2025 Pronghorn Proclamation and Hunting Regulations

2025-2026 Pronghorn Hunting Proclamation

Pursuant to North Dakota law and the recommendation of the Game and Fish Director, I hereby declare an open season for the taking of pronghorn with bow (Pronghorn Bow), and firearms (Pronghorn Gun). Except as provided hereinafter or otherwise by law, no person shall hunt, kill, take, possess, transport or so attempt to hunt, kill, take, or possess, or transport any pronghorn or parts thereof.

DEFINITIONS. As hereinafter used, unless the content or subject matter otherwise requires: “Game” shall include any of those species of big game, small game, or furbearers as defined in section 20.1-01-02 of the North Dakota Century Code. “Edible flesh” (big game animals) shall be both front quarters, both hind quarters, and back straps but does not include meat ruined by bullet or natural causes. “Common Carriers” are shipping companies, commercial meat processors and taxidermists. “Processed and packaged meat” is meat, which has been cut/ground and wrapped. Quartered or boned out pieces of meat are not considered “processed”.

1. Season Dates, Times, Open Areas

HOURS OF HUNTING are one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise to one-half (1/2) hour after sunset except when season opens as noted above. All season openers are Central Time.

2. Eligibility

Only North Dakota residents are eligible for a license.

3. Licenses

Licenses are nontransferable. No person may give, barter, or sell an issued license to another person.

Lottery application deadline will be determined by the Director and specified at the time of the lottery application period opening.

Licenses are issued by a weighted lottery drawing among eligible applicants as prescribed by the Director. After the initial lottery, remaining licenses will be issued as prescribed by the Director.

Licenses are valid, until filled, during any open season. License holders may take and possess one pronghorn of the type and in the unit specified on their license.

Fees – The appropriate fee must accompany all applications.

4. Firearms and Archery Equipment

A. Bow Season – Section 1a: A bow must be pulled, held, and released by hand. Any release aid may be used providing it is hand operated, the shooter supports the draw weight of the bow, and the release is not attached to any part of the bow other than the bowstring. Arrows capable of causing damage or injury to the animal in excess of that inflicted by the cutting edges of the broadhead, are prohibited while hunting big game with a bow (e.g., explosive arrow points, arrows tipped with drugs or chemicals, and pneumatic or hydraulic shafts are illegal). No firearms, except handguns, may be in the hunter's possession while hunting during the pronghorn bow season. However, handguns may not be used in any manner to assist in the harvest of a pronghorn during the pronghorn bow season. Crossbows are not legal, except with a permit from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department Director.

Bow Season – Section 1b: A compound bow used for hunting pronghorn must have at least 35 pounds of draw at 28 inches or less draw length. Recurve and long bows used for hunting pronghorn must have at least 35 pounds of draw at 28 inches. Arrows must be at least 24 inches long, tipped with a metal broadhead, with at least two sharp cutting edges, and have a cutting diameter of at least ¾ inch (i.e., not able to pass through a ¾ inch ring). It is illegal to hunt big game with barbed arrows (barbed refers to an arrowhead with any fixed portion of the rear or trailing edge of the arrowhead forming an angle less than 90 degrees with the shaft). Broadheads with mechanical or retractable blades not manufactured to stay open are legal. Telescopic sights, range finding devices or other electronic devices attached to bow, or the arrow, are not permitted. Exception: battery powered or electronically lighted sights that do not project light, a lighted nock and recording devices which do not aid in range finding, sighting or shooting the bow are permitted. Handheld range finding devices are legal. When permitted, crossbows must: a) have a minimum draw weight of 75 pounds, b) be equipped with a working safety to prevent accidental firing, c) use arrows or bolts at least 14 inches in length and d) be designed to be fired from the shoulder. Crossbows equipped with pistol grips and designed to be fired with one hand are illegal. Crossbow hunters may use telescopic, battery powered or electronically lighted sights not exceeding a maximum power of eight, but must comply with all other archery equipment regulations listed above.

B. Gun Season: Centerfire rifles of .22 caliber or larger and muzzleloading rifles of .45 caliber or larger are legal for pronghorn. Centerfire and muzzleloader rifles must be designed to be fired from the shoulder. Muzzleloading rifles must have all components loaded through the muzzle. Rifled slugs, or patched round balls, of 20 gauge or larger are legal for shotguns and muzzleloading shotguns. Minimum barrel length of shotguns is 18 inches. Handguns must have a minimum barrel length of 4 inches and be .35 caliber or larger. In addition, any centerfire handgun designed to fire a legal rifle cartridge shall be legal. Muzzleloading handguns must be .50 caliber or larger. Fully automatic firearms, full metal jacketed bullets, which are non-expanding, as well as altered projectiles are prohibited. All legal bow equipment as listed above in the bow season sections shall be legal during the pronghorn gun season. Pre-charged pneumatic air guns, charged from an external high compression source such as an air compressor, air tank or an external hand pump are legal for pronghorn but must fire a projectile (excluding air bolts) of at least .35 caliber in diameter and at least 150 grains in weight with a minimum muzzle velocity of 600 feet per second.

Americans with Disabilities – The Director may make reasonable accommodations to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

5. Aircraft, Motor-Driven Vehicles and Lights

It shall be illegal to use all types of aircraft, manned or unmanned, for spotting game 72 hours prior to and during the hunting season. A licensee cannot hunt the same day they are airborne over their hunting unit with the exception of their scheduled passenger airline flight. It is illegal to drive, concentrate, rally, raise, stir up, or disturb game with all types of aircraft, manned or unmanned.

Motor-driven vehicles may not be used to pursue game. Motor-driven vehicles may not be used to retrieve a big game animal until the animal has been taken into possession and legally tagged.

