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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

News Releases

Game and Fish Receives $12.8 Million for Conservation Programs

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has received $12.8 million in 2020 as its share of excise taxes paid by America's recreational shooters, hunters, anglers and boaters. Altogether, 56 state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies shared more than $971 million.  

The funding is used by Game and Fish to support conservation programs such as fish and wildlife monitoring, habitat improvement, research and education. The money also helps pay for hunter and aquatic education, and fish and wildlife-related recreation projects. Federal assistance funds pay for up to 75 percent of the cost of each project, while the state contributes at least 25 percent from nonfederal sources. Game and Fish is a special fund agency in North Dakota, as it receives no state general fund dollars.

The federal funds are apportioned by a formula under two assistance programs – Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration. The total 2020 Wildlife Restoration apportionment for all state and territorial agencies is more than $601 million. Sport Fish Restoration support for 2020 totals nearly $370 million. The funds are allocated to the states by a formula based 50% on the amount of land area of the state relative to the rest of the states, and 50% based on the number of hunting license holders in a state relative to other states.

Wildlife Restoration is guided by the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 and is funded by the collection of excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment. States use Wildlife Restoration Program funds to manage wildlife populations and habitat; conduct research, surveys and inventories; administer hunter education programs; and construct or maintain firearm and archery ranges for public use.

Sport Fish Restoration is guided by the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950 and is funded by the collection of excise taxes on sport fishing equipment and electric motors, import duties on fishing tackle and pleasure boats, and a portion of gasoline tax attributable to motorboats and small engines. States use Sport Fish Restoration Program funds to stock fish; acquire and improve sport fish habitat; provide aquatic resource education opportunities; conduct fisheries research; and build boat ramps, fishi

NASP Recognizes Prior Scores for State Tournament

Even though the 2020 North Dakota National Archery in the Schools Program state tournament live in-person event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers had a plan in place to recognize archers based on earlier results from the school year.

State NASP coordinator Jeff Long said he always had a backup plan in place in case the live tournament was canceled because of a weather event. And in that situation, the state tournament would become a virtual tournament.

“Normally a virtual tournament would consist of schools conducting tournaments back in their gyms and the coach would enter the scores online,” Long said. “The schools would normally be required to pair up so at least two schools were actually competing together. However, the unique thing about this cancellation was most, if not all schools, would not have been able to conduct the tournament back in their communities either because of social distancing guidelines.”

Therefore, Long said in lieu of conducting an actual shooting event, coaches were allowed to select any score shot by an individual at a previously conducted local NASP tournament and enter those scores for their student archers.

“There were more than 25 local bull's-eye and 3-D tournaments completed in North Dakota before schools and facilities were shut down,” Long said. “The coaches were given a window of time to enter their scores, and then we verified the results. We felt it was important to recognize the students and instructors for the time and effort they put into this program.”

This year’s national tournaments scheduled in Louisville, Ky and Salt Lake City, UT have been canceled. The North Dakota Youth Archery Advisory Council contributed $20,000 in college scholarships to the top five overall scorers in both boys and girls divisions.

Oakes students claimed top honors in the high school (grades 9-12), middle school (grades 7-8) and elementary (grades 4-6) bull's-eye divisions.

The overall male winner was New Rockford-Sheyenne archer Koven Walford, while Griggs County Central student Rylee Suhr claimed the top spot in the female division.

High school boys – 1) Koven Walford, New Rockford-Sheyenne; 2) Joshua Wiebusch, Wahpeton; 3) Clancey Zimbelman, Oakes.

High school girls – 1) Lily Wiek, Oakes; 2) Allee Boyer, Edgeley; 3) Gracie Gunderson, Medina.

Middle school boys – 1) Hunter Genre, New Rockford-Sheyenne; 2) Colin Olson, North Sargent; 3) Braysen Sagert, Oakes. 

Middle school girls – 1) Rylee Suhr, Griggs County Central; 2) Kaitlyn Folkman, Oakes; 3) Brooke Bundy, Barnes County North.

Elementary boys – 1) Tucker Deering, Oakes; 2) Isaiah Wertz, Oakes; 3) Andrew Undem Oakes.

Elementary girls – 1) Jourdyn Buchholz, Griggs County Central; 2) Braylyn McKown, Oakes; 3) Claire Leidy, Wilton.

In addition, archers were scored in a NASP 3-D Challenge tournament.

Oakes students claimed top honors in the high school, middle school and elementary divisions.

Overall male and female winners were Clancey Zimbelman, Oakes, and Danica Onchuck, Hankinson.

Top performers in the 3-D high school boys were 1) Clancey Zimbelman, Oakes; 2) Koven Walford, New Rockford-Sheyenne; 3) Andrew Hill, Oakes.

3-D high school girls – 1) Grace Neameyer, Mt. Pleasant; 2) Avery Trittin, Lidgerwood; 3) Gracie Gunderson, Medina.

3-D middle school boys – 1) Braysen Sagert, Oakes; 2) Gage Hofmann, Medina; 3) Hunter Genre, New Rockford.

3-D middle school girls – 1) Danica Onchuck, Hankinson; 2) Rylee Suhr, Griggs County Central; 3) Kirstan Loewen, Hankinson.

3-D elementary boys – 1) Isaiah Wertz, Oakes; 2) Paul Hoyt, St. Johns Academy; 3) Tucker Deering, Oakes.

3-D elementary girls – 1) Braylyn McKown, Oakes; 2) Jourdyn Buchholz, Griggs County Central; 3) Ryleigh Walker, Griggs County Central.

 

Earth Day Patch Contest Winners Announced

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has announced the winners of this year's Earth Day patch contest.

Winners in the three age categories were Kenzley Hausauer of Halliday (6-9), Allison Gudmundson of Mountain (10-13), and Rowan Bushnell of Cartwright (14-18). Gudmundson’s design was chosen as the contest winner.

Each year, the Game and Fish Department sponsors a contest to celebrate Earth Day, recognized April 22, for students ages 6-18 to design a North Dakota Earth Day Patch. Groups participating in cleaning up publicly owned or managed lands in April and May receive a specifically designed conservation patch.

This year’s cleanup projects were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hunters, Landowners Asked to Participate in PLOTS Survey

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is initiating a study this week to get hunter and landowner opinions on the agency’s Private Land Open to Sportsmen program.

A company called Responsive Management is conducting the study on behalf of Game and Fish.

Licensed hunters, and landowners enrolled in the PLOTS program, may receive a phone call from Responsive Management asking for participation in a survey about hunting PLOTS, or having land enrolled in PLOTS in North Dakota. Selection for participation in the study is random, to maintain a scientifically valid study.

If you receive a call, Game and Fish encourages participation in the study. Answers are kept confidential and will never be associated with a name or license in any way.

If you have any questions about the study, contact Kevin Kading, Game and Fish private land section supervisor, at kkading@nd.gov. 

 

Game and Fish Advisory Board to Livestream Spring Meetings

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department Advisory Board will host its spring round of public meetings online this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Districts 1, 2, 7 and 8, which are roughly the western half of the state, will have their combined meeting on Monday, April 27. Districts 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the eastern part of the state will follow on Tuesday, April 28. Both meetings will start at 7 p.m. Central Time and conclude around 10 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.

Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to this public livestream event by visiting the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. Questions can be submitted via live chat during the event, or can be submitted in advance at ndgflive@nd.gov. 

Report Bald Eagle Nest Sightings

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is asking for help in locating active bald eagle nests.

Conservation biologist Sandra Johnson said the department is looking for locations of nests with eagles present, not individual eagle sightings.

Eagles lay eggs in early-to-mid March, which hatch about a month later. Johnson said it’s easy to distinguish an eagle nest because of its enormous size.

Nearly 300 active bald eagle nests can be found in more than three-quarters of the counties in the state, mostly near streams and mid- to large-sized lakes. However, they are also found in unique areas such as shelterbelts surrounded by cropland or pasture.

Nest observations should be reported online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. Observers are asked not to disturb the nest, and to stay a safe distance away. Johnson said foot traffic may disturb the bird, likely causing the eagle to leave her eggs or young unattended.

 

Report Black Bear Sightings

If you see a black bear in North Dakota, the state Game and Fish Department wants to know about it. 

“Black bears are quite conspicuous and rarely mistaken for other species,” said Game and Fish furbearer biologist Stephanie Tucker. “Reports from the public are our primary means to keep track of black bears, so the information is valuable.”    

Game and Fish confirms 12-15 black bears in the state each year, Tucker said, with most documented in the north or east portions of the state. However, she said they have the potential to turn up anywhere.

Anyone who observes a black bear is asked to report it online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. 

“It’s important to keep your distance, but if you have an opportunity to take a photo we ask that you upload it with your online observation report,” Tucker said. 

 

Moose and Elk Lotteries Held, Bighorn Sheep in September

North Dakota’s moose and elk lotteries have been held, and individual results are available by visiting My Account at the state Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

A total of 16,935 applications were received for bighorn sheep, 21,069 for elk and 24,027 for moose.

