The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s construction project in Bismarck that will block vehicular traffic to the entrance will start earlier than expected. Therefore, the agency’s main office in Bismarck will close to walk-in traffic Oct. 6. It’s anticipated the building will open Oct. 16.
Licensing staff will be able to provide assistance for hunters and anglers by calling 701-328-…
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 by visiting the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
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Hunting small game, waterfowl, furbearers or big game by nonresidents is prohibited by state law on Private Land Open To Sportsmen acreage and state wildlife management areas from Oct. 7-13, the first seven days of the pheasant season. However, nonresidents can hunt on PLOTS land they own during that week.
In addition, leaving equipment on PLOTS overnight, such as tree stands, blinds,…
The state Game and Fish Department’s annual fall aerial mule deer survey is set to begin early to mid-October in western North Dakota. Weather permitting, the survey takes about two weeks to complete.
During the survey period, people could notice low-flying small airplanes over some parts of the badlands.
Game and Fish biologists have completed aerial surveys of the same 24…
Are you planning a fall cleanup event at your school or in your community? Your cleanup group is eligible for the 2023 Earth Day patch. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has for years encouraged students to design Earth Day patches to bring greater awareness to the environment in the state and elsewhere.
Yet, like Earth Day, which began in 1970 and kicked-started the…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual fall wetland survey indicates variable wetland conditions for duck hunting throughout the state.
Mike Szymanski, Department migratory game bird management supervisor, said the statewide estimate of the number of duck hunting wetlands holding water is nearly identical to last year’s estimate, but still 29% below the 2003-2022 long-term…
North Dakota’s two-day youth pheasant season Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 is a great opportunity to introduce a new hunter to the outdoors with limited competition.
That’s when legally licensed residents and nonresidents 15 and younger can hunt rooster pheasants statewide. An adult at least 18 must accompany the youth hunter in the field. The adult may not carry a firearm.
A general game…
Motorists should watch for deer along roadways this time of year as juvenile animals disperse from their home ranges.
October through early December is the peak period for deer-vehicle accidents. Motorists are advised to slow down and exercise caution after dark to reduce the likelihood of encounters with deer. Most deer-vehicle accidents occur primarily at dawn and dusk when deer are…
The Center for Digital Government announced the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and North Dakota Information Technology as winners of the 2023 Government Experience Awards. The award recognizes the achievements of states, cities and counties across the nation that have raised the bar on the experience of government services to create a better engaged constituency and a more responsive…
The storied past of waterfowl in North Dakota is uniquely revealed in the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s publication, “The Duck Factory – A History of Waterfowl in North Dakota.”
Certainly of interest to waterfowlers and other outdoor enthusiasts, the 213-page, full color, soft-cover publication is authored by Mike Jacobs and Erik Fritzell. The book traces the history of…
Whooping cranes are in the midst of their fall migration and sightings will increase as they make their way through North Dakota over the next several weeks. Anyone seeing these endangered birds as they move through the state should report sightings so the birds can be tracked.
The whooping cranes that do travel through North Dakota are part of a population of about 500 birds on their…
North Dakota’s waterfowl season opens for residents Sept. 23, while nonresidents may begin hunting waterfowl Sept. 30.
The season for swans opens Sept. 30 for both residents and nonresidents who have purchased a swan license.
Hunters may take six ducks, including mergansers, per day with the following restrictions: five mallards of which two may be hens, three wood ducks, two…
Waterfowl hunters should do their part in preventing the spread of aquatic nuisance species into or within North Dakota.
Hunters must remove aquatic plants and plant fragments from decoys, strings and anchors; remove aquatic plant seeds and plant fragments from waders and other equipment before leaving hunting areas; remove all water from decoys, boats, motors, trailers and other…
Waterfowlers hunting from boats are encouraged to wear properly fitted life jackets while on the water.
Hunting coats with life jackets built in are light and comfortable to wear. In addition, wearing a life jacket will not only keep the overboard hunter afloat, but also slow the loss of critical body heat caused by exposure to cold water.
Capsizing and falling overboard from small…
The deadline for submitting entries in the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest is Oct. 2.
The contest has categories for nongame and game species, as well as plants/insects. An overall winning photograph will be chosen, with the number of place winners in each category determined by the number of qualified entries.
Photographers should go…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department allocated six bighorn sheep licenses for the 2023 hunting season, one more than last year.
One license was issued in unit B1, one in B3, two in B4 and one in B5. In addition, one license, as authorized under North Dakota Century Code, was auctioned in May by the Midwest Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation, from which all proceeds are used to…
North Dakota’s roadside surveys conducted in late July and August indicate pheasant, gray partridge and sharp-tailed grouse numbers were up.
State Game and Fish Department upland game biologist RJ Gross said survey conditions were exceptional this year, which might have led to increased observations, but survey conditions shouldn’t have large effects on brood sizes or age ratios, which…
Friday, Sept. 15 at noon Central time signals the start of a nine-and-a-half-day deer hunting season for licensed youth hunters.
Residents who are 11, 12 or 13 in 2023 can hunt statewide for antlerless white-tailed deer.
Resident deer gun hunters who are 14 or 15 in 2023 can hunt statewide with a youth season license for any deer, except for antlered mule deer in units 3B1, 3B2, 4A…
Introduce a youngster to duck hunting during North Dakota’s two-day youth waterfowl weekend Sept. 16-17. In addition, the special veteran and active military personnel waterfowl season is set for the same weekend.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has a Virtual Duck Hunting Mentor webpage with all the basics, including license requirements, regulations, gear recommendations and…
North Dakota’s sandhill crane season opens Sept. 16 and runs through Nov. 12.
Limits are three daily and nine in possession in unit 1 (west of U.S. Highway 281), and two daily and six in possession in unit 2 (east of U.S. Highway 281). Shooting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to 2 p.m. each day.
Hunters are urged to use caution and identify birds to prevent shooting at…
