Buffaloberry Patch

CWD Testing, Disposal Requirements

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will continue its Hunter-Harvested Surveillance program during the 2023 hunting season by sampling deer for chronic wasting disease from select units in the southeastern portion of the state.

Samples will be tested from deer taken from units 2A, 2B, 2F2, 2G, 2G1, 2G2, 2H, 2I and 2J2. Outside of this area, hunters can still have their animal tested by taking to a Game and Fish district office, deer head collection site or by using a self-sampling kit.

CWD is a slow-moving brain disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause population-level impacts under high infection rates.

Hunters are encouraged to drop off heads of adult or yearling deer at collection locations listed on the Department’s website at gf.nd.gov. Fawns and head-shot deer cannot be tested. Hunters wishing to keep the heads can bring them to a Game and Fish district office during business hours to have them sampled.

Self-sampling kits are available for hunters who wish to have their deer tested but are unable to drop the head at a collection site. The do-it-yourself kit allows hunters to remove the lymph nodes and ship them to the Department’s wildlife health lab for testing. The kits can be found on the Department’s website and at district offices.

Results can be expected within four weeks and will be sent to your Game and Fish My Account inbox.

Hunters are also reminded that carcass disposal requirements now apply statewide. The entire carcass can be transported outside of the gun unit where it was harvested. If transported out of the gun unit, the carcass waste (material left after processing) must be disposed of via landfill or waste management provider. This requirement does not apply to heads dropped at CWD collection sites, or lymph nodes submitted for CWD surveillance.

CWD Information and Regulations

Ice Fishing Reminders

Anglers are encouraged to refer to the 2022-24 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.

Hunters Urged to Participate

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

Parent said it is important hunters complete and promptly return the survey, even if they did not hunt. The harvest survey allows Game and Fish 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.

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.

In addition, for Stump Lake and the Devils Lake complex south of U.S. Highway 2 and the Missouri River System (including lakes Sakakawea, Oahe and the Missouri River) up to the first tributary bridge, walleyes are also legal.

Darkhouse spearing is allowed for all residents with a valid fishing license and for youth under age 16.

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 online, 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 2022-24 North Dakota Fishing Guide for more information.

Report Violations with 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 RAP 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 leading to the conviction of fish and wildlife law violators. Reports can also go directly to game wardens or other law enforcement agencies. Callers can remain anonymous.

Register for Game Warden Exam

Individuals interested in taking the exam to select candidates for a full-time temporary district game warden position must register by Dec. 27. Testing locations are scheduled for 10 a.m. Central time at the following locations the first week in January 2024.

• Jan. 3 – Game and Fish office, Williston.
• Jan. 4 – Game and Fish office, Bismarck.
• Jan. 5 – West Fargo Police Department, West Fargo.

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 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 $4,500 per month. For more information, see the district game warden job announcement.

Advisory Board Meeting Dates

Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to attend a North Dakota Game and Fish Department fall advisory board meeting in their area.

The first four meetings were held earlier this fall. The remaining four are scheduled in late November, including district 7 in Bismarck which will be streamed live on the Game and Fish website. For the statewide livestream, questions can be submitted via chat during the meeting.

The public meetings, held each spring and fall, provide citizens with an opportunity to discuss fish and wildlife issues and ask questions of their district advisors and agency personnel.

The governor appoints eight Game and Fish Department advisors, each representing a multi-county section of the state, to serve as a liaison between the Department and public.

Advisory Borad Meeting Schedule

2024 Calendar Orders

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is taking orders for its North Dakota OUTDOORS calendar, the source for all hunting season and application dates for 2024. Along with color photographs of North Dakota’s wildlife and outstanding scenery, it also includes sunrise-sunset times and moon phases.

Calendars must be ordered online.

Staff Notes

Mason Hammer (left), Kyle Oxley (right)

ANS Biologists Hired

Mason Hammer and Kyle Oxley have been named aquatic nuisance species biologists for the Game and Fish Department in Jamestown.

Hammer attended the University of North Dakota where he earned a degree in fisheries and wildlife biology. Oxley attended Bemidji State University where he earned a degree in aquatic biology with a fisheries emphasis. Both had experience working with the Department before landing their new positions.

Aaron Larsen

Larsen Joins Conservation Staff

Aaron Larsen was named conservation biologist for the Game and Fish Department in Bismarck.

Larsen worked with North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality for 17 years before coming to the Game and Fish Department. His focus will be on aquatic habitat assessment and assisting with aquatic invertebrates for the State Wildlife Action Plan.

Gail Mosset (left), Elizabeth Klein (right)

Mosset Retires, Klein Joins Agency

Gail Mosset retired after 34 years with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. At the time of her retirement, Mosset was a licensing assistant in the Department’s Bismarck office. Elizabeth Klein was hired to fill the licensing vacancy.

Bryan Sea

Sea New District Fisheries Supervisor

Bryan Sea was promoted to Department district fisheries supervisor in Devils Lake. Sea was working in the agency’s Riverdale office as a fisheries biologist on the Missouri River System prior to the promotion.