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Deer Licensing FAQs

 

Applications/Special Permits for Military and Disabled

I am disabled. How do I obtain a permit to shoot from a vehicle?

  • Obtain a mobility-impaired permit from the North Dakota Department of Transportation;
  • Obtain from the Game and Fish Department the following form: "Request for Permission to Shoot from a Stationary Motor Vehicle" (form number SFN 6096);
  • Complete the shoot-from-a-vehicle form and send it to the Department for approval or disapproval by the director.

How do I obtain a disability permit to take any deer while gun hunting?

  • You must have a physician or chiropractor certify that you are unable to step from a vehicle without aid of a wheelchair, crutch, brace, or other mechanical support or prosthetic device, or you are unable to walk any distance because of a permanent lung, heart or other internal disease that requires you to use supplemental oxygen to assist breathing (North Dakota Century Code Section 20.1-03-11, subsection 6);
  • Contact the Department for a copy of the form "Disability Permit to Take any Type of Deer While Gun Hunting" (form number SFN 6538).
  • Have your doctor or chiropractor fill out the form. Return the form to the Game and Fish Department for approval or disapproval by the director.

What deer licensing provisions have been made for members of the North Dakota National Guard who have been serving on active duty? A number of North Dakota residents are on active duty in the National Guard or Reserve. If this call to active duty caused them to miss the 2011 deer hunting season or will interfere with their 2012 applications or hunting season, the Department has set the following rules:

  • A. No activated North Dakota Guard or Reserve personnel will lose bonus points because they missed the 2010 or 2011 deer lotteries. When they return, they can apply for the regular lottery licenses in May or June of 2012. They should include a note stating that they were activated and out of state and could not participate in the 2010 or 2011 lottery and that they want to have their bonus points restored. A copy of orders supporting this situation is also helpful. Bonus points will not be restored if the service member chooses to take option B listed below.
  • B. For 2012 we are allowing North Dakota Guard and Reserve personnel who were activated  and missed the 2011 season, or who missed the 2012 lottery, to purchase deer licenses without going through the lottery. They can purchase whitetail or any-deer licenses for any unit in the state. They can do this by completing a lottery application and submitting it along with the required fee and a copy of their military orders. This option does not apply to mule deer licenses. If this option is taken, bonus points will not be restored.

Hunting Indian Reservations, Gratis Seasons, Lost Licenses

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 hunt within the reservation exclusively on tribal lands, only a reservation license is required and tribal regulations apply. If you hunt 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 for 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.

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 one from the website at gf.nd.gov – or from a county auditor. Fill out the form, have it notarized and return it to the Department along with the appropriate fee. You may not hunt without the deer license in your possession.

Apprentice Hunting License Information

What is the apprentice hunting validation (license)?
An individual born after December 31, 1961, who is 16 years of age or older and who has not completed a state-certified hunter education course, may be issued an apprentice hunter validation. An apprentice hunter validation is valid for only one license year in a lifetime. An individual in possession of an apprentice hunter validation may hunt small game and deer only when accompanied by an adult (at least 18 years of age) licensed to hunt in this state whose license was not obtained using an apprentice hunter validation. An apprentice hunter validation holder must obtain all required licenses and stamps. For purposes of this section, "accompanied" means to stay within a distance of another individual that permits uninterrupted visual contact and unaided verbal communication.

How do I purchase or apply for an apprentice license?
An apprentice hunter must purchase the small game license and apply for a deer license through the Game and Fish Department’s electronic licensing system. If the apprentice hunter wants to continue hunting beyond the initial trial year, the hunter must then complete a certified hunter education course.

To purchase an apprentice small game license. Access the online services page and click on “purchase and print an online license.” Follow the regular licensing procedure, and leave the “hunter safety number” field blank.

To apply for an apprentice deer license. Access the online services page and click on “apply online.” Follow the regular application procedure, and leave the “hunter safety number” field blank.

Youth Deer Season for Residents Ages 14 and 15

I did not 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.

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

In 2009, North Dakota’s legislature lowered the minimum age for hunting deer with a firearm (centerfire rifle, handgun or muzzleloader) from 14 to 12.
However, there are restrictions on when and what 12- and 13-year-olds could hunt.

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.

How do I apply?
Applications are available in early May along with other deer license applications.

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 are still 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.