Buffaloberry Patch

Habitat and Hunting Access Summit Recording Available

Landowners, hunters, lawmakers, wildlife managers and others gathered in mid-December in Bismarck to discuss the importance of wildlife habitat on the landscape and providing access to hunters across the state.

Approximately 200 people attended the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Habitat and Hunting Access Summit where the evening opened with remarks from Gov. Kelly Armstrong on the importance of hunting to the state’s economy, workforce, but most importantly to North Dakota’s way of life.

“Every single time someone puts their gun away and says they’re done hunting because they can’t find anywhere to shoot a rooster, or just to have an opportunity to shoot a couple ducks, that means the likelihood of their kid hunting is almost zero,” Armstrong said. “And that’s really something that we should work on as landowners, as a government, as sportsmen … we should do everything we can to make sure that happens as few times as possible.”

And there are ways in which we can do this, Armstrong added, and there are ways in which we can have these conversations.

“But none of it’s going to happen overnight. But we have to remember that if we don’t pass this on to the next generation, it will die out,” he said. “It’s too big a part of the fabric of North Dakota to let that happen.”

Department staff gave presentations on the status of habitat and wildlife populations in the state, followed by moderated panel discussions addressing questions that were submitted by attendees.

The summit was hopefully only the beginning of what will be further conversations, initiatives and collaboration to address this very important topic to our state.

The summit was recorded and can be viewed online.

Coyote Catalog Opened

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department and North Dakota Department of Agriculture are again opening the Coyote Catalog, a statewide effort designed to connect hunters and trappers with landowners dealing with coyotes in their areas.

Landowners can sign up on the Department of Agriculture website. Hunters and trappers can sign up at the Game and Fish website.

Anyone who registered for the Coyote Catalog in the past must register again to activate their name on the database.

Throughout winter, hunters or trappers may receive information on participating landowners, and should contact landowners to make arrangements.

Landowners experiencing coyote depredation of livestock should first contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services.

The Coyote Catalog will remain active through March 31.

For more information, contact Ryan Herigstad at Game and Fish, 701-595-4463; or Michelle Mielke, at the Department of Agriculture, 701-328-2233.

Staff Notes

Myhre Named Game and Fish Employee of the Year

James Myhre, district game warden for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in New Rockford, received the agency’s Director’s Award for professional excellence at the Department’s annual staff meeting in December.

Jeb Williams, Game and Fish director, said Myhre has provided exceptional service to North Dakota for 22 years.

“He knows that helping hunters, anglers, trappers and boaters is only part of the job,” Williams said. “James is a farmer and rancher and knows the importance of working with and assisting in his district any way he can. He is one of the highest performers in the enforcement division year after year. He always goes above and beyond in providing exceptional service and represents the Department in a way that we all should aspire to.”

Game and Fish Recognizes Employees

North Dakota Game and Fish Department director Jeb Williams recently honored employees with performance-based awards. The following special recognition awards were presented during the Department’s staff meeting in December.