My 2 Cents

Hunter expectations heading into any fall season are always a big factor of what success looks like.

I believe this summer’s fishing is an example of that scenario.

Does our memory quickly take us back to the 2023 fishing season where the walleye in our state were on a summer-long feeding frenzy with an appetite on par with a 16-year-old boy? If so, this year certainly was not comparable and left many labeling the fishing season as slow or even disappointing. But if 2023 didn’t exist in the form that it did, how would we have felt about our fishing across the state?

This fall outlook provides a glimpse into what should once again feature some great fall opportunities.

From many conversations over the last month, the talk seemed to gravitate toward the state’s upland bird numbers and how this fall has the potential to be one of the better years we’ve seen in a while.

I don’t think it would be fair to label this fall in that category just yet, but I do believe bird hunters will experience the variety pack of upland opportunities they haven’t experienced in a while.

The last few years, both in our data collection process and hunter harvest surveys, the gray partridge, more commonly known as Hungarian partridge, population has returned to numbers that we haven’t seen for many years.

A pleasant change for many who haven’t experienced the random covey exploding nearly at their feet and within a few seconds their shotgun is empty, and all of the birds are still flying.

Anyway, the opportunity for a bag of sharp-tailed grouse, Huns and pheasant continues to be pretty good.

Speaking of change, there are several notable changes in place for this fall that you will likely notice.

All of them came from public input and we always appreciate the discussions and feedback we receive on a wide variety of issues and topics.

• A welcome change to the federal electronic duck stamp program. Hunters can purchase the e-stamp and that will be good for the entirety of the season and then in March the physical stamp will be mailed to you. Previously, the e-stamp was only good for 45 days after the purchase and then then actual stamp had to be carried with you when hunting.
• Another change archers will notice is the use of an electronically lighted sights that do not project light are now legal. This has been a topic of discussion for many years relating to how much technology should be allowed. This also now coincides with a recent vote by the Pope and Young Club which will allow a deer to be entered into the books if electronic sights were used in the hunt.
• The Department also made a change last year to our chronic wasting disease protocol which focused on testing a percentage of deer to help determine how widespread the disease is in a particular area. Having met the percentage goal in unit 2B, Game and Fish removed the baiting restriction in that unit.
• An area in Grand Forks county that was previously closed to sharp-tailed grouse hunting will now be open. This closure was to prevent incidental take of greater prairie chickens after they were reintroduced to the area in the early 1990s. However, sharp-tailed grouse have taken over the area and prairie chickens have all but disappeared, so allowing the increased hunting opportunity for sharptails only makes sense.

Best wishes on a safe and successful fall season.