Buffaloberry Patch

2018 Deer Season Summarized

A total of 48,717 North Dakota deer hunters took approximately 31,350 deer during the 2018 gun hunting season, according to a post-season survey conducted by the state Game and Fish Department.

Game and Fish made available 55,150 deer gun licenses last year. Overall hunter success was 64 percent, with each hunter spending an average of 4.4 days in the field.

Hunter success for both antlered and antlerless white-tailed deer was 64 percent.

Mule deer buck success was 81 percent, and antlerless mule deer was 83 percent.

Hunters with any-antlered or any-antlerless licenses generally harvest white-tailed deer, as these licenses are predominantly in units with mostly whitetails. Buck hunters had a success rate of 69 percent, while doe hunters had a success rate of 65 percent.

Game and Fish issued 13,098 gratis licenses in 2018, and 10,785 hunters harvested 5,832 deer, for a success rate of 54 percent.

A total of 1,022 muzzleloader licenses were issued in 2018, and 900 hunters harvested 349 white-tailed deer (176 antlered, 173 antlerless). Hunter success was 39 percent.

A record 28,824 archery licenses (26,318 resident, 2,506 nonresident) were issued in 2018. In total, 22,666 bow hunters harvested 8,914 deer (7,927 whitetails, 987 mule deer), for a success rate of 39 percent.

The Department is in the process of determining recommendations for licenses in 2019. In addition to harvest rates and winter aerial surveys, Game and Fish staff monitor other population indices to determine license numbers, including depredation reports, hunter observations, input at advisory board meetings, and comments from the public, landowners and Department field staff.

Linton Youth Wins Best of Show

Other first place winners in the four age categories were:

• Grades K-3 – Archer Ackerson, Sherwood; Cassia Coleman, Baldwin; and Gabriel Coleman, Baldwin.
• Grades 4-6 – Emily Green, Devils Lake; Grace Harkness, Devils Lake; and Savanah McKay, Devils Lake.
• Grades 7-9 – McKenzie Balzer, Bismarck; McKenzie Davies, West Fargo; and Emily Klein, Valley City.
• Grades 10-12 – Sydney Nelson, Valley City; and Monisha Terry, Valley City.

Brylee Stuberg, 8, of Leeds was the winner of the North Dakota Conservation Message. Her message, “Teal are green, teal are blue, ducks need a home just like you” will also compete at the national contest.

Spring Mule Deer Survey Complete

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department completed its annual spring mule deer survey in April, and results indicate western North Dakota’s mule deer population is down from last year, but still 14 percent above the long-term average.

Department biologists counted 2,454 mule deer in 298.8 square miles during the survey. Overall mule deer density in the badlands was 8.2 deer per square mile, compared to 10.3 in 2018.

Although mule deer density was lower than 2018, Bruce Stillings, Department big game management supervisor, said the population is above objective and remains at a level able to support more hunting opportunities this fall.

“The 2019 spring results show that mule deer have recovered nicely following winters of 2009-11, which led to record low fawn production and a population index low of 4.6 mule deer per square mile in 2012,” Stillings said. “The population recovery is due to no antlerless harvest for five years, combined with milder winter conditions during 2012-16, which led to good fawn production since 2013. However, the long-term health of the population will depend on maintaining high quality habitat.”

Game and Fish Pays Property Taxes

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department recently paid more than $658,000 in taxes to counties in which the Department owns or leases land. The 2018 in-lieu-of-tax payments are the same as property taxes paid by private landowners.

The Game and Fish Department manages more than 200,000 acres for wildlife habitat and public hunting in 51 counties. The Department does not own or manage any land in Traill or Renville counties.

Following is a list of counties and the tax payments they received.

Boat North Dakota Course

Boat owners are reminded that children ages 12-15 who want to operate a boat or personal watercraft alone this summer must first take the state’s boating basics course.

State law requires youngsters ages 12-15 to pass the course before they operate a boat or personal watercraft with at least a 10-horsepower motor. In addition, some insurance companies give adult boat owners who pass the course a discount on boat insurance.

The course is available for home-study from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Bismarck office. Two commercial providers also offer the course online, and links to those sites are found on the Department’s website.

While the home-study course is free, there is a fee for the online course. The online provider charges for the course, not the Game and Fish Department.

Upon completion of the online test, students can print out a temporary certification card, and within 10 days a permanent card will be mailed.

For more information contact Brian Schaffer, Department education coordinator, at ndgf@nd.gov; or call 701-328-6300.

Free Fishing Weekend

North Dakota’s free fishing weekend is June 1-2. Resident anglers may fish that weekend without a license. All other fishing regulations apply.

Scholarships Available

The North Dakota Game Wardens Association, Ray Goetz Memorial Fund and Kupper Chevrolet are together sponsoring scholarships for graduating high school seniors or current higher education students, majoring in law enforcement, wildlife management, fisheries or a related field.

Applicants must be North Dakota residents, be in good academic standing, and have an interest in wildlife law enforcement or a related field. Scholarships will be awarded this fall upon proof of enrollment.

Applications are available by contacting the North Dakota Game Warden’s Association, . Applications must be received no later than May 31, 2019.

NASP State Tournament Results

A record 820 archers competed in the North Dakota National Archery in the Schools Program state bull’s-eye tournament March 22-23 in Minot.

