Buffaloberry Patch
CWD Results Released
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reported 26 deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease during the 2021 hunting season.
Fourteen were from hunting unit 3F2, eight from unit 3A1, and one was found in unit 3B1. Single positive deer were also found in three units (3C, 3D1 and 3E2) where the disease had not been previously detected.
CWD is a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines as infection rates climb.
The estimated infection rates in unit 3F2 were 4.9% in mule deer and 3% in whitetail deer. In unit 3A1, the estimated infection rate in mule deer was 6.9%. Approximately 4.9% of hunters turned in heads for testing in units where the Department was focusing surveillance efforts.
Game and Fish will use its 2021 surveillance data to guide its CWD management strategy moving forward.
Electronic Posting System for Private Land Available
Landowners interested in posting private land electronically for the 2022-23 hunting season can log into My Account. The deadline for landowners to digitally post land is July 1, which is necessary to produce print material and digital content prior to hunting seasons that begin in August.
The 2021 state legislature passed a bill to allow electronic posting of private land, giving landowners another option for posting private property.
Landowners who enrolled land electronically last year can renew, add or modify posting designations during the enrollment period. Others posting for the first time might need to create a profile. To post land, proceed to the “Land Parcels/Electronic Posting” section at the bottom of the page and click “Search/Renew Land parcels.” The electronic posting system is linked to land descriptions based on county tax parcel information.
The Game and Fish website has complete instructions for landowners, along with frequently asked questions for both landowners and hunters.
Tagging Walleye at Dry Lake
Second Consecutive Record Count of Bighorn Sheep
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2021 bighorn sheep survey, completed by recounting lambs in March, revealed a record 335 bighorn sheep in western North Dakota, up 4% from 2020 and 15% above the five-year average. The count surpassed the previous record of 322 bighorns in 2020.
Altogether, biologists counted 99 rams, 175 ewes and 61 lambs. Not included are approximately 40 bighorn sheep in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and bighorns introduced to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in 2020.
Brett Wiedmann, Department big game biologist, was pleased to see an increase in the survey for the fourth consecutive year.
The northern badlands population increased 6% from 2020 and was the highest count on record. The southern badlands population declined again to the lowest level since bighorns were reintroduced there in 1966.
“We were encouraged to see the count of adult rams increase to near record levels, and adult ewes were at record numbers,” Wiedmann said. “Most encouraging was a record lamb count corresponding with a record recruitment rate.”
Department biologists count and classify all bighorn sheep in late summer, and then recount lambs the following March as they approach one year of age to determine recruitment.
Department staff, in conjunction with biologists from the Three Affiliated Tribes Fish and Wildlife Division, also reported the bighorn sheep translocated in January 2020 from Rocky Boy’s Reservation in Montana to the Fort Berthold Reservation performed exceptionally well their second year in the state. The population has nearly doubled in just two years, which is exceptional population performance for bighorn sheep.
There are currently almost 450 bighorn sheep among populations managed by the Game and Fish Department, National Park Service and Three Affiliated Tribes Fish and Wildlife Division. Wiedmann said the next benchmark is 500 bighorns in the state, which seemed improbable just a few years ago.
Dr. Charlie Bahnson, Department veterinarian, added that although the Department was pleased to see a low prevalence rate of Mycoplasma during last winter’s disease monitoring, biologists did observe several bighorns coughing during the 2021 survey, which indicates the population has not completely cleared the deadly pathogen first documented in 2014.
A bighorn sheep hunting season is tentatively scheduled to open in 2022.The status of the season will be determined Sept. 1, following the summer population survey.
Game and Fish issued five licenses in 2021 and four hunters were successful in harvesting a ram.
Fishing for a Challenge
New Licenses Needed
North Dakota anglers, trappers and hunters are reminded that new licenses are required beginning April 1.
Licenses can be purchased online. Once the license is processed, hunters and anglers will have the option to print a hard copy and/or download the license to a smart phone or mobile device, which is helpful when asked to show proof while hunting or fishing in rural areas that lack cellular service.
Licenses can also be purchased at more than 140 vendor locations throughout the state. The 2022-23 small game, fishing and furbearer licenses are effective April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.
