Boaters with watercraft registered outside the state must have a 2023 aquatic nuisance species sticker before operating watercraft in North Dakota.
State law requires a $15 ANS fee for motorized watercraft not licensed in North Dakota to be paid for each calendar year, and the ANS sticker must be displayed on the watercraft.
In addition, Minnesota anglers launching boats on the North Dakota side of the Red River must have a current ANS sticker displayed on the watercraft.
The ANS sticker can only be purchased by logging into the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.
Professional Development for Educators
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is sponsoring professional development for educator workshops this summer in Fargo, Devils Lake and Dickinson.
Using Visual Arts to Teach Life Science will be held June 6-7 at North Dakota State University in Fargo. The workshop will be fun and fast paced with many hands-on activities educators can use in their classrooms, discussion of classroom and curriculum integration, and identification of local resources. North Dakota resources, environment and wildlife will be emphasized. Participants will experiment with clay, water, pastel and colored pencil. No previous art experience is necessary.
Habitats of North Dakota: A New Generation of Lessons will be offered June 27-28 at Lake Region State College, Devils Lake, and July 11-12 at Dickinson State University, Dickinson. The North Dakota Habitats curriculum and new Habitats Lesson Plans will be used as textbooks. The course is suitable for elementary and secondary teachers. The workshop will be fun and fast paced with many hands-on activities educators can use in their classrooms, discussion of classroom and curriculum integration, and walking field trips, weather permitting. All supplies are provided.
For more information contact curriculum specialist Sherry Niesar at 701-527-3714. University graduate credit is available for the workshops. Register by clicking on the link.
Earth Day Patch Contest Winners
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department announced the winners of the 2023 Earth Day Patch Contest. Over 2,000 students and 116 schools entered this year’s contest.
Winners in three age categories are Ella Fernandez, Fessenden Bowdon Elementary, (K-4); Brooke Livingston, Kenmare Public School (5-8); and Alex Dodgen, Minot High School Central Campus (9-12). Livingston’s design was chosen as the overall winner and will be made into the 2023 Earth Day patch.
Youth and adults who participate in cleaning up public lands receive the 2023 patch to celebrate Earth Day and their service. Projects that qualify for the Earth Day patch include refuse pick-up on local, state or federal properties and landscaping on public property including planting trees, bushes and pollinator plants.
Groups participating in the service projects are encouraged to take the following precautions to ensure their safety: keep young people away from highways, lakes and rivers and only allow older participants to pick up broken glass or sharp objects.
Participants are asked to contact Sherry Niesar at 701-527-3714 or sniesar@nd.gov to receive a patch.
Advisory Board Meetings Announced
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department Advisory Board will host public meetings this spring at seven locations across the state. Districts 3 and 4 will have a shared meeting. In addition, the district 7 meeting in Bismarck will be streamed live on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
Some information is to be determined. As information becomes finalized, it will be published on the department’s website.
These public meetings, held each spring and fall, provide citizens with an opportunity to discuss fish and wildlife issues and ask questions of their district advisors and agency personnel.
For the statewide livestream, questions can be submitted via chat during the meeting.
District 2 – Bottineau, Burke, McHenry, Mountrail, Pierce, Renville and Ward counties
Date: April 17 – 7 p.m.
Location: Verendrye Electric Cooperative, 615 U.S. Highway 52 W., Velva
Host: Velva Wildlife Club
Contact and advisory board member: Travis Leier, Velva, 701-240-3690
District 3 and 4 – Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Ramsey, Rolette, Towner, Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina and Walsh counties
Date: April 17 – 7 p.m.
Location: Lake Region State College, Heritage Hall, 1801 College Dr. N., Devils Lake
Host: Lake Region Sportsman Club
Contact and advisory board member: Edward Dosch, Devils Lake, 701-351-4202; Bruce Ellertson, Lakota
District 8 – Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope and Stark counties
Date: April 18 – 7 p.m.
Location: Community Center, 153 E. Main St., Beach
Host: Pheasants Forever
Contact: Bob Schemelling, 701-872-6802
Advisory board member: Rob Brooks, Rhame
District 6 – Barnes, Dickey, Foster, Griggs, Logan, LaMoure, McIntosh, Stutsman and Wells counties
District 5 – Cass, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele and Traill counties
Date: April 24 – 7 p.m.
