First-Come, First-Served Deer Gun Licenses Available Sept. 28
A total of 50 antlerless whitetail deer gun licenses are still available in two units after the North Dakota Game and Fish Department recently completed its second lottery drawing. Individual results are available online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
Whitetail doe licenses remaining in units 3F1 (14 licenses) and 3F2 (36 licenses) will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8 a.m. Central Time on Sept. 28. These licenses are only available online, and to individuals who have not already received a lottery or landowner license
These licenses are valid only during the regular deer gun season, Nov. 4-20. Residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply.
Sandhill Crane Season Opens Sept. 17
North Dakota’s sandhill crane season opens Sept. 17 and continues through Nov. 13.
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 one-half hour before sunrise to 1 p.m. each day through Nov. 5. Beginning Nov. 6, shooting hours are extended until 2 p.m. each day.
Hunters are urged to use caution and identify birds to prevent shooting at whooping cranes as they begin their fall migration.
In addition to other licenses required, resident hunters need a $10 crane permit, while nonresidents need a $30 permit. Hunters can apply online, or print out a resident or nonresident application for mailing, at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Harvest Information Program certification is required. To get HIP certified, access the department’s website, or call 888-634-4798.
Game and Fish Summarizes Upland Game Brood Survey
Pheasants
North Dakota’s roadside pheasant survey conducted in late July and August indicates total birds and number of broods are down statewide from 2015.
Aaron Robinson, upland game management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the survey shows total pheasants are down 10 percent from last year. In addition, brood observations were down 7 percent, while the average brood size was down 8 percent. The final summary is based on 276 survey runs made along 105 brood routes across North Dakota.
“Compared to last year, our late summer roadside counts indicate pheasant hunters are going to have to work harder to find more pheasants in most parts of the state, with fewer young roosters showing up in the fall population,” Robinson said. “As always, there will be local areas within all four pheasant districts where pheasant numbers will be both better and below what is predicted for the district.”
Statistics from southwestern North Dakota indicate total pheasants were down 21 percent and broods observed down 19 percent from 2015. Observers counted 21 broods and 168 birds per 100 survey miles. The average brood size was 5.5.
Results from the southeast show birds are down 4 percent from last year, and the number of broods up 1 percent. Observers counted eight broods and 62 birds per 100 miles. The average brood size was 5.0.
Statistics from the northwest indicated pheasants are up 129 percent from last year, with broods up 161 percent. Observers recorded 12 broods and 93 birds per 100 miles. Average brood size was 6.1.
The northeast district, generally containing secondary pheasant habitat, with much of it lacking good winter cover, showed two broods and 14 birds per 100 miles. Average brood size was 3.9. Number of birds observed remained the same, and the number of broods recorded was up 5 percent.
The 2016 regular pheasant season opens Oct. 8 and continues through Jan. 8, 2017. The two-day youth pheasant hunting weekend, when legally licensed residents and nonresidents ages 15 and younger can hunt statewide, is set for Oct. 1-2.
Sharptails, Huns
North Dakota hunters will find fewer sharp-tailed grouse in the field this fall, while Hungarian partridge numbers are similar to last year.
Robinson said late July and August roadside counts show sharptails are down 23 percent from 2015, while partridge are up 2 percent.
“Sharp-tailed grouse hunting will be slower than last season in most of the state, and all indications are that hunters will see significantly lower numbers in the west,” Robinson said. “In general, grouse hunting will be fair to good. Partridge will be similar to last year, with harvest still considered a bonus while pursuing other game birds.”
Statistics show observers recorded 2.4 sharptail broods and 18.6 birds per 100 miles. Average brood size was 4.7.
For partridge, observers recorded 0.8 broods and 11.1 birds per 100 miles. Average brood size was 9.6.
The 2016 grouse and partridge seasons open Sept. 10 and continue through Jan. 8, 2017.
2015 Pheasant Season Summarized
The number of pheasants taken last year in North Dakota was similar to 2014, according to statistics compiled by the State Game and Fish Department.
Last year, more than 85,000 hunters (up 9 percent) harvested nearly 590,000 roosters (up 0.4 percent). In 2014, 78,000 hunters took 587,000 roosters.
Counties with the highest percentage of pheasants taken by resident hunters in 2015 were Morton, 7.4 percent; Hettinger, 6.4; Grant, 5.8; Stark, 5.8; and McLean, 5.7.
Top counties for nonresident hunters were Hettinger, 20.3 percent; Bowman, 11.7; Divide, 6.8; Adams, 5.8; and Emmons, 5.1.
Annual pheasant season statistics are determined by a mail survey of resident and nonresident hunters.
