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General North Dakota Hunting Regulations

Index

Hunting by Nontribal Members on North Dakota Indian Reservations

If an individual hunts exclusively on Indian lands within an Indian reservation, a tribal license is required and a state hunting license is not required. Hunting on nontribal lands within an Indian reservation requires a state hunting license. Game taken legally with a tribal license within an Indian reservation may be possessed and transported anywhere in North Dakota.

Portions of some units are located on Indian reservations. Contact reservation tribal offices for more information.

  • Fort Berthold. Game and Fish Department, 404 Frontage Road, New Town, ND 58763, 701-627-4760.
  • Standing Rock. Game and Fish Department, Box 549, Fort Yates, ND 58538, 701-854-7236.
  • Turtle Mountain. Department of Natural Resources, Box 570, Belcourt, ND 58316, 701-477-2604.
  • Spirit Lake. Fish and Wildlife Department, Box 359, Fort Totten, ND 58335, 701-766-1243.

Posting and Trespass

Only the owner or tenant, or an individual authorized by the owner, may post land electronically or by placing physical signs giving notice that no hunting is permitted on the land. The name of the person posting the land must appear on each physical sign in legible characters. Physical signs must be readable from outside the land and must be placed conspicuously and not more than 880 yards apart. On land entirely enclosed by a fence or other enclosure, posting of signs at or on all gates through the fence or enclosure constitutes a posting of all the enclosed land.

  • Hunting on posted lands without permission from the owner or tenant is illegal and punishable by suspension of hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for a period of at least one year.
  • Hunting on posted land without permission can be prosecuted even if the land is not posted to the letter of the law.
  • Any person may enter upon legally posted land (without a firearm or bow) to recover game shot or killed on land where he/she had a lawful right to hunt.
  • It is illegal to hunt in unharvested cereal and oilseed crops, including sprouted winter wheat, alfalfa, clover and other grasses grown for seed, without the landowner’s consent.
  • It is illegal to deface, take down or destroy posting signs.
  • Failure to close gates upon exit or entry is a criminal violation punishable by forfeiture of hunting licenses.

More Posting Information

Road Rights of Way

Do not hunt on road rights of way unless you are certain they are open to public use. Most road rights of way are under the control of the adjacent landowner and are closed to hunting when the adjacent land is posted closed to hunting.

Hunter Education Requirement

Persons born after December 31, 1961 must complete a certified state or provincial hunter education course and provide a hunter education number to the license vendor to purchase a North Dakota hunting license. Exceptions: Persons who hunt only on land they own or operate, and persons under age 12 (those under age 12 may hunt if they have appropriate license and are under direct supervision of parent or guardian). In addition, individuals who are 12 years of age and older who have not taken the hunter education course may be issued an apprentice hunter validation that enables them to hunt small game for one license year. Contact the Game and Fish Department for details.

More Hunter Education Information and Classes

Hunting Over Bait

Placing of bait for any purpose is prohibited on Department wildlife management areas. Hunting over bait is defined as the placement and/or use of bait(s) for attracting game to a specific location for the purpose of hunting. Baits include but are not limited to grains, minerals, salts, fruits, vegetables, hay or any other natural or manufactured foods.

Hunting over bait is also not allowed on all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas; U.S. Forest Service national grasslands; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed lands; and all North Dakota state trust, state park and state forest service lands.

Note: More restrictions may apply based on the season. Please see the season's proclamation for more details.

Use of Animals and Tree Stands

Animals - It is unlawful to use any animal except horses or mules as an aid in the hunting or taking of big game. State law allows the use of dogs in the recovery of big game – see N.D.C.C. 20.1-05-04 or contact the Department for additional information.

Tree Stands, Ground Blinds, and Trail Cameras – No person may construct or use a permanent tree stand or permanent steps to a tree stand on any state wildlife management area, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuge, waterfowl production area or National Forest System Lands. Portable tree stands and portable steps, and natural tree stands may be used. Portable tree stands and portable steps are defined as those which are held to the tree with ropes, straps, cables, chains or bars. The use of nails, wire, screws or bolts to attach steps or a stand to a tree is prohibited on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges, waterfowl production areas and NFSL. Screw-in steps (allowed on state wildlife management areas) are those that are screwed into the tree by hand without the aid of any tools. Ladder type stands which lean against the tree are portable stands. A notched board placed in a tree crotch is a portable stand. Natural stands are those crotches, trunks, down trees, etc., where no platform is used. Tree stands do not preempt hunting rights in the vicinity of the tree stand. Tree stands, steps, ground blinds and trail cameras may not be put up on state wildlife management areas, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed lands, federal waterfowl production areas or NFSL before August 20, 2024, and they shall be taken down by January 31, 2025. Tree stands, steps, ground blinds and trail cameras not removed by January 31, 2025, are considered abandoned property and are subject to removal and confiscation by the Game and Fish Department, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or NFSL. Tree stands, steps, ground blinds and trail cameras left unattended on state wildlife management areas, federal waterfowl production areas, NFSL and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed lands require an identification tag displaying the owner’s name, address and telephone number; or Game and Fish Department issued equipment registration number. Contact national wildlife refuge headquarter offices for individual refuge regulations. Portable tree stands, ground blinds and trail cameras on waterfowl production areas, NFSL and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed lands may be used in accordance with state wildlife management area regulations. Trail cameras may not be installed on private property without written permission from the landowner, or an individual authorized by the owner, and the camera must have an equipment registration number, or the individuals name, address and telephone number.