Red River Angler Survey Slated
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will conduct an angler survey on the Red River this summer.
The survey is important because the information collected is used to estimate the time anglers spend fishing as well as the number of the various fish species caught and harvested.
Two survey clerks, one based in Grand Forks and the other in Fargo, will survey the entire Red River from its origin in Wahpeton to the Canadian border near Pembina. The Fargo clerk will also survey a site on the Ottertail River downstream of Orwell Dam.
The survey will run from the beginning of May until the end of September. Clerks will travel to various access sites and count anglers and conduct in-person interviews about their fishing trips.
A new twist to the survey is the use of an electronic survey in combination with the in-person interviews. Clerks will distribute cards to shore anglers and leave cards on the vehicles of boat anglers. Anglers can then either scan the QR code on the card or visit the website listed to access an online survey. These online surveys should only take a few minutes to complete and will help provide more information than the clerks would typically collect during their normal work activities.
The cards and electronic survey will allow shore anglers to complete the interview started by the clerk, since shore anglers generally are not done fishing when initially interviewed. Boat angler interviews are hard to get on the river since the clerks can’t spend a lot of time waiting at any one site for boats to come in, so the cards will allow these anglers to participate without being interviewed by a clerk.
Anglers who receive multiple cards from clerks over the course of the survey are encouraged to complete the survey each time as each day’s fishing provides unique and useful information.
ANS Awareness Week Slated
2021 Bighorn Sheep, Moose and Elk Harvests
Harvest statistics released by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department show overall hunter success during the 2021 season for bighorn sheep was 80%, 90% for moose and 65% for elk.
The Department issued four bighorn sheep licenses and auctioned one. Four of the five hunters harvested a bighorn ram.
The Department issued 470 moose licenses last year. Of that total, 448 hunters harvested 405 animals – 163 bulls and 242 cows/calves. Harvest for each unit follows:
| Unit | Hunters | Bulls | Cow/Calf | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100 |
| M6 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100 |
| M8 | 15 | 14 | 0 | 93 |
| M9 | 114 | 33 | 67 | 88 |
| M10 | 179 | 56 | 108 | 92 |
| M11 | 125 | 45 | 67 | 90 |
The Department issued 532 elk licenses last year. Of that total, 462 hunters harvested 301 elk – 158 bulls and 143 cows/calves. Harvest for each unit follows:
| Unit | Hunters | Bulls | Cow/Calf | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1E | 74 | 24 | 23 | 64 |
| E1W | 54 | 20 | 25 | 83 |
| E2 | 123 | 39 | 40 | 64 |
| E3 | 177 | 57 | 52 | 62 |
| E4 | 22 | 15 | 0 | 68 |
| E6 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 50 |
ANS Sticker Required for Boaters
Boaters with watercraft registered outside of the state who do not have a 2022 aquatic nuisance species sticker need to purchase a current sticker before operating watercraft on North Dakota waters.
State law requires a $15 ANS fee for motorized watercraft not licensed in North Dakota to be paid for each calendar year, and the ANS sticker must be displayed on the watercraft.
In addition, Minnesota anglers launching boats on the North Dakota side of the Red River must have a current ANS sticker displayed on the watercraft.
The ANS sticker can only be purchased by logging into the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.
Game and Fish Volunteers Recognized
Wayne Stanley
William Bahm
Volunteer instructors for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department were recognized in February at the annual event in Bismarck.
Wayne Stanley, Minot, was recognized as Hunter Education Instructor of the Year and William Bahm, Almont, received the International Hunter Education Association 50 for 50 Award.
Longtime volunteers were also recognized for their service:
- 30 years – Douglas Bolte, Regent; Neil Dockter, Horace; Gerard Goldade, Hague; Alan Klatt, Grand Forks; Bruce Messmer, Dickinson; Glenn Lemier, Oakes; Daryl Simmons, Garrison; and Rodney Stark, Kennedy, Minn.