Landowners Seek Doe Hunters
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is currently working with landowners in 10 hunting units across the state who would like to host hunters with antlerless deer licenses in 2016.
Participating landowners are located in hunting units 2I, 2J2, 2K1, 2K2, 3A4, 3B3, 3D2, 3F1, 3F2 and 4E.
The program is not intended for buck hunters, but designed to direct hunters with antlerless licenses to specific areas to reduce deer populations.
Interested hunters can get their name on a list of possible participants by accessing the Game and Fish Department’s website at gf.nd.gov. Hunters who do not have internet access can call the department’s main office in Bismarck at 701-328-6300.
Hunters will provide their address, hunting unit(s) where they hold valid antlerless licenses, and if using rifle, muzzleloader or bow. From this list the department will select the number of hunters landowners have agreed to host. These hunters will be sent the landowner’s name, phone number and any information relating to the landowner’s specific situation.
Hunters must have a valid 2016 deer gun license – the Game and Fish Department does not provide a hunting license with this program.
Not everyone who signs up will end up with a new place to hunt, because not everyone’s schedule will match up with a landowner’s, and more people will likely put their name on the list than there are openings. Participating landowners currently have openings for about 110 doe hunters.
North Dakota’s 2016 regular deer gun season runs from Nov. 4-20. In addition, the archery season extends through Jan. 8, 2017; the youth season is Sept. 16-25; and muzzleloader runs from Nov. 25 – Dec. 11.
Deer Season for Young Hunters Opens Sept. 16
Friday, Sept. 16 at noon signals the start of a nine-and-a-half-day deer hunting season for youth ages 12-15.
Licensed residents ages 12 and 13, and 11-year-olds who turn age 12 in 2016, are allowed to hunt statewide, but only for antlerless white-tailed deer. Resident deer gun hunters age 14 or 15, and 13-year-olds who turn age 14 in 2016, with a “youth season” license, can hunt statewide for any deer, except antlerless mule deer in units 4A, 4B and 4C. In addition, a special license is required to hunt antlered mule deer in units 3B1, 3B2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F.
After opening day, hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Solid daylight fluorescent orange vests or coats, and hats are required for all young hunters and their adult mentors.
Each youth deer hunter must be under direct supervision of an adult while in the field.
In addition to the deer license, hunters must possess a general game and habitat license and hunting certificate.
The youth deer season closes Sunday, Sept. 25.
Grouse and Partridge Seasons Open Sept. 10
North Dakota’s grouse and partridge hunting seasons open Sept. 10, and hunters can expect somewhat lower bird numbers compared to 2015.
Aaron Robinson, upland game management supervisor for the State Game and Fish Department, said last year’s harvest results suggest a good population heading into the 2015 fall hunting season.
“Hunters were able to find birds last year, and we are hopeful that with a little hard work this trend will continue for the 2016 fall hunting season,” Robinson said.
Harvest results for the 2015 season show more than 23,000 sharp-tailed grouse hunters (up 10 percent from 2014) harvested 83,000 birds (up 15 percent), while more than 18,000 Hungarian partridge hunters (up 13 percent) bagged 59,000 Huns (up 60 percent).
Ruffed grouse are primarily found in the native aspen woodlands of Rolette, Bottineau, Pembina, Walsh, Cavalier and portions of McHenry counties. While the ruffed grouse population remains low, Robinson said the birds are in an upward cycle and with good production an improved population is expected.
Shooting hours for the upcoming season are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Sharptails, ruffed grouse and Huns each have a daily limit of three and a possession limit of 12.
Hunters, regardless of age, must have a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate and general game and habitat license. In addition, hunters age 16 and older need a small game license.
For further season information and regulations, hunters should consult the North Dakota 2016-17 Small Game Hunting Guide.
Youth Waterfowl Weekend is Sept. 17-18
North Dakota’s two-day youth waterfowl season is Sept. 17-18. Legally licensed resident and nonresident youth waterfowl hunters age 15 and younger may hunt ducks, geese, coots and mergansers statewide.
The daily bag limit and species restrictions for the youth season are the same as for regular duck and goose seasons. Exception: the additional two blue-winged teal allowed during the first 16 days of the regular season are not allowed during the youth season.
Resident and qualifying nonresident youth waterfowl hunters must possess a general game and habitat license and a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate. Nonresidents from states that do not provide a reciprocal licensing agreement for North Dakota residents must purchase the entire nonresident waterfowl license package.
In addition, all youth hunters must be Harvest Information Program certified, and youth ages 12 and older need to have passed a certified hunter education course. Hunters age 15 and younger do not need a federal duck stamp.
Hunters who do not HIP certify when they buy a North Dakota license, can add it by visiting the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov, or by calling 888-634-4798 and recording the HIP number on their printed license.
Shooting hours for the youth waterfowl season are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. An adult of at least 18 years of age must accompany the resident youth hunter into the field, and a licensed adult is required to accompany a nonresident youth hunter. The two-day weekend hunt does not count against a nonresident adult hunter’s 14-day regular season waterfowl dates.
Game and Fish Allocates Eight Bighorn Sheep Licenses
The State Game and Fish Department is allocating eight bighorn sheep licenses for the 2016 hunting season, based on data collected from a recently completed summer population survey.
Two licenses are available in Unit B1, two in B3 and three in B4. In addition, one license as authorized under North Dakota Century Code was auctioned in March by the Midwest Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation, from which all proceeds are used to enhance bighorn sheep management in North Dakota.
Game and Fish Department wildlife chief Jeb Williams said the bighorn population hasn’t had any recent setbacks this summer from bacterial pneumonia, which prompted Game and Fish to close the hunting season in 2015.
“There are currently good numbers of mature rams on the landscape, and we are going to take advantage of providing as much hunter opportunity as possible with the situation that we have,” Williams said. “We feel good that we are able to provide this opportunity as impacts from the die-off have lessened substantially since 2014, but it is also very unpredictable.”
Big game biologist Brett Wiedmann said license numbers are determined by assessing the age structure and total number of rams in the population. The July-August survey showed a minimum of 103 rams in the badlands, an increase of 18 percent from 2015.
“Overall, we are very encouraged by the results of the summer survey,” Wiedmann said. “In fact, the ram count was the highest on record.”
Wiedmann said the annual survey results for ewes and lambs would not be completed until next spring. Biologists count and classify all bighorn sheep in late summer, and then recount lambs the following March, as they approach one year of age, to determine recruitment.
Game and Fish announced in February that the status of the bighorn sheep hunting season would be determined after completion of the summer population survey. Now that the survey is complete and total licenses are determined for each unit, the bighorn lottery will run and successful applicants will be contacted to select a hunting unit by Sept. 6.
Prospective hunters were required to apply for a bighorn license earlier this year on the bighorn sheep, moose and elk application. A total of 10,380 people applied for a bighorn sheep license.
PLOTS Guide Available Online
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide for 2016 is now available online at the Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, PLOTS Guides will be available at most vendors throughout the state in early September.
The guide will feature about 730,000 PLOTS acres. Because the guide is printed in mid-August, some PLOTS tracts highlighted in the guide may have been removed from the program since the time of printing. There will also be some PLOTS tracts where the habitat and condition of the tract will have changed significantly. Conversely, Game and Fish may have added new tracts to the program after the guide went to press.
To minimize possible confusion, Game and Fish will update PLOTS map sheets weekly on its website.
The PLOTS Guide features maps highlighting these walk-in areas, identified in the field by inverted triangular yellow signs, as well as other public lands.
The guides are free, and will be available at license vendors in the state; by walk-in at the Game and Fish Department’s Bismarck office; and at district offices in Riverdale, Harvey (Lonetree), Williston, Dickinson, Jamestown and Devils Lake.
The guides are not available to mail, so hunters will have to pick one up at a local vendor, or print individual maps from the website.
Hunters Asked to Submit Wing Envelopes
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is once again asking grouse hunters for help with future bird management by simply collecting some feathers from harvested birds and sending in wing envelopes this fall.
Wing data allows biologists to monitor production, reconcile bird counts and get a better understanding of the harvest ratio of males to females, and juveniles to adults.
Instructions for submitting wing data are printed on the envelope.
Hunters interested in receiving wing envelopes should visit the Game and Fish website (gf.nd.gov) to order a supply of wing envelopes, or contact the department’s main office in Bismarck by phone (701-328-6300) or email (ndgf@nd.gov).
In addition, Game and Fish district offices have a supply of wing envelopes for distribution. District offices are located at Devils Lake, Jamestown, Riverdale, Dickinson, Williston and Lonetree Wildlife Management Area near Harvey.
Fall Turkey Season Set
North Dakota’s fall turkey season is set with 3,510 licenses available to hunters,145 fewer than last year.
Prospective hunters, including gratis applicants, can apply online, or print out an application to mail, at the State Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Paper applications will be available at vendors Aug. 31. The deadline for applying is Sept. 7
In addition, applicants can apply by calling the department’s toll-free licensing line, 800-406-6409. A service fee is added for license applications made over the phone.
Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply in the first lottery. Nonresidents can apply for fall turkey licenses that are still available following the first lottery.
Hunting units 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) and 53 (Divide and Williams counties) will remain closed to fall turkey hunting in 2016 because of low turkey numbers.
The fall wild turkey season extends from Oct. 8 through Jan. 8, 2017.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department