It is illegal to shoot with bow and arrow or firearm while in or on a motor-driven vehicle.

Unless otherwise authorized under N.D.C.C., no person may carry a firearm with a cartridge in the chamber in or on a motor-driven vehicle while hunting big game animals. The entire cylinder of a revolver is considered the chamber, requiring the revolver to be completely unloaded. Handguns with removable magazines or clips must have the magazine or clip removed from the firearm if the magazine or clip contains any loaded shells.

It is illegal to carry any muzzleloading firearm in or on a motor-driven vehicle with a percussion cap or primer on the nipple or powder in the flash pan.

No person may use motor-driven vehicles on North Dakota Game and Fish Department Conservation PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) property. These areas have been entrusted to the public for walking access through written agreements by private landowners. The boundaries of these properties are described in the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual PLOTS Guide and on-site by large yellow triangular signs.

It shall be illegal to engage in shining for big game with any artificial light for the purpose of locating or observing big game between sunset of one day and sunrise of the next.

Use of or possession in the field of night vision equipment, electronically enhanced light gathering optics or thermal imaging equipment while locating or hunting big game during any big game season is prohibited.

6. Bag Limit

License holders may take and possess one pronghorn of the type and in the unit specified on their license. (See Section 1)

Definition of License Types

Doe or Fawn only – a pronghorn without a black “cheek patch” or with horns shorter than its ears.

Any pronghorn – a pronghorn of any age or sex.

7. Tagging Requirements

IMMEDIATELY after an animal has been killed, the hunter must indicate the date of kill by cutting out the appropriate month and day from the tag provided with the license and attach it to the base of the horn on male pronghorn or in a slit in the ear on female pronghorn, to prevent its removal.

In no case is it legal to possess or transport an animal unless it is properly tagged. The meat tag must remain with the edible flesh during any transportation and until it is cut up and packaged as food. No person may re-use or attempt to re-use any tag issued. Tags are not transferable.

When any part of an animal is mounted, if the tag is removed from the horns or ear, the tag must be securely fastened to the back or bottom of the mount and remain there.

8. Transprotation and Storage

License holders must accompany their game animal, or parts thereof, (excluding hide) during transportation. Except that a permit for the transportation of game may be issued by the Department upon request. Game may be shipped by common carrier in receipt of proper bill of lading. No resident of the state may ship big game or parts thereof (other than hides) out of the state without a permit from the Department.

A pronghorn carcass or boned out meat must be accompanied by the head to the final place of storage. Exception: Tag as currently required, then take two pictures using a cellphone with location and date and time stamp turned on. One picture of the entire animal at the kill site with tag attached, and a second picture of a closeup of the tag so that tag information is readable. If you leave the head in the field at the kill site, after taking pictures and saving them, the ear or antler must be cut off and accompany the meat or carcass while in transport. The photographs of the tagged pronghorn must be shown to any game warden or other law enforcement officer upon request.

It is illegal to possess or transport another’s game animal or parts thereof (excluding hide) without the license holder accompanying or as otherwise permitted. Processed and packaged meat of legally harvested game may be gifted to another. Unprocessed, unpackaged meat of legally harvested game may be gifted as follows: 1) Prior to reaching the licensee’s permanent residence a transportation permit must be obtained and accompany the game meat. 2) After reaching the licensee’s permanent residence if accompanied by the meat tag of the person who harvested the game.

Commercial processors and common carriers may possess any person’s legally taken possession limit of game. The meat tag from the individuals license shall accompany the edible flesh through processing and be returned to the individual.

9. Areas Closed to Hunting

Federal or state properties such as refuges, sanctuaries, military installations, parks, or historic sites posted as no trespassing and/or no hunting are closed to the hunting of pronghorn.

10. Wanton Waste

No person shall kill or cripple any big game animal without making a reasonable effort to retrieve and retain the big game animal in his or her actual custody. No person shall waste, destroy, spoil, or abandon the edible flesh of a big game animal at the place where taken and between that place and either (a) his or her permanent residence (b) a taxidermist (c) a common carrier or (d) a commercial processor.

11. Hunting Units and Licenses Available

A total of 1310 licenses as follows: (Unit boundaries are depicted in Section 14.)

¹The ND Hunter Educators Association and the Outdoor Adventure Foundation are each allocated one and two, additional pronghorn licenses, respectively, in accordance with N.D.C.C. 20.1-05.1-01. These licenses are valid for any open unit and any pronghorn regardless of age or sex. A recipient of one of these licenses may hunt in either the bow season or the regular season.

¹Not more than two additional pronghorn licenses may be issued to eligible organizations to conduct a raffle or auction in accordance with N.D.C.C. 20.1-05.1-02. These licenses are valid for any open unit and any pronghorn regardless of age or sex. A recipient of one of these licenses may hunt in either the bow season or the regular season.

12. Additional Concurrent Seasons

Additional seasons may be proclaimed for pronghorn and will run concurrently with the regular gun seasons, if the Game and Fish Director determines, after the regular lottery that an adequate number of licenses remain unissued.

13. Violations and Penalties

The following violations have the listed penalties:

• Hunting before or after legal hours (Section 1) up to 30 minutes--penalty--$100. In excess of 30 minutes--Class B misdemeanor.
• Use of illegal equipment (Section 4 – Deer Bow season 1b)--penalty--noncriminal--$100.
• Use of motor-driven vehicle in a restricted area (Section 5)--penalty--$50.
• Failure to possess the meat tag before being packaged as food or during transportation (Section 7)--penalty--$250.
• Fail to accompany, possessing or transporting another's game animal or parts thereof excluding hides (Section 8)--penalty--$100.

14. 2025 Pronghorn Hunting Units