It is illegal to catch fish and transport them in water.
  • It is illegal to leave fish, including bait, behind on the ice.
  • All live aquatic bait, such as fathead minnows, must be purchased or trapped in North Dakota.
  • Depositing or leaving any litter or other waste material on the ice or shore is illegal.
  • The daily limit is a limit of fish taken from midnight to midnight. No person may possess more than one day’s limit of fish while on the ice or actively engaged in fishing. If a situation occurs when an angler fishes overnight, the first daily limit must be removed from the ice by midnight prior to continuing to harvest fish.
  • The possession limit is the maximum number of fish that an angler may have in possession during a fishing trip of more than one day.
  • It is illegal to introduce anything into the water for the purpose of attempting to attract fish (chumming, artificial light, etc.) that is not attached or applied to a lure.

Fishing Tournaments Require 30-Day Notice



Organizers planning fishing tournaments, including ice fishing contests this winter, are reminded to submit an application along with fishing tournament regulations to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at least 30 days prior to the start of the event.

The 30-day advance notice allows for review by agency staff to ensure the proposed tournament will not have negative biological consequences, or conflicts with other proposed tournaments for the same location and/or time.

Fishing tournaments may not occur without first obtaining a valid permit from the department.

Darkhouse Spearfishing Opens at Ice-Up



North Dakota’s darkhouse spearfishing season opens on most state waters whenever ice-up occurs. Legal fish are northern pike and nongame species.

Individuals who are required to possess a valid fishing license (age 16 and older) to darkhouse spearfish must first register online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Spearers and anglers are reminded that materials used to mark holes must be in possession as soon as a hole greater than 10 inches in diameter is made in the ice.

All waters open to hook and line fishing are open to darkhouse spearing except:

  • East Park Lake, West Park Lake, Lake Audubon – McLean County
  • Heckers Lake – Sheridan County
  • Lake Ashtabula – Barnes and Griggs counties
  • Larimore Dam – Grand Forks County
  • McClusky Canal
  • New Johns Lake – Burleigh County
  • Red Willow Lake – Griggs County
  • Whitman Dam – Nelson County
  • Wood Lake – Benson County

Anglers and spearers should refer to the North Dakota 2020-22 Fishing Guide for more information.

Game and Fish Advisory Board Meetings



Outdoor enthusiasts are reminded the North Dakota Game and Fish Department fall advisory board meetings will be livestreamed Monday, Nov. 30 and Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Districts 1, 2, 7 and 8, which make up roughly the western half of the state, will have their combined meeting on Monday. Districts 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the eastern part of the state, will follow on Tuesday. Both meetings will start at 7 p.m. Central time and conclude around 9 p.m. 

The meetings will begin with department presentations, followed by questions and answers with select staff, including director Terry Steinwand, deputy director Scott Peterson, fisheries chief Greg Power and wildlife chief Jeb Williams.

The public can view the event by visiting the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

Questions are encouraged to be submitted prior to the scheduled start time by sending an email to ndgflive@nd.gov. Those sent during the live chat are not guaranteed to get answered during the meeting. 

Mountain Lion Zone 1 Early Season Ends, Late Season Opens



North Dakota’s early mountain lion season in Zone 1 closed Sunday, Nov. 22, and the late season, when hunters can pursue lions with dogs, is now open. 

During the early season, hunters took two cats from a harvest limit of eight. Under the season structure, a conditional season could open five days after the late season closes for hunters to pursue the additional six mountain lions that were not taken.

The late season in Zone 1 opened Monday, Nov. 23 and is scheduled to run through March 31, 2021, or until the harvest limit is reached. The late season harvest limit is seven total lions or three female lions, whichever comes first.

Hunters are advised to check the status of the late season by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Zone 1 includes land in western North Dakota south of ND Highway 1804 from the Montana border to the point where ND Highway 1804 lies directly across Lake Sakakawea from ND Highway 8, crossing Lake Sakakawea, then south along ND Highway 8 to ND Highway 200, then west on ND Highway 200 to U.S. Highway 85, then south on U.S. Highway 85 to the South Dakota border.

The mountain lion season in Zone 2, which is the rest of the state outside Zone 1, has no harvest limit and is open through March 31, 2021.

The mountain lion season is open only to North Dakota residents. Hunters need a furbearer or combination license to participate. 

Late-Season Hunting Dates



North Dakota waterfowl hunters are reminded the statewide duck and white-fronted goose seasons close Dec. 6. However, duck hunting in the high plains unit reopens Dec. 12 and continues through Jan. 3.

In addition, the season for Canada geese closes Dec. 19 in the eastern zone, Dec. 24 in the western zone and Jan. 1 in the Missouri River zone. Light goose hunting closes statewide Jan. 1.

Archery deer, fall turkey, sharp-tailed and ruffed grouse, partridge and pheasant hunting seasons continue through Jan. 3.

The season for tree squirrels closes Feb. 28.

Some Refuges Open to Late-Season Upland Game



Hunters are reminded that several national wildlife refuges in North Dakota are open to late-season upland game bird hunting the day after the deer gun season closes.

Arrowwood, Audubon, Des Lacs, J. Clark Salyer, Lake Alice, Lake Zahl, Long Lake, Lostwood, Tewaukon (pheasants only) and Upper Souris NWRs open Nov. 23.

However, portions of each refuge are closed to hunting. Hunters should contact refuge headquarters for information on closed areas and other restrictions: Arrowwood 701-285-3341; Audubon 701-442-5474; Des Lacs 701-385-4046; J. Clark Salyer 701-768-2548; Lake Alice 701-662-8611; Lake Zahl 701-965-6488; Long Lake 701-387-4397; Lostwood 701-848-2722; Tewaukon 701-724-3598; and Upper Souris 701-468-5467; or visit www.fws.gov and click on “National Wildlife Refuges” for details on each individual refuge.

National wildlife refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hunters are reminded that use of nontoxic shot is required on all USFWS lands. State regulations found in the North Dakota 2020-21 Hunting and Trapping Guide apply. 

Early Ice Awareness



Hunters, anglers and trappers are reminded to be aware of early ice conditions before traveling onto and across North Dakota waters.

A few reminders include:

  • Edges firm up faster than farther out from shore.
  • Snow insulates ice, which in turn inhibits solid ice formation, hiding cracks, weak and open water areas.
  • Ice can form overnight, causing unstable conditions. Ice thickness is not consistent, as it can vary significantly within a few inches.
  • Avoid cracks, pressure ridges, slushy or darker areas that signal thinner ice. The same goes for ice that forms around partially submerged trees, brush, embankments or other structures.
  • Anglers should drill test holes as they make their way out on the lake, and an ice chisel should be used to check ice thickness while moving around.
  • Daily temperature changes cause ice to expand and contract, affecting its strength.
  • The following minimums are recommended for travel on clear-blue lake ice formed under ideal conditions. However, early in the winter it’s a good idea to double these figures to be safe: 4 inches for a group walking single file; 6 inches for a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle; 8-12 inches for an automobile; and 12-15 inches for a pickup/truck.

And some life-saving safety tips:

  • Wear a personal flotation device and carry a cell phone.
  • Carry ice picks or a set of screwdrivers to pull yourself back on the ice if you fall through.
  • If someone breaks through the ice, call 911 immediately. Rescue attempts should employ a long pole, board, rope, blanket or snowmobile suit. If that’s not possible, throw the victim a life jacket, empty water jug or other buoyant object. Go to the victim as a last resort, but do this by forming a human chain where rescuers lie on the ice with each person holding the feet of the person in front.
  • To treat hypothermia, replace wet clothing with dry clothing and immediately transport the victim to a hospital.