News Release Archives - August 2006

State Game and Fish Department officials remind hunters to use extra caution to prevent fires, and also urge hunters to keep up with the daily Rural Fire Danger Index, as temperature and wind forecasts can restrict some outdoor activities. In addition, the U.S Forest Service has established additional restrictions on some national grasslands in North Dakota that will remain in place regardless of daily weather conditions.

Some counties also have imposed restrictions beyond those indicated by North Dakota Rural Fire Danger guidelines.

"Hunters have a very good record of not starting range fires during their hunting activities," said Terry Steinwand, director of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. "In fact, having that many eyes in the field may actually reduce the probability of large fires."

Steinwand said hunters should also carry a cell phone in the vehicle, along with shovels, fire extinguishers, extra water and heavy fabric for putting out accidental fires. However, Steinwand cautioned, individuals who are not trained firefighters should not attempt to fight a fire that is out of control. Instead, contact the nearest fire department immediately.

The daily fire danger index is issued by the National Weather Service to alert the public to conditions that may be conducive to accidental starting or spread of fires. The index can change from day to day depending on temperature, wind and precipitation forecasts. If the index reaches the EXTREME category, the following guidelines apply:

• Open burning is prohibited.
• Off-road travel with a motorized vehicle is prohibited, except for people engaged in a trade, business or occupation where it is required.
• Smoking is restricted to inside of vehicles, places of habitation and areas cleared to mineral soil.

The daily fire danger index can reach into the extreme category when the NWS daily forecast calls for hot temperatures and high winds.

Information on current fire danger indexes is available through the NWS Internet site at www.crh.noaa.gov/data/BIS/RFDBIS, the Game and Fish Department's website at gf.nd.gov/, or county sheriff offices.

The state legislature in 2005 gave county governments the authority to adopt penalties for violations of county restrictions related to burning bans. As of Aug. 27, more than 20 counties had banned open burning, which includes campfires. These restrictions apply regardless of the daily fire danger index, and will remain in place until each county's commission rescinds the ban.

Hunters or anglers who want to find out about fire-danger-related restrictions in a particular county should contact that county's sheriff's department.

On the Little Missouri and Cedar River national grasslands in the North Dakota, the U.S. Forest Service is prohibiting any kind of fire, and has closed two-track prairie trails to motor vehicle travel. Two-track prairie trails can be characterized as roads having a native surface and grass growing between the wheel tracks. These restrictions are also not affected by changes in the daily fire danger index. The restrictions do not apply on the Sheyenne National Grasslands in southeastern North Dakota.

Unit 4-A is the far southwestern corner of the state, and is bordered on the west by Montana, south by South Dakota, east by U.S. Highway 85, and north by U.S. Highway 12. A total of 86 licenses are available for the early season (Oct. 6-15), and 130 remain for the late season (Oct. 13-22).

Hunters who do not have a license can apply by accessing the department's website, gf.nd.gov. Hunters may also request an application by calling the department's Bismarck office at 701-328-6300.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible for pronghorn gun licenses.

Swan Hunt Lottery Held, Licenses Remain 082806
The 2006 swan lottery has been held and more than 500 licenses remain. These licenses will be issued only as a first license, reports Carrie Whitney, licensing supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

Hunters who do not have a license can apply online at the department's website, gf.nd.gov. Hunters may also request an application by calling the department's Bismarck office at 701-328-6300.

The statewide tundra swan hunting season is Sept. 30 - Dec. 10. North Dakota residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply. The fee is $5 for residents and $25 for nonresidents.

"It does not appear as though drought conditions have affected production to any great degree," Kobriger said.

The season opens Sept. 9 for sharptails, partridge and ruffed grouse. Sage grouse season does not open until Sept. 25.

The final tally on sharptails this spring was an increase of nearly 10 percent over last year on a statewide basis, Kobriger said, with the areas southwest of the Missouri River and the Missouri Coteau region showing the largest increases.

Preliminary results from surveys this summer indicate improved numbers over last year in birds and broods per mile of survey, in addition to a higher average brood size and an increase in the number of young birds seen on routes compared to adult birds. "All these factors translate into more birds this fall and a better season," Kobriger said.

This year's buffaloberry crop is spotty, Kobriger added, with good berries in some locations, and none in others. "However, sometimes the good spots are not far removed from the poor spots," he said.

Likewise, all indicators point to a better gray or Hungarian partridge crop this year. Rural mail carriers saw an increase from eight to nearly 12 partridge per 1,000 miles of census effort. Data gathered by biologists on summer survey routes show the highest number of birds seen per mile of survey in five years in the southwestern and Missouri Coteau portions of the state. However, the central and northeastern sections of the state are down slightly from last year, Kobriger said, but still above the level seen two years ago.

Ruffed grouse populations tend to run in 8-10 year cycles, and 2004 appeared to be at the lower end. The Turtle Mountains in Bottineau and Rolette counties and the Pembina Hills area of Cavalier and Pembina counties should provide hunters with the best opportunities this fall.

The sage grouse population should be similar to last year, but if dry conditions persist, Kobriger said birds may be harder to find. "They tend to move toward water areas with green vegetation, but these may be hard to find," he said.

For further season information and regulations, hunters should consult the North Dakota 2006-07 Small Game Guide. 

HIP certification is required for all migratory bird hunters, regardless of age, before hunting ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, coots, cranes, snipe, doves or woodcock.

Hunter compliance is essential in order to obtain reliable national and regional estimates of annual harvest of all migratory game bird species. These estimates provide information biologists need to make sound decisions concerning hunting seasons, bag limits and population management.

Hunters who purchase a license through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's Bismarck office, website (gf.nd.gov), or instant licensing telephone number (800-406-6409) can easily get HIP certified.

Otherwise, hunters must call 888-634-4798, or log on to the Game and Fish website, and record the HIP number on their fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate.

Hunters are reminded to HIP register in each state for which they are licensed before hunting migratory game birds.

This is the second year Alliance Pipeline will contribute $10,000 to a study that will evaluate the distribution of wetland bird species and the influence that surrounding landscapes, such as grasslands and crop fields, have on them.
Alliance is partnered in the study with the state Game and Fish Department, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and Ducks Unlimited.

"The collaboration with Alliance is an important milestone. It is the first industrial company to partner with the department on a State Wildlife Grants project," said Steve Dyke, Game and Fish Department conservation coordinator. "We hope this is the first of many such projects and partnerships with private industry."

The study, which is in its third year, will provide wildlife managers valuable information to better manage wetland bird populations in the future.

Hunters can apply online starting Aug. 23, on the Game and Fish Department's website, gf.nd.gov. Paper applications will be available by Aug. 25 from Game and Fish offices, county auditors and license vendors. Hand delivered applications will not be processed at the department while the applicant waits. Residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply.

Hunters are reminded that doe licenses purchased after the first lottery drawing can be used during the archery season with a bow; the deer gun season with a bow, rifle, or muzzle-loader; or during the muzzle-loader season with a muzzle-loader. Hunters must stay in the unit to which the license is assigned.

The regular deer gun season begins at noon Nov. 10.

Any person who requires an auxiliary aid or service must notify Doug Howie, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, at 701-328-6333 prior to the scheduled meeting date.

Last year, about 6,000 hunters shot approximately 26,000 birds during the early Canada goose season. Mike Szymanski, waterfowl biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the state's Canada goose breeding population objective is 80,000 birds. The breeding population this spring was about 200,000.

Hunters will have a daily bag limit of five Canada geese and a possession limit of 10. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily. Limits and shooting hours are different from the regular season, Szymanski said, as the proposed regular season bag is three daily and six in possession.

The purpose of the early season is to increase harvest of birds that nest and raise young in North Dakota and whose statewide population has grown considerably in recent years. The early to mid-September season promotes harvest of resident birds, as migrants do not usually begin filtering into the state until later in September.

All migratory bird hunters must register with Harvest Information Program prior to hunting. Hunters who purchase a license through the department's website (gf.nd.gov) or instant licensing telephone number (800-406-6409) can easily get HIP certified. Otherwise, hunters must call 888-634-4798 and record the HIP number on their fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate. Those who registered to hunt the spring light goose season do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required only once per year.

Normal licensing requirements for the regular season, including a federal duck stamp, apply to the September Canada goose season. Nonresidents who hunt in Sargent and Richland counties during the early season may do so without counting against their 14-day regular season license.

Waterfowl rest areas, closed to hunting during the regular season, will be open during the early September season. Most land in these rest areas is private, Szymanski said, so hunters may need permission to hunt.  

The season is open statewide through Oct. 30, and the daily limit is 15 and possession limit 30. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Hunters who purchase a license through the game and fish website (gf.nd.gov) or instant licensing telephone number (800-406-6409) can easily get HIP certified, something all migratory bird hunters must do.

Otherwise, hunters can call 888-634-4798 to register and record the HIP number on their fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate. Those who registered to hunt the spring light goose season do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required only once per year.

"It should be a good dove season in North Dakota as we are seeing a lot of hatch-year birds out there," said Mike Szymanski, migratory game bird biologist for the state Game and Fish Department. "Statewide this year, there was the potential for adult birds to have two to three nesting attempts."

Dove h unters are reminded to check harvested birds for leg bands this fall and report their findings, Szymanski said.

In the last three years more than 96,000 mourning doves were trapped and banded in 27 states - including more than 3,150 in North Dakota - as part of a nationwide mourning dove study.

Doves have been fitted with metal leg bands, each inscribed with a bird identification number and a toll-free telephone number to report the band. In return, wildlife managers will receive important information that will allow researchers to update survival and harvest models for mourning doves.

Later in fall, Szymanski said hunters are also encouraged to check harvested ducks and geese for bands and report what they've found. The bands many times tell an interesting story. For example, a researcher in Manitoba, Canada recently recaptured a snow goose that he banded 37 years earlier, when the bird was already an adult. In 2005, a mourning dove banded in northwestern North Dakota was shot by a hunter nearly 2,000 miles south in southern Mexico. The bird made the trip in less than two months.

The pronghorn archery season runs through Oct. 8, while the archery deer season is open through Jan. 7, 2007.

Hunters are reminded of baiting restrictions implemented last year on North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife management areas. Baiting is prohibited on these lands, and is defined as the placement and/or use of bait for attracting big game and other wildlife to a specific location for the purpose of hunting.

Opportunities for archers hunting white-tailed deer are many in the state. Winter aerial surveys, hunter observations and deer-vehicle collisions data all suggest stable to increasing deer numbers along a band running diagonally from southwestern North Dakota to the northeastern corner of the state.

The state Game and Fish Department made available 143,500 deer gun licenses to hunters this fall. Bowhunters are reminded that those individuals with second and third (or more) doe licenses can use these during the archery season in the designated hunting unit.

The contest encompasses all North Dakota wildlife in a variety of categories - nongame species, game species, insects and plants.

The winner in the nongame category, which includes animals not hunted, fished or trapped, will appear on the Department's 2007 Watchable Wildlife program promotional poster.

The photographer submitting the poster winner, and all place winners in each category, receive prizes. Each of the prize-winning photographs will also appear in North Dakota OUTDOORS.

The image selected for the poster will be selected from entries that are original, vertical-composition transparencies (slides) or a minimum 8.0 megapixel digital image. Prints, slides and digital photos are all acceptable formats for entries in each category.

Deadline for submitting photos for the annual Watchable Wildlife photo contest is Sept. 30.

Photo Contest Rules:

Eligibility. The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers. North Dakota Game and Fish Department employees and immediate family members are not eligible.  Photographs must be taken in North Dakota.

How and where to enter. The contest is limited to 35mm slides or larger format transparencies, or 5x7-inch or larger color prints in either vertical or horizontal composition. Prints made from unaltered digital files are accepted. Photographers are limited to no more than five entries each. The overall winner must be in vertical format for use on the promotional poster.

The Game and Fish Department reserves the right to copy and print winners to promote the Watchable Wildlife program. By submitting an entry, photographers grant permission to Game and Fish to publish winning photographs in its magazine, North Dakota OUTDOORS, and also as part of the magazine on the Department's web page, gf.nd.gov. Appropriate credit will be given in any publication where such photos are used.

All entries should be sent to: Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND 58501-5095.

Nonwinning entries will be returned following contest judging.

Photo requirements. Slides, transparencies or prints must be accompanied by the photographer's name, address and phone number. Other information such as photo site location and month taken, equipment used, film speed and type, and lens/aperture settings would be useful.

Although care will be taken with submitted material, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department assumes no financial responsibility for lost or damaged materials.

Deadline. Entries will be accepted through Sept. 30, 2006. Judging will take place in October, with winners notified by Nov. 30. Receipt of entries will not be acknowledged.

Judging. Photos are judged on quality, composition, content and general appeal.

Please respect private lands by obtaining permission and be sure to use proper wildlife-watching ethics while photographing.

Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. There is no daily or possession limit on crows.

For more information on the state's small game hunting seasons refer to the North Dakota 2006-07 Small Game Guide.