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.

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.