Hunting FAQs - Deer Hunting Questions

• Season Opening Dates
• Licenses
  • Hunting Indian Reservations
  • Gratis
  • Concurrent Seasons
  • Lost License
• Apprentice Hunting License Information
• Youth Deer Season for Residents Ages 14 and 15
• Antlerless White-Tailed Deer Season for Resident Youth Ages 12 and 13
• General Deer Hunting Questions
  • Trespass
  • Blaze Orange
  • Road Rights of Way
• Possession and Transport of Deer
• Firearms and Archery Equipment
• View the most recent deer regulations.

Every year the North Dakota Game and Fish Department receives questions from deer hunters who want to clarify rules and regulations.

Some common questions are listed below. Hunters with further questions are encouraged to call the Department at 701-328-6300, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. weekdays.

Season Dates for 2009?

• Archery Season: (noon) September 4 - January 3, 2010.
• Youth (Ages 14 and 15) Deer Season: (noon) September 18 - September 27.
• Antlerless White-Tailed Deer (Ages 12 and 13) Season: (noon) September 18 - September 27.
• Special Herd Reduction - Northeast Season: (noon) September 25 - October 1.
• Special Herd Reduction - Southwest Season: (noon) October 2 - October 9.
• Regular deer gun season: (noon) November 6 - November 22.
• Muzzleloader season: (noon) November 27 - December 13.

Licenses - Hunting Indian Reservations, Gratis, Concurrent Seasons, Lost License

What licenses do I need for deer gun season? A fishing, hunting, and furbearer certificate, the general game and habitat stamp or a combination license, and the deer license. Gratis license holders need only the gratis license.

What licenses do I need to hunt on an Indian reservation and whose rules do I follow? If you will be hunting within the reservation and hunting exclusively on Indian lands, only a reservation license is required and tribal regulations apply. If you will be hunting on land owned in fee-title by a non-Indian within the reservation, a state license is required and all state laws, licenses and regulations apply.

I received a lottery license, and I own land in another unit. Can I hunt on my land in the other unit with my lottery license? Only if the unit in which your land is located adjoins the unit in which you have the lottery license.

My spouse and I each have a gratis license for different pieces of land. Can we hunt on each other’s land? Yes, but only if each other’s land is located within the same hunting unit.

Can I use my first season license during the muzzleloader season? No. The first season license may be used only for the regular deer gun season.

When can additional concurrent, second and third season licenses be used? Hunters possessing these unfilled antlerless deer licenses can use them during the archery season with a bow; the deer gun season with a bow, rifle, or muzzleloader; or during the muzzleloader season with a muzzleloader. These licenses must be used for antlerless deer only, and hunters must stay in the unit to which the license is assigned.

I can’t find my deer license. What should I do? You must obtain an application for a duplicate license from the Game and Fish Department – by calling 701-328-6300 or printing it off the website at gf.nd.gov – or from a county auditor. Fill out the form, have it notorized and return it to the Department along with a fee. You may not hunt without the deer license in your possession.

Youth Deer Season for Residents Ages 14 and 15

I didn’t harvest a deer with my youth season license. Can I hunt the regular deer gun season with this license? Yes, but you are subject to the restrictions listed on the license.

I was unsuccessful in filling my mule deer buck license in a restricted unit during the youth season. Can I hunt the remainder of the state during the regular gun season? No. You are restricted to the same unit as during the youth season.

When is the earliest my son/daughter can apply for a youth season license?
The year when he/she is age 14 on opening day of the November deer gun season.

My son/daughter turns 14 after the youth season opens but before the November deer gun season. Is he/she eligible to apply for and hunt in the youth season?
Yes, this was a recent change by the state legislature.

What is the application deadline for 14- and 15-year-olds?
For the regular deer gun season lottery and for the youth “I” license that allows taking of a mule deer buck in several southwestern units (3B1, 3B2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E or 4F), the license application deadline is June 3. For the youth “H” license, good statewide for any deer except mule deer bucks in 3B1, 3B2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E or 4F, the application deadline is Sept. 1.

Can hunters ages 14 or 15 use additional concurrent season antlerless licenses within the youth deer season?
Yes, but only in conjunction with their youth season license. 15-year-olds who had a youth season license are not eligible to hunt during the youth deer season.

Antlerless White-Tailed Deer Season for Resident Youth Ages 12 and 13

During the 2009 session, North Dakota’s legislature lowered the minimum age for hunting deer with a firearm (centerfire rifle, handgun or muzzleloader) from 14 to age 12.
However, the bill, SB 2165, created restrictions on when and what 12- and 13-year-olds could hunt. Following are some questions and answers to help clarify the issue. Important note: nothing has changed for ages 14 or 15.

What license is available for a 12- or 13-year-old?
One antlerless whitetail license, valid statewide.

