First-Come, First-Served Deer Gun Licenses Available July 27

Thu, 07/21/2022

More than 3,500 deer licenses are still available in seven units for North Dakota’s 2022 deer gun season. These licenses will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning July 27 at 8 a.m. Central Time. Residents and nonresidents who have not already received a lottery or landowner license are eligible to apply online.

Hunters who want to purchase additional licenses will be able to Aug. 17 at 8 a.m. Central Time. At that time, any remaining licenses will be issued as a concurrent season license, which can be used 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. However, youth who are under age 14 (at the end of the calendar year) will be issued a concurrent season license for archery only.

There is no limit on the number of concurrent season licenses a hunter can purchase.

Hunters with concurrent season licenses are restricted to the type of antlerless deer printed on the license and must stay in the unit to which the license is assigned.

Pronghorn Hunting Season Set, Apply Online

Tue, 07/19/2022

North Dakota’s 2022 pronghorn hunting season is set, with 1,970 licenses available in 17 units.

Bruce Stillings, big game management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said license numbers are up slightly from last year, when the department allocated 1,720 licenses.

“Any-pronghorn licenses will be issued in units 9A and 9C for the first time in several years to address landowner concerns and provide additional hunting opportunities,” Stillings said.

The July aerial survey indicated the overall pronghorn population is up 5% from last year. The fawn-to-doe ratio was 41 fawns per 100 does, down from 52 fawns per 100 does last year. The buck-to-doe ratio of 35 bucks per 100 does remains stable and at population objective, Stillings said.

“The pronghorn population varied considerably by management region depending on the effect of nearly two years of drought conditions, epizootic hemorrhagic disease and historic blizzards this spring,” he said. “Hunting unit 4A was affected the most by these factors and the population was down considerably from recent years with record low fawn production, therefore licenses were significantly reduced in this region to account for this change in population. Hunting units 1A, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 1D and 10A were not affected nearly as much as the extreme southwestern part of the state, as pronghorn increased slightly even with below-average fawn production. Pronghorn remained stable to slightly increasing in units 4C, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A, 9C, 11A and 13A.”

Each unit will once again have a season that is split into an early bow-only portion, and a later gun/bow season.

The bow-only portion of the season is Sept. 2 (noon) – Sept. 25. Anyone who draws a license can hunt pronghorn with a bow in the unit printed on the license. 

From Oct. 7 (noon) – Oct. 23, hunters who still have a valid license can use legal firearms or archery equipment, and again must stay in the assigned unit.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply for a pronghorn license. Hunters who have accumulated bonus points and choose not to apply this year will not lose their points, but will not earn a point for next year. However, hunters who do not want a license in 2022 have the option to purchase a bonus point on the application. 

Applicants can apply online at the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

The pronghorn license fee is $30 for ages 16 and older, and $10 for under age 16. Applicants for a pronghorn lottery license must be at least 12 years of age on or before Dec. 31. The application deadline is Aug. 3.

Spring Grouse Counts Reported

Mon, 07/18/2022

North Dakota Game and Fish Department upland game biologists summarized the spring survey results for sharp-tailed grouse, ruffed grouse and greater sage grouse.

Summaries from the spring sharp-tailed grouse census indicate a 13% decrease in the number of male grouse counted compared to last year.

Statewide, 2,639 sharptails were observed on spring dancing grounds this year compared to 3,281 in 2021. Male grouse recorded per square mile (4) was slightly above the 10-year average (3.8).

“These declines align with poor reproduction documented during the 2021 drought,” said Jesse Kolar, upland game management supervisor. “We observed low sharptail reproduction rates during late summer roadside counts and found a low juvenile-to-adult ratio from hunter-submitted wings.”

Survey results indicate a 52% increase in the number of ruffed grouse drums heard in the Turtle Mountains, but a 5% decrease in drums heard per stop in the Pembina Hills.

“When combined, survey results indicate a steady population of ruffed grouse drums heard in 2022 compared to 2021,” Kolar said.

A total of 14 male sage grouse were counted on one active lek this spring, down seven males from six leks. North Dakota does not offer a hunting season on sage grouse due to a low population.

The spring grouse census serves as relative indices of breeding populations and are largely representative of production and recruitment from the previous year. For sharptails, they can be used in combination with brood count data to predict fall populations. Game and Fish staff conduct late summer roadside counts from late-July through August to survey upland game broods and will release a summary in early September, Kolar said.

