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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department


News Releases


HIP Registration Required for Migratory Bird Hunters



Migratory bird hunters of all ages need to register with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, coots, cranes, snipe, doves and woodcock. Hunters must register in each state for which they are licensed to hunt.

Hunters can HIP certify when purchasing a license by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Those who registered to hunt during the spring light goose conservation order in North Dakota do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required only once per year.

HIP registration is a cooperative program designed to determine a sample of hunters to measure the harvest of migratory birds for management purposes.

Meetings Set to Discuss Chronic Wasting Disease



North Dakota Game and Fish Department officials will host three public meetings this month to discuss chronic wasting disease in North Dakota.

“Chronic wasting disease presents serious concerns for the long-term health of our big game populations,” said Casey Anderson, wildlife division chief. “While the status of this disease has changed considerably in North Dakota over the past two decades, we’ve also learned a lot.”

Since last year, an intradepartmental CWD Task Force has been conducting a situational analysis of the issue, culminating in an updated plan for how it intends to manage the disease in North Dakota.

The meetings will include a formal presentation on history, current status and the future of CWD in North Dakota, after which Department staff will be available to visit individually with people who have questions and/or comments.

All meetings begin at 7 p.m. local time. Dates and locations are:

 

Aug. 22 – Fargo

3803 13th Ave. S.

Holiday Inn

 

Aug. 24 – Dickinson

532 15th St. W.

Grand Dakota Lodge

 

Aug. 29 – Minot

1505 N. Broadway

Grand Hotel

Anglers Should Keep Fish Caught in Deep Water



North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel encourage anglers to keep fish caught from depths of more than 25 feet, rather than practice catch-and-release.

Dave Fryda, Missouri River System supervisor, said given the exceptional Lake Sakakawea walleye fishing this summer, enticing many anglers to the big lake, it’s important to know that fish reeled in from deep waters will likely die if released.

“When the bite first started, anglers were catching fish in shallow water,” Fryda said. “As the summer progressed, fish move into deeper water and are now being caught at depths where barotrauma is a concern.”

Change in water pressure will cause the swim bladder to expand, which means fish can no longer control balance. In addition, other internal injuries are likely, such as ruptured blood vessels or damaged internal organs. Because of these other internal injuries, biologists discourage fizzing, the practice of deflating the swim bladder.

Barotrauma injury can happen in any deep water body, but it is especially noteworthy for this time of year in Lake Sakakawea.

Prior to fishing at least 25 feet deep, anglers should make the decision to keep what they catch prior to fishing and honor that commitment.

Early Canada Goose Dates Announced



North Dakota’s early Canada goose season dates are set, with bag limits and licensing requirements the same as last year.

Opening day is Aug. 15 in all three zones. Closing dates are Sept. 7 in the Missouri River zone, Sept. 15 in the western zone and Sept. 22 in the eastern zone.

Early Canada goose limits are 15 daily and 45 in possession.

Limits and shooting hours are different from the regular season, while the zone boundaries remain the same. Shooting hours for early Canada goose are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily.

Residents need a $5 early Canada goose license and a general game and habitat license. Also, residents 16 and older need a small game license. Nonresidents need only a $50 early Canada goose license, and the license is valid statewide without counting against the 14-day regular season license. Licenses can be purchased online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Harvest Information Program certification is required and beginning Sept. 1 a federal duck stamp for hunters 16 and older is needed. Those who HIP registered to hunt the spring light goose conservation order in North Dakota do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required in each state only once per year.

Waterfowl rest areas, closed to hunting during the regular season, are open during the early season. Most land in these rest areas is private, so hunters may need permission to access them.

Hunting of Canada geese in August and early September is intended to reduce local Canada goose numbers, which remain high. Game and Fish is attempting to provide additional hunting opportunities to increase pressure on locally breeding Canada geese.

Small Game, Waterfowl, Furbearer Regulations Set



North Dakota’s 2022 small game, waterfowl and furbearer regulations are set, and most season structures are similar to last year.

Noteworthy items include:

  • Opening day for ducks, geese, coots and mergansers for North Dakota residents is Sept. 24. Nonresidents may begin hunting waterfowl in North Dakota Oct. 1.
  • The prairie chicken and sage grouse seasons remain closed due to low populations.
  • Pre-charged pneumatic air guns are legal for taking weasel, mink, muskrat and mountain lion.
  • Reporting harvest of bobcats, mountain lions, fishers and river otters can now be done online by visiting My Account at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Hunters and trappers can find the North Dakota 2022-23 Hunting and Trapping Guide, which includes upland game, migratory game bird and furbearer/trapping regulations and other information, on the Game and Fish website. Printed guides will be available at vendor locations in mid-August.

For a complete listing of opening and closing dates, and daily and possession limits, refer to the table on pages 4-5 of the guide.

Pronghorn Applications Due Aug. 3



The deadline to apply for the 2022 pronghorn hunting season is Aug. 3.

Applicants can apply online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

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

Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply.

Swan Hunt Applications



Hunters applying for a 2022 swan license can submit an online application through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

North Dakota residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply. The resident swan license is $10, while the nonresident fee is $30. The deadline to apply is Aug. 17.

The statewide tundra swan hunting season opens Oct. 1. A total of 2,200 licenses are available. Successful applicants will receive a tag to take one swan during the season. Since swans are classified as waterfowl, nonresidents may hunt them only during the period their nonresident waterfowl license is valid.

All swan hunters, regardless of age, are required to have a general game and habitat license when applying. In addition, nonresidents must have a waterfowl license, and residents 16 and older need a small game or combination license. 

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



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.

Remaining Licenses
UnitTypeAvailable
2HAny antlerless40
3A1Any antlerless705
3A2Any antlerless224
3B2Antlerless whitetail 63
3B2Antlerless mule deer 46
3F1Any antlerless105
3F1Antlerless whitetail317
3F2Any antlerless1050
3F2Antlered whitetail64
3F2Antlerless whitetail798
4FAntlerless whitetail264
4FAntlerless mule deer107

Pronghorn Hunting Season Set, Apply Online



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.

Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest



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



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.

Spring Grouse Counts Reported



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."