Outdoor Legislation

Provides an appropriation for the biennium for defraying the expenses of the industrial commission and the agencies under its control. This includes Outdoor Heritage Fund at $15 million. Signed by governor.

Appropriates $92,368,134 to the Game and Fish Department for the biennium beginning July 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2023. Passed house. Passed senate.

Appropriates $114,864,690 to the Game and Fish Department for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2027. Passed house. Passed senate. Signed by governor.

Relates to access and activities on trust lands, and provides a penalty. Passed house and senate. Signed by governor. 

Defines farmed elk as mammals of the North American elk genus and species (cervus canadensis) confined in a manmade enclosure designed to prevent escape. Passed house. Passed senate. Signed by governor.

Nonprofit organizations eligible to apply for special allocation big game hunting licenses for fundraising must be exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19), and must contribute at least 20% of the net proceeds of any raffle of a license to a conservation-related project. Passed house. Passed senate. Signed by governor.

Requires written permission from the owner of the property, or an individual authorized by the owner, to place bait for the purpose of attracting wildlife and to install camera/video equipment. In addition, the equipment must be identified. Penalty for baiting violation is a class 1 noncriminal for first offense; a second or subsequent violation is a fine of $250. Passed house and senate. Signed by governor.

Allows a resident who is entitled to purchase a disabled veteran deer license to hunt white-tailed deer five days preceding the youth deer hunting season and during the regular deer gun hunting season. In addition, 100 licenses would be available each year, and taken from the five units with the lowest selection rates for hunting licenses. The licenses may not be used in those units, and are not valid on public lands. An individual who receives one of these licenses may not apply in the deer gun lottery. Passed house. Failed senate.

Amends subsection 12(c) of section 20.1-02-05 of North Dakota century code, to issue any resident license, except a lottery permit, to include nonresident current North Dakota national guard members. Signed by governor.

A resident disabled veteran who has at least a 50% service connected disability qualifies for the $3 combined general game, habitat, small game and furbearer license. Passed house. Passed senate. Signed by governor.

Prohibits the Game and Fish Department from issuing rules or adopting a policy or practice prohibiting the baiting of big game animals for lawful hunting on private property. Allows hunting big game over bait on private property from Aug. 25 through Jan. 7, with a volume capacity of 50 gallons and a setback of 150 feet from a landowners property. Passed house. Senate energy and natural resources committee heard 03/16, amended to remove the dates when hunting big game over bait is allowed and reduced the setback to 10 feet. Recommended 6-0 do pass as amended. Failed senate.

The department may establish educational and community outreach programs to promote public understanding of fisheries and wildlife management and promote interest in pursuing careers in fields employed by the department, including by job shadowing of field activities and ride alongs. Passed house. Passed senate. Signed by governor.

Provides for a legislative management study regarding the posting of school trust lands during the big game hunting seasons. The study must include input from Departments of Trust Lands and Game and Fish, and report findings and recommendations to the 69th assembly. Passed house. Failed senate.

Nonresident members of the armed forces who qualify to receive a resident license may apply for and be issued a lottery license for deer. Failed house.

Nonresidents who own land in North Dakota may hunt during the first seven days of the pheasant season on land they enroll in the PLOTS program. Passed house and senate. Signed by governor.

Adds clarification to section 47-05-17 of century code, relating to an exemption from prohibition against severing hunting rights from surface estates. Passed house and senate. Signed by governor.

Allows the dog handler to carry a handgun in the recovery of a big game animal while in the presence of a dog. The dog handler cannot use the handgun to assist in the recovery of the animal, and must have permission from the landowner or individual authorized by the landowner before entering private land for the recovery of a big game animal. Signed by governor.

Allows the 11, 12 and 13 year old antlerless white-tailed deer youth hunter to also hunt during the regular deer gun season. Signed by governor.

Hunting and fishing license fees and application fees may be used only for departmental programs and administration unrelated to chronic wasting disease. Failed house.

A nonresident may purchase a nonresident upland and small game license to hunt upland and small game, except waterfowl, during the entire upland and small game hunting seasons. In addition, eliminates the nonresident 14 day or two 7-day small game licenses. Failed house.

An individual who was issued an apprentice hunter validation license in 2020-21 may receive another one. Passed house and senate. Signed by governor.

The agriculture commissioner shall study challenges associated with native pollinating insects, including their decline, associated ecosystems, health and resilience. Failed house.

Fifteen percent of the total mule deer gun licenses made available in the current year must be made available as nonresident any-deer bow licenses. Passed house. Passed senate. Signed by governor.

Develops agreements to compensate private landowners for the development of habitat on private property for addressing fish and wildlife populations. In addition, allows the Game and Fish director to issue special antlerless elk depredation management licenses to landowners upon payment of the fee required for a resident big game license. To be eligible for this license a landowner cannot charge a fee for elk hunting and must allow reasonable public access as determined by the director. Signed by governor.

An individual is guilty of an infraction by placing a trail camera, etc., on private property without written permission from the owner or occupant. In addition, the device must have identification. Failed house.