Oakes students claimed top honors in the elementary (grades 4-6) and middle school (grades 7-8) divisions, while Hankinson received the top prize in the high school (grades 9-12) division.

The overall male winner was Barnes County North archer Casey Everson, while Hankinson student Kirstan Loewen claimed the top spot in the female division.

Winning teams and the top 10 individuals qualify for the national tournaments, scheduled for May in Louisville, Ky and June in Salt Lake City, UT. The Game and Fish Department and North Dakota Youth Archery Advisory Council contribute a total of $3,000 in travel assistance to the first-place team in each division, and $1,000 to the overall male and female individual winners. In addition, a total of $20,000 in college scholarships was awarded by the NDYAAC to the top five overall scorers in both boys and girls divisions.

Qualifying for nationals in each division are:

• High school boys – 1) Casey Everson, Barnes County North; 2) Joshua Wiebusch, Wahpeton; 3) Chase Bladow, Hankinson; 4) Mason Kamlitz, Oakes; 5) Andrew Hill, Oakes; 6) Jaden Payne, Glenburn; 7) Cheyne Meyer, Hankinson; 8) Austin Bladow, Hankinson; 9) Erich Scheffert, Oakes; 10) and Dalton Gartner, Edgeley.
• High school girls – 1) Gracie Gunderson, Medina; 2) Ainsley Helgerson, Oakes; 3) Sydni Berg, Edgeley; 4) Josephine Nelson, North Sargent; 5) Avery Trittin, Lidgerwood; 6) Grace Neameyer, Mt. Pleasant; 7) Chase McFarland, North Sargent; 8) Mary Goroski, Wahpeton; 9) Octavia Ralph-Martin, Griggs County Central; 10) and Jaden Gilje, North Sargent.
• Middle school boys – 1) Jake Hennings, Bottineau; 2) Colin Olson, North Sargent; 3) Clancy Zimbelman, Oakes; 4) Hunter Genre, New Rockford-Sheyenne; 5) Brady Sand; Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg; 6) Hunter Kamlitz, Oakes; 7) Brady Haugen, Griggs County Central; 8) Nick Hansen, North Sargent; 9) Samuel Abel, South Prairie; 10) and Calvin Satrom, Hope-Page.
• Middle school girls – 1) Kirstan Loewen, Hankinson; 2) Kaitlyn Folkman, Oakes; 3) Rylee Suhr, Griggs County Central; 4) Eve Thompson, Hope-Page; 5) Ariana Onchuck, Hankinson; 6) Allison Thomas, Pingree-Buchanan; 7) Zoey Bohnenstingl, Lidgerwood; 8) Jewels Hamling, Hankinson; 9) Kyria Dockter, New Rockford-Sheyenne; 10) and Bethany Schafer, Lidgerwood.
• Elementary boys – 1) Brady Hanson, Edgeley; 2) Braysen Sagert, Oakes; 3) Alex Weisenburger, New Rockford-Sheyenne; 4) Parker Deering, Oakes; 5) William Bergquist, Wilton; 6) Adam Ryun, Medina; 7) Hayden Risty, Wilton; 8) Ryan Roeder, Hankinson; 9) Jayson Schlenker, Barnes County North; 10) and Tucker Deering, Oakes.
• Elementary girls – 1) Danica Onchuck, Hankinson; 2) Shayle Zimbelman, Oakes; 3) Braylyn McKown, Wyndmere; 4) Claire Wehseler, North Sargent; 5) Matilda Moch, Edgeley; 6) Mackenzie Nogowski, North Sargent; 7) Jourdyn Buchholz, Griggs County Central; 8) Kiara Frederick, Wilton; 9) Claire Leidy, Wilton; 10) and Logan Cudworth, New Rockford-Sheyenne.

In addition, 570 archers competed in a NASP 3-D Challenge, run simultaneously with the bull’s-eye tournament.

Overall male and female winners were Clancy Zimbelman, Oakes, and Josephine Nelson, North Sargent.

Austin Bladow of Hankinson was the winner of a pronghorn hunt in Wyoming, determined by a shoot-out after placing among the top three boys and girls final score.

Top performers in the 3-D challenge:

• 3-D high school boys – 1) Cheyne Meyer, Hankinson; 2) Austin Bladow, Hankinson; 3) and Mason Kamlitz, Oakes.
• 3-D high school girls – 1) Josephine Nelson, North Sargent; 2) Avery Trittin, Lidgerwood; 3) and Ainsley Helgerson, Oakes.
• 3-D middle school boys – 1) Clancy Zimbelman, Oakes; 2) Hunter Genre, New Rockford-Sheyenne; 3) and Tommy Baldwin, Lidgerwood.
• 3-D middle school girls – 1) Mackenzie Motter, Hope-Page; 2) Ariana Onchuck, Hankinson; 3) and Kirstan Loewen, Hankinson.
• 3-D elementary boys – 1) Braysen Sagert, Oakes; 2) Wayland Sabinash, Kensal; 3) and Parker Deering, Oakes.
• 3-D elementary girls – 1) Danica Onchuck, Hankinson; 2) Shayle Zimbelman, Oakes; 3) and Braylyn McKown, Wyndmere.