“Despite the decrease, the fall outlook will include the spring breeding adults plus successful broods,” he added. “This spring had poor residual grass following the 2021 drought. Early nesting was further disrupted by significant snowstorms in the second and third weeks of April. However, the result is a grassland landscape with abundant, tall nesting vegetation for mid- to late-season nesting attempts. We'll see if that is enough to protect chicks from summer storms."

Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest

Mon, 07/18/2022

Photographers who are interested in sending photos for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest must follow guidelines for submitting their work.

Photographers should go to the Game and Fish Department’s website at gf.nd.gov/photo-contest. Then it is a matter of providing some pertinent information about the photo and uploading it. Doing so helps both with ease of submitting photos for the photographer and managing those images for department staff. 

The contest is now open and the deadline for submitting photos is Oct. 3. For more information or questions, contact Patrick Isakson, department conservation biologist, at pisakson@nd.gov.

The contest has categories for nongame and game species, as well as plants/insects. An overall winning photograph will be chosen, with the number of place winners in each category determined by the number of qualified entries.

Contestants are limited to no more than five entries. Photos must have been taken in North Dakota.

By submitting an entry, photographers grant permission to Game and Fish to publish winning photographs in North Dakota OUTDOORS, and on the department’s website.

2021 Upland Game Seasons Summarized

Mon, 07/18/2022

North Dakota’s 2021 pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge harvests were down from 2020, according to the state Game and Fish Department.

Upland game biologist RJ Gross said the overall harvest was likely a result of fewer hunters and below average reproduction.

“We anticipated a slight decrease in upland game harvest for the fall in 2021 based on small brood sizes and a decline in observations per mile during our late summer roadside counts.” Gross said. “Although anecdotal reports from hunters indicated 2021 reproduction was better than we reported, the juvenile-to-adult ratio from our hunter-submitted wings confirmed that 2021 reproduction was below average for pheasants and sharptail.”

Last year, 47,020 pheasant hunters (down 18%) harvested 259,997 roosters (down 21%), compared to 57,141 hunters and 330,668 roosters in 2020.

Counties with the highest percentage of pheasants taken were Hettinger, Divide, Bowman, Williams and Stark.

A total of 15,762 grouse hunters (down 21%) harvested 45,732 sharp-tailed grouse (down 47%), compared to 19,971 hunters and 86,965 sharptails in 2020.

Counties with the highest percentage of sharptails taken were Mountrail, Burleigh, Ward, Divide and Kidder.

Last year, 14,013 hunters (down 17%) harvested 44,822 Hungarian partridge (down 14%). In 2020, 16,795 hunters harvested 52,251 Huns.

Counties with the highest percentage of Hungarian partridge taken were Mountrail, Ward, Stark, Williams and Divide.

Recapping Operation Dry Water

Mon, 07/11/2022

A nationally coordinated effort to educate the public about the dangers of boating under the influence yielded seven BUI of alcohol violations in North Dakota.

Jackie Lundstrom, state Game and Fish Department’s enforcement division operations supervisor, said Operation Dry Water weekend July 2-4 was designed for a heightened enforcement effort directed at boating under the influence laws and recreational boater outreach.

Altogether, wardens contacted 4,180 boaters and 1,542 vessels, with 166 citations issued, the majority of which were boating citations.

“Our hope is that this event helps educate boaters about safe boating practices,” Lundstrom said.

Guide and Outfitter Exam Scheduled

Mon, 07/11/2022

The next guide and outfitter written examination is Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department office in Bismarck. Preregistration is required no later than Aug. 12 by calling the Department’s enforcement office at 701-328-6604.

In addition to passing a written exam, qualifications for becoming a guide include a background check for criminal and game and fish violations, certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and standard first aid, and employment by or contract with a licensed hunting outfitter.

Hunting outfitter eligibility requirements include the guide qualifications, as well as an individual must have held a hunting guide license for two years, and must have proof of liability insurance.

The test is given periodically to anyone interested in becoming a guide or outfitter in the state.

Boaters Reminded to Report Accidents

Tue, 07/05/2022

Regardless of how safe and cautious boaters are on the water, accidents happen. If a boating accident involves injury, death or disappearance of a person, an accident report must be completed and sent to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department within 48 hours of the occurrence.

If property damage exceeds $2,000, but no deaths or injuries occur, a boat operator has five days to file a report.

These reporting requirements are mandatory whether there is one or more boats involved.

