Buffaloberry Patch

Anglers are encouraged to refer to the 2020-22 North Dakota Fishing Guide for winter fishing regulations.

Some winter fishing regulations include:

• A maximum of four poles is legal for ice fishing. However, when fishing a water body where both open water and ice occur at the same time, an angler is allowed a maximum of four poles, of which no more than two poles can be used in open water.
• Tip-ups are legal, and each tip-up is considered a single pole.
• There is no restriction on the size of the hole in the ice while fishing. When a hole larger than 10 inches in diameter is left in the ice, the area in the immediate vicinity must be marked with a natural object.
• It is only legal to release fish back into the water immediately after they are caught. Once a fish is held in a bucket or on a stringer, they can no longer be legally released in any water.
• It is illegal to catch fish and transport them in water.
• It is illegal to leave fish, including bait, behind on the ice.
• Depositing or leaving any litter or other waste material on the ice or shore is illegal.
• Any dressed fish to be transported, if frozen, must be packaged so that the fillets are separated and thus can be easily counted without thawing. Two fillets count as one fish.
• The daily limit is a limit of fish taken from midnight to midnight, and no person may possess more than one day’s limit of fish while actively engaged in fishing. The possession limit is the maximum number of fish that an angler may have in his or her possession during a fishing trip of more than one day.
• Anglers are reminded that three North Dakota lakes are closed to ice fishing. The State Fair Pond in Ward County, McDowell Dam in Burleigh County and Lightning Lake in McLean County are closed when the lakes ice over.

Darkhouse Spearfishing Registration

North Dakota’s darkhouse spearfishing season opens whenever ice-up occurs. The season extends through March 15. Legal fish are northern pike and nongame species.

Darkhouse spearing is allowed for all residents with a valid fishing license and for residents under age 16. Nonresidents may darkhouse spearfish in North Dakota if they are from states that offer the same privilege for North Dakota residents.

Individuals who are required to possess the needed valid fishing license to participate in darkhouse spearfishing must register with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department prior to participating. Registration is available at the Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, or through any Game and Fish Department office.

All waters open to hook and line fishing are open to darkhouse spearing except: Lake Audubon, East Park Lake and West Park Lake, all McLean County; Heckers Lake, Sheridan County; Larimore Dam, Grand Forks County; McClusky Canal; New Johns Lake, Burleigh County; Red Willow Lake, Griggs County; Wood Lake, Benson County; Lake Ashtabula, Barnes and Griggs counties; and Whitman Dam, Nelson County.

Anglers should refer to the 2020-22 North Dakota Fishing Guide for more information.

Check Station

North Dakota Game and Fish Department wardens Cory Erck, left, and Andrew Dahlgren, right, check a hunter’s harvest at a game check station in mid-October near Kulm. In a little over 4 hours, wardens checked 36 vehicles and 68 hunters. Game checked included ducks, geese, pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse and northern pike, with the most common violations being failing to leave identification attached to game during transport and aquatic nuisance species related issues like leaving plugs in boats, transporting vegetation, and no ANS boat registration. Department wardens were assisted in the effort by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer, North Dakota Highway Patrol and a local sheriff's office.

Wildlife Crossing

The finishing touches on a wildlife crossing under U.S. Highway 85 near the Long X bridge in western North Dakota is a 3-mile-long, 10-foot-tall fence being installed this fall. Once completed, the fence will funnel animals through the crossing and off the busy highway. “Every animal that goes through here is one less potential accident on the highway. We want to save the animals. The North Dakota Department of Transportation wants to create a safer roadway. And so, this crossing functions for both agencies,” said Bruce Kreft, Game and Fish Department resource biologist. Prior to construction of the crossing and fence, bighorn sheep rams in rut looking for ewes would migrate across the busy road at all hours and get hit by vehicles.

Call RAP

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department encourages hunters, anglers and landowners who witness a fish or wildlife violation to file a report with the Report All Poachers program.

Witnesses should report a violation by calling the RAP telephone number at 701-328-9921.

Witnesses should note the vehicle description, including make, color, license plate number and state issued. Description of the violator should also be considered.

The RAP line offers rewards – from $100 to $1,000 depending on the nature and seriousness of the crime – for information that leads to conviction of fish and wildlife law violators. Reports can also go directly to game wardens or other law enforcement agencies. Callers can remain anonymous.

Survey Participation Wanted

North Dakota hunters receiving a survey this winter are encouraged help with wildlife management by completing the survey online or returning it to the state Game and Fish Department.

Chad Parent, survey coordinator, said big game, small game, waterfowl, swan, turkey and furbearer questionnaires will be mailed to randomly selected hunters.

“It is important hunters complete and promptly return the survey, even if they did not hunt,” Parent said. “The harvest survey allows us to evaluate the hunting season, to determine the number of hunters, amount of hunting activity and size of the harvest.”

A follow-up survey will be mailed to those not responding to the first survey.

NDO Calendar Orders

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is taking orders for its 2022 North Dakota OUTDOORS calendar, the source for all hunting seasons and application dates. Along with outstanding color photographs of North Dakota wildlife and scenery, it also includes sunrise-sunset times and moon phases.

To order online, or send $4 for each, including postage and shipping, to: Calendar, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND 58501-5095. Be sure to include a three-line return address with your order, or the post office may not deliver our return mail.

The calendar is the North Dakota OUTDOORS magazine’s December issue, so current subscribers will automatically receive it in the mail.

Save Our Lakes Program

Earlier this fall, through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Save Our Lakes program, a 20-acre pond on the outskirts of Glen Ullin received a bit of a facelift in an effort to create an urban fishery. Scott Elstad (pictured), Department aquatic habitat supervisor, said much of work consisted of reshaping some shoreline areas for angler access and removing sediment to make the fishery deeper in places. “Currently, the pond is 3- to 4-feet-deep, but if we deepen up these areas to, say, 12 feet, the fish will more likely be able to survive all summer long and even into winter,” Elstad said. The urban fishery will be stocked in spring with catchable-sized fish, creating an immediate fishery. “We believe these urban fisheries are important, especially for kids who don’t have a car and can’t drive 50-60 miles to fish elsewhere,” Elstad said.

Waterfowl Book Available

Outdoor enthusiasts interested in North Dakota’s waterfowl will want to get their hands on the state Game and Fish Department’s newest book, “The Duck Factory – A History of Waterfowl in North Dakota.”

Authored by Mike Jacobs and Erik Fritzell, the 213-page, soft-cover publication in full color traces the history of waterfowl species and their habitats in North Dakota.

“The Duck Factory” is an important story because of North Dakota’s longtime and continuing contribution to the world of migratory birds, migratory game bird program leader Mike Szymanski said.

“North Dakota is the most important state for breeding ducks,” he added. “The contribution of ducks from North Dakota into the fall flight is unmatched by any other state, and its importance to duck hunters cannot be understated. Describing the history of waterfowl in North Dakota was a story that we felt was certainly worth telling.”

The book is sold only online for $24.99, including shipping.

Staff Notes