When can 12- and 13-year-olds hunt deer (antlerless whitetail) with a firearm?
Only during the youth deer season, Sept. 18-27 in 2009.

What is the application deadline for 12- and 13-year-olds?
The license application deadline for 12- and 13-year-olds is Sept. 1.

How do I apply?
Until approximately July 1, only paper applications are available through the Department and vendors. Additionally, you can print an application from our website. The online application feature will not be available for these licenses until after August 1 because of the need to make software programming changes.

Is the license my 12- or 13-year-old receives considered a youth season license?
No. A youth season license is defined as a deer gun license for 14- or 15-year-old first-time deer hunters that is valid statewide for any deer, with the exception of antlered mule deer (issued by lottery) in select southwest units.

If my 12- or 13-year-old receives an antlerless whitetail license, will he/she remain eligible for a youth season license at age 14?
Yes, 14- or 15-year-olds will still be eligible for a once-in-a-lifetime statewide any-deer license if they received an antlerless whitetail license when they were 12 and/or 13.

Can hunters age 12 or 13 purchase additional concurrent season antlerless licenses to use within the youth deer season?
No, 12- and 13-year-olds are limited to a single antlerless whitetail license valid only during the dates of the youth deer season. However, they can still purchase concurrent licenses for use with a bow in the archery season.

General Questions - Trespass, Blaze Orange, Section Lines, Road Rights of Way

What if I have an antlerless deer permit and I shoot a deer with two-inch spikes, but I could not see them when I shot? Game wardens have some leeway about what is an antlered deer. However, it is always a hunter’s responsibility to fully identify your target before shooting.

I shot a deer, but it is rotten. What can I do? You must take possession of the animal by tagging it. A license only allows you the opportunity to hunt. It is not a guarantee to harvest a deer, or to the quality of the animal.

What should I do if I find a wounded deer? Contact a game warden. Do not shoot the deer unless you want to tag it, or are instructed by the warden to do so.

Is camouflage blaze orange acceptable for the deer gun season? No. You must wear both a hat and outer garment above the waistline totaling at least 400 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange.

I hunt with a bow. When do I have to wear orange? During the regular deer gun season you must wear orange. During the muzzleloader season, however, bowhunters do not need to wear orange.

Can I hunt road rights-of-way? Do not hunt on road rights-of-way unless you are certain they are open to public use. Most road rights-of-way are under control of the adjacent landowner and are closed to hunting when the adjacent land is posted closed to hunting.

Can I hunt on a section line if it is posted on both sides? No. If the land is posted on both sides, the section line is closed to hunting, but is still open for travel.

Can I retrieve a wounded deer from posted land? If the deer was shot on land where you had a legal right to be and it ran on posted land, you may retrieve it. However, you may not take a firearm or bow with you. The department suggests contacting the landowner as a courtesy prior to entering.

What if the landowner says I cannot retrieve a deer from posted land that was shot on land where I had a right to be? Contact a game warden.

Can I drive off a trail on private land to retrieve a deer? Unless prohibited by a landowner or operator, you may drive off-trail on private land once a deer has been killed and properly tagged. You must proceed to the carcass by the shortest accessible route, and return to the road or trail by the same route. However, off-trail driving is prohibited in all circumstances on state wildlife management areas, Bureau of Land Management lands, national wildlife refuges, national grasslands, federal waterfowl production areas and state school land.

Possession and Transport of Deer

Can I transport someone else's deer? Yes, but you will need a transportation permit from a game warden. The license holder, person transporting the animal, and the carcass must be presented to the game warden before the permit is issued.

What if I am going to take my deer head to a taxidermist and meat to a butcher shop? How do I keep the tag with it all? The tag should remain with the head and the carcass tag should remain with the meat.

Firearms and Archery Equipment

May I carry a pistol when I am hunting with a deer rifle? Yes, but the handgun must meet minimum requirements listed in the deer hunting regulations to be legal for taking deer.

How do I carry a revolver in a vehicle when hunting? The cylinder of a revolver must be completely unloaded.

How do I carry a muzzleloader in a vehicle when hunting? Remove the cap from a percussion gun or the powder from the flash pan of a flintlock.

Can I use a bow to fill my regular deer gun license? Yes. You may use any legal firearm or bow during the regular deer gun season.

Can I use a gun to fill my bow license? No. Archery licenses may be filled only with bow and arrow.

Can I carry both bow and gun afield during deer gun season if I have both licenses? Yes, but only if you are going to fill your gun license. No firearms, except handguns, may be in the hunter’s possession while hunting with a deer bow license. However, handguns may not be used in any manner to assist in the harvest of a deer with an archery license.

Are muzzleloading handguns legal for deer hunting? Yes. They must be .50 caliber or larger.

Are the .22-250 and .243 legal for deer hunting? Yes. Centerfire rifles of 22 caliber or larger are legal.

Top

Back