A boat accident form is available on the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov, at any Game and Fish office or by contacting a local game warden.

Mussel-sniffing Dogs to Attend Walleye Tournament

Tue, 07/05/2022

The effort to combat the spread and introduction of invasive zebra mussels in North Dakota waters is going to the dogs.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has partnered with Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens who will employ their professionally trained K-9 companions to detect the presence of zebra and quagga mussels on boats being launched in the North Dakota Governor's Walleye Cup tournament.

The corps will host a mussel K-9 demonstration open to the public July 14 at 10 a.m. at Ft. Stevenson State Park south of Garrison. The K-9s and handlers will inspect each boat for the invasive species during angler registration and launching. Compared to humans, K-9s provide a level of detection far beyond human capabilities, resulting in reduced risk, faster launch times and greater accountability.

"It's nice to share the collective goal of preserving and protecting North Dakota's fisheries. By taking proactive measures we can prevent the introduction of zebra mussels and other aquatic nuisance species into Lake Sakakawea,” said Ben Holen, North Dakota Game and Fish Department aquatic nuisance species coordinator. “By using the unorthodox approach of mussel-sniffing dogs, we are not only proactively looking for zebra mussels using an acute detection method, but also displaying the importance of ANS prevention measures, which is a message shared by all including the Governor's Cup committee, tournament anglers, Corps of Engineers and the Game and Fish."

Joyce Pfliger, Governor’s Walleye Cup chairwoman, applauds the addition of ANS-sniffing dogs to the long-running tournament on the big lake.

“The opportunity to have these ANS sniffing dogs take part in the Governor’s Walleye Cup and to assist with keeping our lake free of ANS is fantastic,” she said. “Hopefully, with bringing these dogs to North Dakota, it will open up the possibility of having ANS dogs here permanently. This would be one positive, additional step in the fight against ANS.”

Todd Lindquist, operation project manager for the corps in Riverdale, said the corps is ramping up their public outreach efforts to stop the introduction and spread of invasive mussels, knowing the devastating impacts invasive mussel infestation can have on Lake Sakakawea and the ripple effects on tourism, biodiversity and infrastructure.

WMA Regulations Prohibit Fireworks, Camping Restrictions Lifted for Holiday

Mon, 06/27/2022

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds citizens that possession or use of fireworks on state wildlife management areas is prohibited.

The primary objective of a wildlife management area is to enhance wildlife production, provide hunting and fishing opportunities, and offer other outdoor recreational and educational uses compatible with these objectives. Only activities that would not disrupt the intentions of how these areas are managed are encouraged, and a fireworks display is not compatible.

In addition, the Game and Fish Department will lift the Tuesday-Wednesday no-camping restriction for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday week, which will allow overnight camping July 5-6 on those WMAs that otherwise have this two-day restriction in place.

A complete list of WMA regulations is available on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

Put Garbage Where it Belongs

Mon, 06/27/2022

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds outdoor recreationists to keep it clean this summer by packing out all trash.

All garbage, including used fireworks, should be placed in a proper trash receptacle. If trash cans aren’t available, or full, dispose of trash at home.

It is not uncommon to see garbage piling up around full trash containers. Styrofoam containers are not biodegradable, but are often found wedged in cattails, drifting or washed up on shore.

Tires, mattresses and kitchen appliances have found their way to public use areas. This illegal dumping is costly to clean up and takes a significant toll on the environment. Not only does it spoil the beauty of the land, it destroys habitat, has the potential to pollute North Dakota waters and can injure wildlife.

Operation Dry Water

Mon, 06/27/2022

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will participate in Operation Dry Water as part of a nationally coordinated effort to increase knowledge about the dangers of boating under the influence. The goal is to reduce the number of accidents and deaths associated with alcohol and drug use on state waterways.

ODW weekend, July 2-4, is the national weekend of heightened enforcement directed at boating under the influence laws and recreational boater outreach. 

While educating boaters about the hazards associated with boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a year-round effort, on ODW weekend the Game and Fish Department’s game wardens will focus on the water, informing boaters about safe boating practices, and removing impaired operators from the water. 

Tips for staying safe on the water: 

• Boat sober – alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths. Alcohol and drug use impair a boater’s judgment, balance, vision and reaction time.
• Wear your life jacket – 85% of drowning victims nationwide were not wearing a life jacket.
• Take the online boating safety education course– 71% of deaths nationwide occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction.