NDGF Site Search
(General Information Webpage)
… on the Northern Great Plains ) - Section 2 White-tailed deer are an adaptable species and do well across much of North America; however, deer management can be complex and can vary from place to … requirements of newborn fawns differ from those of adult deer, resulting in management for a variety of habitat types …
(General Information Webpage)
… Deer in North Dakota are primarily born in late May and … by tooth wear is less reliable. Tooth Identification Basics Whitetail and mule deer basically have two groups of teeth. … and a Half Years 5.5 Years and Older: In most hunted deer populations, less than two percent of the animals are more …
(General Information Webpage)
… provisions of previous laws, such as those hunting deer during the open season were required to obtain big game … protein. Waterfowl hit an all-time low, other wildlife populations faltered, and gains made in wildlife restoration … in North Dakota, which is the primary reason pheasants and whitetails have done so well over the past two decades," he …
(General Information Webpage)
… is based on tooth development and wear. Unlike white-tailed deer and elk, moose obtain their permanent adult teeth …
(News Release)
Release Date:
… A total of 42,416 North Dakota deer hunters took approximately 23,300 deer during the 2024 … antlered white-tailed deer was 49% and 44% for antlerless whitetails. Mule deer buck success was 80% and 78% for … as these licenses are predominantly in units with mostly whitetails. Buck hunters had a success rate of 61%, while …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Mother Nature, changes in the landscape, rising and falling deer populations, deer hunter expectations and differing landowner tolerance …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… paper license books, all hunters who applied for a deer gun license in 2018 did so electronically. That was … 67/137 41/68 40/41 6/7 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 821 3B1 Antlered Whitetail 10/315 24/242 22/168 25/137 73/86 11/12 3/4 0/0 … 6/8 0/0 1/1 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 27 3B1 Antlerless Whitetail 41/42 12/13 1/1 0/1 1/1 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 58 …
(General Information Webpage)
… is the single most important component of managing wildlife populations. On the Northern Great Plains, grasslands are … Dakota, Minnesota and Montana. We focused on white-tailed deer, mallards, pheasants and wild turkeys. There are some … while others are species specific (tree plantings benefit deer and turkeys but not ducks). Additionally, the relative …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Deer Season Set, Online Apps Available Refunds Can Help … antlered white-tailed deer was 70 percent, and antlerless whitetail was 64 percent. Mule deer buck success was 86 … as these licenses are predominantly in units with mostly whitetails. Buck hunters had a success rate of 75 percent, …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… and A Ron Wilson When you consider the state’s first modern deer season was in 1931, the first year a specific license … disease that we had on the landscape that set some of the whitetails back. NDO: Why a reduction of nearly 11,000 deer … with licenses this year just to try to help those populations rebound. But we still want the opportunity for …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… argue that there is nothing significant about this year’s deer gun season. Considering that we’ve long marked 1931 as … to help influence and increase deer and other wildlife populations, it’s very unlikely we’ll see deer numbers like … a number of difficult winters, beginning in 2008. A nice whitetail buck caught wandering along the Missouri River …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… 2016 Deer Season Summarized Bighorn Sheep Population Stable … antlered white-tailed deer was 72 percent, and antlerless whitetail was 60 percent. Mule deer buck success was 89 … necessarily a trend, but poor lamb survival is typical in populations exposed to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, the …
(General Information Webpage)
… is not only important for grassland nesting birds, but also whitetail deer, the state’s most harvested big game animal. Bill … in June, said at that time of year, the home range of a whitetail doe is about 1.5 square miles, but the first month …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… The state’s first modern deer season was 1931. That was the first year a specific deer license was required to hunt. If we start there, that … way, or so it felt. Or the time my niece and I got our whitetail does on the same day at the farm, hers a jumbo and …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… Hungarian Partridge Tree Squirrels Big Game White-tailed Deer Mule Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Moose Elk Migratory Birds Intro … in short supply and will slow down the recovery of wildlife populations compared to what we may remember from the past. …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… Hungarian Partridge Tree Squirrels Big Game White-tailed Deer Mule Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Moose Elk Migratory … the hard times and flourish in the good times. Wildlife populations made it through the drought but did struggle in … spreads epizootic hemorrhagic disease and the outbreak in whitetails along the Missouri River corridor was swift and …
(General Information Webpage)
… on quality habitats that can sustain fish and wildlife populations. Habitat loss across North Dakota is impacting … habitat to avoid predators. The primary range for mule deer in North Dakota is in the badlands. The only breeding … Woody browses are a food staple for wintering white-tailed deer. Typical turkey habitat in North Dakota consists of …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… long held that was the year of the state’s first official deer season because a specific deer license was required. … sold. Changes were necessary because biologists felt whitetail bucks were being overharvested in parts of the … hunters navigate the Missouri River bottoms with a young whitetail buck. Notes From 1950 Season Although the greatest …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… Hungarian Partridge Tree Squirrels Big Game White-tailed Deer Mule Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Moose Elk Migratory Birds Intro … habitat is in short supply across much of North Dakota. Populations that were impacted obviously were short on …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… a good thing from a wildlife perspective. As expected, our deer populations, both white-tailed and mule deer, took a significant hit this past year. While much of …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… use the first time a specific license was required to hunt deer in North Dakota as when the seed was planted, that … to manage both species in the state, offers this: “The whitetail got its name because it has a big white tail. The … a conversation starter at the local café. Whitetail populations back in the day, Jensen said, were such because …
(General Information Webpage (Format II))
… Sharp-tailed grouse nest in grasslands and shrublands. Mule Deer use native prairie associated with rough terrain. … shown to be a driving factor for increased white-tailed deer populations. Pheasant harvest numbers show parallels with …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Hungarian Partridge Tree Squirrels Big Game White-tailed Deer Mule Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Moose Elk Migratory Birds Intro … Hours: Half-hour before sunrise to sunset. Ruffed grouse populations occur in isolated pockets, namely in the Turtle …
(FAQ)
… wasting disease drives population decline of white-tailed deer. PLoS ONE. 11(8): e0161127. Monello RJ et al. 2014. … MT et al. 2017. Endemic chronic wasting disease causes mule deer population decline in Wyoming. PLoS ONE. … and CWD won’t really have a major impact on our deer populations. Is this true? …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Hungarian Partridge Tree Squirrels Big Game White-tailed Deer Mule Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Moose Elk Migratory Birds Intro … and sage grouse seasons will remain closed due to low populations. In accordance with state law, nonresidents are …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Hungarian Partridge Tree Squirrels Big Game White-tailed Deer Mule Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Moose Elk Migratory Birds Intro … and sage grouse seasons will remain closed due to low populations. In accordance with state law, nonresidents are …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… hunters would have considered 2024 a good year overall. Deer numbers, particularly white-tailed deer, were certainly not where we’d liked to have seen them … bite for whatever reasons as eagerly last year, walleye populations remained robust from the larger go-to waters to …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… services and includes customer base, fish and wildlife populations, access, habitat and so on. Key performance … populations in 2018 covered both ends of the spectrum. Deer populations, particularly mule deer, continued to do … following some difficult winters and declining numbers. Whitetail numbers, while on an upward trend, are still a bit …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… Deer License Numbers Fall - EHD to Blame Ron Wilson The … The Game and Fish Department in 2021 allowed hunters with whitetail or “any” deer gun licenses in 22 hunting units the … of the past, at least at this writing. Bahnson expects whitetail numbers to rebound, and rebound pretty quickly, in …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… have no control over the one thing that can swing those populations either up or down in a big way. We experienced a … that can have a devasting effect on some of our localized deer herds. EHD is a fatal disease that mostly affects white-tailed deer and it impacted our whitetail herd in 2021 to a magnitude that we’d never seen. …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Hungarian Partridge Tree Squirrels Big Game White-tailed Deer Mule Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Moose Elk Migratory Birds Intro … sunset. Although not common in North Dakota, ruffed grouse populations occur in the Turtle Mountains and Pembina Hills. …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… 2021, more than 72,000 licenses were made available for the deer gun season, an increase of 3,150 from 2020. I’m … The long-term impacts of the drought on fish and wildlife populations will depend largely on the weather pattern this … disease , the Game and Fish Department allowed hunters with whitetail or “any” deer gun licenses in 22 hunting units the …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Hungarian Partridge Tree Squirrels Big Game White-tailed Deer Mule Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep Moose Elk Migratory Birds Intro … Hours: Half-hour before sunrise to sunset. Sharptail populations respond either negatively or positively to …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… 2019 Deer Season Summarized Boat North Dakota Course Report Black … for antlered white-tailed deer was 64%, and antlerless whitetail was 58%. Mule deer buck success was 78%, and … use Wildlife Restoration Program funds to manage wildlife populations and habitat; conduct research, surveys and …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation and … It appears we are working our way out of a 30-year low in deer license numbers, a total of seven pronghorn units are … the state was very dry through late July, reducing insect populations necessary for chick survival. There will likely …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… CWD Test Results New Licenses Needed Deer Application Online Record Count of Bighorn Sheep … tripled. There are currently about 470 bighorn sheep in the populations managed by the North Dakota Game and Fish … antlered white-tailed deer was 43% and 40% for antlerless whitetails. Mule deer buck success was 64%, and 70% for …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… 2023 Deer Season Summary Reminders for Lake Oahe Recreationists … antlered white-tailed deer was 54%, and 51% for antlerless whitetails. Mule deer buck success was 80%, and 78% for … recruitment. Currently, about 490 bighorns make up the populations managed by the North Dakota Game and Fish …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Department was under some pressure to reduce the number of deer on the landscape. Jump ahead to, say, the last five … the year, and if those needs aren’t met, wildlife populations reflect the shortcomings. “In certain parts of … , the state Game and Fish Department allowed hunters with whitetail licenses in 12 units the option of turning those …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Spring Mule Deer Survey The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s … of the same 24 study areas since the 1950s. Two-Headed Whitetail Earlier this spring, a female white-tailed deer … the two-headed male fetus that was expelled from the adult whitetail. Bill Jensen, North Dakota Game and Fish …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… 2018 Deer Season Summarized Linton Youth Wins Best of Show Spring … as these licenses are predominantly in units with mostly whitetails. Buck hunters had a success rate of 69 percent, … In total, 22,666 bow hunters harvested 8,914 deer (7,927 whitetails, 987 mule deer), for a success rate of 39 …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… by annually collecting samples from hunter-harvested deer, elk and moose. A brainstem from a hunter-harvested … Dakota. Following the positive results of the Williston whitetail, the Game and Fish Department collected additional … and management of the state’s whitetail and mule deer populations. With the deer gun and muzzleloader application …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… takes its time and the outcome is always the same. Once a deer, elk or moose is infected with the disease, it can take … that for the most of that period of time that infected deer will look perfectly healthy, feed with other deer and … and provinces with documented occurrences of CWD in wild populations, or in captive cervids. In addition, hunters …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… New Licenses Needed 2017 Deer Season Summary 2017 Bighorn Sheep, Moose, Elk Harvests … antlered white-tailed deer was 66 percent, and antlerless whitetail was 61 percent. Mule deer buck success was 83 … as these licenses are predominantly in units with mostly whitetails. Buck hunters had a success rate of 63 percent, …
(General Information Webpage)
… the North Dakota landscape will be detrimental to wildlife populations. Tame grasslands are widespread throughout the … red-tailed hawk, gray partridge, ring-necked pheasant, killdeer, mourning dove, Western kingbird, Eastern kingbird, … gopher, olive-backed pocket mouse, Western harvest mouse, deer mouse, Northern grasshopper mouse, prairie vole, meadow …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… on the Landscape Ron Wilson An always fatal disease to deer and other cervids that has found some footing in North … and has the potential to significantly impact our big game populations if left unchecked, is sobering. While the North … long, among other management practices, tested thousands of deer and other big game for CWD in the last 20 years, the …
(Magazine Feature Article)
… Ron Wilson State wildlife managers made available 53,400 deer gun licenses for 2023, nearly 11,000 fewer than 2022, … idea it was a rarity at one time in North Dakota to see a whitetail deer outside of your traditional riparian areas. Not that long ago if you saw a whitetail running around, it was something you told your …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… forbidding in places, but easy to look at. Elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, sharp-tailed … the landscape is under more adjustment with expanding urban populations, changing agricultural focus and the influences …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… the upland hunting season in 2019. From a statewide basis, deer numbers are on the rise. The Department made available … pheasant district and most popular hunting area, local populations were said to be slowly improving. The survey … were any-antlered (up 3,150), any-antlerless (up 4,100), whitetail bucks (up 700), and mule deer bucks (up 450). …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… northwestern part of the state. The largest members of the deer family were rare to nonexistent in North Dakota in the … and Kenmare areas all have seen increases in moose populations since then, and the area with the highest moose … accidentally eaten by ungulates like deer as they graze. In whitetails, Maskey said the worms migrate through the deer’s …
(Magazine Column or Op-ed)
… Consider the whitetail. This animal, with its distinctive white flag for … done, elimination of the state’s diminishing white-tailed deer population was a real possibility. Years of both legal … laws and the continued expansion of people, was pushing whitetails to the edge. From the Board of Control’s first …