While in My Account, successful applicants must pay for a moose and/or elk license. In addition, a 2020-21 general game and habitat license, or combination license, is required. The moose/elk license will be mailed after the required hunting licenses are purchased.

The bighorn sheep lottery is scheduled in September, after summer population surveys are completed and total licenses are determined. Once the lottery is held, successful applicants will be contacted to select a hunting unit.

R3 Grant Program Applications Due in April

Wildlife, shooting, fraternal and nonprofit civic organizations are urged to submit an application for the Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters program, a North Dakota Game and Fish Department grant program developed to assist in the recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunters and shooters.

The maximum grant allowed is $3,000. The program currently helps fund approximately 40 club and organizational events and projects each year, with an average grant of $1,550.

Grant funds help cover event expenses, including promotional printing; event memorabilia such as shirts, caps or vests; ammunition and targets, and eye and ear protection.

Past funding has enabled groups to conduct pheasant and waterfowl hunts, or sponsor trap and other shooting events, including archery and rifle shooting. Game and Fish has a separate grant program that supports new high school trapshooting teams.  

Any club or organization interested in conducting a hunting or shooting event can get more information, including a grant application, from the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov, or by contacting Outreach Biologist Pat Lothspeich at 701-328-6332.

The deadline to apply for a 2020 grant is April 27.

Game and Fish Revokes Fishing Tournament Permits

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has revoked all fishing tournaments for April and May due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Tournament sponsors were notified of possible rescheduling options if conditions, including public safety and open calendar days, present itself.

In addition, organizers of other permitted North Dakota fishing tournaments scheduled June through October are advised of the possibility of having their permit revoked if the COVID-19 conditions persist.

 

Bighorn Sheep Population Up from Last Year

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2019 bighorn sheep survey, completed by recounting lambs in March, revealed a minimum of 290 bighorn sheep in western North Dakota, up 2 percent from 2018 and 3 percent above the five-year average.

Altogether, biologists counted 77 rams, 162 ewes and 51 lambs. Not included are approximately 30 bighorn sheep in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and 30 bighorns recently translocated to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

Big game biologist Brett Wiedmann was pleased to see another increase in the survey, following a decline in 2017.

“The increase in the 2019 count reflects lessening effects of bacterial pneumonia that was detected in 2014,” Wiedmann said.

The northern badlands population increased 12 percent from 2018 and was the highest count on record. The southern badlands population declined again to the lowest level since 1999.

“The total count of adult rams unfortunately declined for a fourth consecutive year in 2019, but adult ewes remained near record numbers,” Wiedmann said. “Most encouraging was the significant increase in the lamb count and recruitment rate following record lows in 2016 and 2017.”

Game and Fish Department biologists count and classify all bighorn sheep in late summer, and then recount lambs the following March, as they approach one year of age, to determine recruitment.

“Fortunately, annual survival rates of adult bighorns are very high and similar to those prior to the die-off, and lamb survival continues to improve, which could indicate the population is becoming somewhat resilient to the deadly pathogens first observed in 2014,” Wiedmann said. “The deadly pathogen, Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, has not been detected the last two years in most of the northern herds via annual disease testing and none are currently showing symptoms of pneumonia. However, the next few years will be important in determining if the state’s population shows signs of recovering from the disease outbreak, or if the pathogens are likely to persist and cause a long-term population decline.”

Game and Fish wildlife veterinarian Dr. Charlie Bahnson said that four of the 25 adult bighorns tested for the deadly pathogens last winter were positive.

A bighorn sheep hunting season is tentatively scheduled to open in 2020, unless there is a recurrence of significant adult mortality from bacterial pneumonia. The status of the bighorn sheep season will be determined Sept. 1, after the summer population survey is completed.

Game and Fish issued five licenses in 2019 and all hunters were successful in harvesting a ram.

Game Warden Exam Set for May 29

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has scheduled an examination to select candidates for the position of district game warden. The test is at 10 a.m., May 29, at the department's main office in Bismarck.

Applicants must register to take the exam no later than May 27 by submitting an online application through the North Dakota State Job Openings website.

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and have a bachelor’s degree at time of hire, have a valid driver’s license and a current North Dakota peace officer license, or be eligible to be licensed. Candidates must successfully complete a comprehensive background check and must not have a record of any felony convictions.

District game wardens enforce game and fish laws and related regulations in an assigned district and other locations as determined by the department. Wardens normally work alone under varied conditions, at all hours of the day, night and weekends. In addition to law enforcement duties, wardens assist in the areas of public relations, education programs, and hunter and boat safety education.

Salary through training for a district game warden is $4,300 per month. For more information, see the district game warden job announcement on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.