- 25 years – Wayne Andersen, Bismarck; Clint Baxter, Minot; Scott Fasteen, Lincoln; Glen Fuhrman, Bismarck; Tony Aman, Center; Mark Hunt, Minot; Marty Liesener, Ray; Larry Nagel, Shields; Brad Olson, West Fargo; and Dale Patrick, Bismarck.
- 20 years – Adnan Aldayel, New Rockford; Lee Bratlie, Drayton; Harry Capaci, Minot; Corinne Engen, Anamoose; Jeremy Haugen, Minot; Darrell Kersting, Kindred; Randel Sand, Tuttle; Grant Johnson, Almont; and Wayne Stanley, Minot.
- 15 years – Paul Goldade, Wishek; Ruth Johnson, Belfield; Nadine Kassian, Wilton; Suzanne Kersting, Kindred; Calvin Leyendecker, Marion; Levi Reese, Hillsboro; Roger Norton, Kindred; Dennis Schlenker, Bismarck; Sam Theurer, Mandan; Rick Tischaefer, Butte; Justin Hughes, Minot; and Charles Wilkinson, Garrison.
- 10 years – Scott Norton, Mandan; Jordan Woroniecki, Bismarck; and Melanie Nelson, Harvey.
Game Warden Exam Scheduled
Individuals interested in taking the exam to select candidates for the position of a full-time temporary district game warden must register no later than May 24. The test is at 10 a.m., May 27, at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's main office in Bismarck.
Applicants must register by submitting an online application through the North Dakota State Job Openings website.
Applicants must be at least 21, have a bachelor’s degree at time of hire or an associate degree with either 2 years of law enforcement or wildlife experience, have a valid driver’s license and a current North Dakota peace officer license, or be eligible to be licensed. Candidates must successfully complete a comprehensive background check and must not have a record of any felony convictions.
Salary through training is $4,400 per month. For more information, see the district game warden job announcement on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
Tri-Cities Group Recognized
Staff Notes
Agency Duo Earn Special Recognition
The North Dakota Chapter of the Wildlife Society recognized Greg Link (top) and Kevin Kading (bottom) in February with the chapter’s Special Award.
Link, Department conservation and communication division chief, and Kading, Department private land section leader, were honored for their effort in spearheading the Meadowlark Initiative, a new statewide strategy that will team landowners, conservation groups, scientists and others to enhance, restore and sustain native grasslands in North Dakota.
“This year the board decided special recognition was deserved for two individuals who have gone above and beyond for the natural resources of our state, specifically our prairie grasslands,” wrote chapter leaders. “These individuals had the vision to promote and create healthy, thriving grasslands that provide biodiversity and prosperity for wildlife, pollinators, ranching operations and communities.”
The benefit this initiative will bring to the state is immense, chapter leaders added, with an estimated outcome of converting 20,000 acres of marginal cropland to diverse native perennial vegetation; enhancing 50,000 acres of existing and reconstructed native grasslands and restoring and enhancing 10,000 acres of wetlands within reconstructed grassland complexes.
Bailey Earns Fisheries Society Award
Paul Bailey, the Department’s south central district fisheries supervisor in Bismarck, earned the award for Best Professional Paper Presentation at the annual meeting of the Dakota Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in Sioux Falls, S.D. Bailey’s presentation titled “Angler Use of Trophy Northern Pike in Lake Oahe, N.D.” provided information and results from the recently completed tagging study on this trophy pike fishery.
The Dakota Chapter of the American Fisheries Society is a professional organization comprised of fisheries professionals in North and South Dakota. The award is given to the professional who delivers the best oral presentation at the annual meeting. Presentations are judged on subject matter, scientific merit, speaker style and delivery, and the quality of visual aids.
Hendrickson Retires
Longtime employee Jeff Hendrickson retired in February after 31 years with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
Hired by the agency in 1991 as the Missouri River System fisheries biologist, Hendrickson was the Department’s southwest fisheries district supervisor in Dickinson at the time of his retirement.
Longtime Warden Retires
Jeff Violett retired after 34 years with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. At the time of his retirement, Violett was the longtime district game warden stationed in Mandan. Hired by the agency in 1987, Violett acted as a weapons instructor and field training officer during his enforcement career.