The director shall keep a record of and make available to the public all positive detections of chronic wasting disease for four years, including a microscopic slide of the prion and necropsy report. Failed house.

Allows former residents who lived in North Dakota for at least 10 years to receive one percent of the total deer gun licenses. Failed house.

A law enforcement officer would not be able to enter private property for search and seizure without permission is prohibited. Failed house.  

Allows an individual engaged in barefoot skiing to wear a wet suit. A life preserver must be on board the towing vessel for an individual barefoot skiing or surfing. Signed by governor.

Any member of a party of 10 or fewer may take or kill the number of deer which is equal to the number of valid deer licenses held by the participating members of the party. Failed house.

Ten percent of the true and full valuation of land enrolled in the private land open to sportsmen program, which is owned by a resident of this state, would be eligible for property tax exemption. Failed house.

A nonresident youth who is less than 16 years of age may purchase a resident general game hunting license and may hunt small game and waterfowl, except swans and wild turkeys, during the entire regular small game and waterfowl seasons. The accompanying adult family member or legal guardian does not have to be licensed. Signed by governor.

An individual may use an artificial light to pursue on the individual's premises at any time throughout the year any predatory animal attempting to destroy property. Passed house and senate. Signed by governor.

The director shall provide that each application for a deer lottery license contain the option for an unsuccessful applicant to donate the license fee to the private land open to sportsmen program. Passed house. Passed senate. Signed by governor.

A nonresident who previously has purchased a resident hunting or fishing license with the department and has a resident family member in the state may purchase a resident family member small game license and hunt upland game as authorized by the department. The nonresident may hunt upland game for four days which may be consecutive or nonconsecutive from November 15 to the end of the upland game season. Failed house.

Increases the fees of some hunting and fishing licenses, and changes hunting guide and outfitter requirements. Passed house. Passed senate. Signed by governor.

Relates to fishing. Establishes an application fee of $75 for all tournaments, a conservation fee of an amount to be determined between the tournament sponsor and a representative of the fishing tournament (except for nonprofits), post contest reporting requirements, Game and Fish establishes a fishery conservation fund, and a surcharge of $5 on each nonresident fishing license. Effective April 1, 2024. Signed by governor.

An individual, while hunting big game or small game, other than waterfowl or cranes, may not use a motor-driven vehicle on any land other than an established road or trail without the written permission of the landowner, unless that individual has reduced a big game animal to possession. Passed house. Passed senate. Signed by governor.

Appropriates $83,277,498 to the Game and Fish Department for the biennium beginning July 1, 2017, and ending June 30, 2019.

Included in the Information Technology Department's appropriation's bill, during the 2019-20 interim, a 14 member land access committee (with nine voting members) will study access to public and private lands for hunting, trapping, fishing and related issues, including trespass violations and penalties, and provide recommendations regarding a land access database with capabilities of electronic posting. The study committee may establish a trial electronic posting and hunter access information system in up to three counties prior to August 1, 2020, and report findings and recommendations to the 67th legislative assembly. 

Provides a guideline for the Director to allocate big game and turkey hunting licenses to eligible organizations. Includes emergency clause.

Returns the funding limit to the North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund to $20 million per fiscal year.

Appropriates $83,569,734 to the Game and Fish Department for the biennium beginning July 1, 2017, and ending June 30, 2019. Failed house.

Allows a resident of North Dakota who does not want to receive a hunting license issued by lottery to purchase a bonus point for a fee that is the same as the respective license. The fee is allocated to the PLOTS program.

This bill relates to criminal forfeitures, forfeiture of property, seizure procedures and forfeiture procedures. A portion of the bill originally replaced the term "property" with "animals, birds or fish" as items that must be turned over to the North Dakota wildlife federation to be sold for the highest price obtainable, but was removed during house proceedings. Passed house. Failed senate.

A law enforcement officer may not halt an operator of a vehicle solely to determine compliance, unless the officer has a reasonable suspicion to believe that there is a violation. This section does not apply to inspections and safety checkpoints for commercial motor vehicles. This would require Game and Fish to have reasonable suspicion for stops for violations of laws relating to wildlife. Amended to eliminate the Game and Fish portion of the bill that would require reasonable suspicion for stops relating to wildlife. Failed house.

Reduces the age from 16 to 12 to qualify for an apprentice hunter validation license; allows youth who turn age 11 before the end of the calendar year to receive a whitetail doe license valid for only the youth hunting season; repeals the eagle language in state law, however, eagles are still protected under federal regulations.

Allows Game and Fish to seize tangible property presumed abandoned on state game refuges, real property leased or managed by the game and fish department, and state game or fish management areas. After 90 days, the director may dispose of seized, unclaimed, tangible property presumed abandoned, or order it be turned over to the North Dakota wildlife federation to be sold for the highest price obtainable. The sale proceeds, after the expenses of the seizure and the sale are deducted, must be remitted to the North Dakota wildlife federation report all poachers fund. A report of the sale, supported by proper vouchers covering all deductions made for expenses, must be filed for the record with the director.