Location: City Hall, 31 Fifth Ave. N., Kindred
Host: Kindred Wildlife Club
Contact: Darrell Kersting, 701-373-1483
Advisory board member: Doug Madsen, Harwood
District 1 – Divide, McKenzie and Williams counties
Date: April 25 – 7 p.m.
Location: Keene Dome, 51 St. and Highway 1804, Keene
Host: Keene Volunteer Fire Department
Contact: and advisory board member: Beau Wisness, 701-421-8814, Keene
District 7 – Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan and Sioux counties
Date: April 25 – 7 p.m.
Location: Game and Fish Main Office, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck
Host: ND Fur Hunters and Trappers Association
Contact: Phil Mastrangelo
Advisory board member: Jody Sommer, Mandan
Deer Gratis Application Online
Landowners interested in a 2023 deer gratis license must apply online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for applying is June 7.
General deer and muzzleloader lottery applications will be available online in early May, also with a deadline of June 7.
Gratis applicants who have previously applied online will automatically have their land description forwarded to this year’s application. However, any changes with land descriptions from last year’s application must be made prior to submitting the 2023 application.
Paddlefish Tags Online
North Dakota’s paddlefish snagging season opens May 1, and snaggers should note the sale and distribution of paddlefish tags are similar to last year.
Paddlefish tags are available for purchase online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, at license vendors, and during normal business hours at Game and Fish Department offices in Bismarck, Dickinson, Jamestown, Devils Lake, Lonetree (Harvey) and Williston.
Snaggers buying tags online or at a vendor should plan accordingly and allow for a few days delivery as tags are distributed through the mail.
Whooping Crane Migration
Whooping cranes are in the midst of their spring 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 way from wintering grounds in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to nesting grounds at Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada, a distance of about 2,500 miles.
Whoopers stand about 5 feet tall and have a wingspan of about 7 feet from tip to tip. They are bright white with black wing tips, which are visible only when the wings are outspread. In flight, they extend their long necks forward, while their long, slender legs extend out behind the tail. Whooping cranes typically migrate singly, or in groups of 2-3 birds, and may be associated with sandhill cranes.
Other white birds such as snow geese, swans and egrets are often mistaken for whooping cranes. The most common misidentification is pelicans, because their wingspan is similar and they tuck their pouch in flight, leaving a silhouette similar to a crane when viewed from below.
Anyone sighting whoopers should not disturb them, but record the date, time, location and the birds' activity. Observers should also look for and report colored bands, which may occur on one or both legs. Whooping cranes have been marked with colored leg bands to help determine their identity.
Whooping crane sightings should be reported to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices at Lostwood, 701-848-2466; Audubon, 701-442-5474; the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Bismarck, 701-328-6300; or to local game wardens across the state. Reports help biologists locate important whooping crane habitat areas, monitor marked birds, determine survival and population numbers, and identify times and migration routes.
Mountain Lion Late Season Closes in Zone 1
Mountain lion hunting during the late season in Zone 1 is closed after the harvest limit of seven total cats was reached.
The mountain lion season in Zone 2, which is the rest of the state outside Zone 1, has no harvest limit and is open through March 31.
Game and Fish Pays Property Taxes
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department recently paid more than $729,000 in taxes to counties in which the department owns or leases land. The 2022 in-lieu-of-tax payments are the same as property taxes paid by private landowners.
The Game and Fish Department manages more than 200,000 acres for wildlife habitat and public hunting in 51 counties. The department does not own or manage any land in Traill or Renville counties.
Following is a list of counties and the tax payments received.
County
Tax Due
County
Tax Due
County
Tax Due
Adams
188.88
Grand Forks
20,460.43
Pierce
3,327.71
Barnes
7,156.73
Grant
1,218.15
Ramsey
17,160.43
Benson
5,450.72
Griggs
100.92
Ransom
2,217.07
Billings
283.14
Hettinger
4,595.39
Richland
19,230.42
Bottineau
6,734.57
Kidder
12,673.84
Rolette
54,942.69
Bowman
2,410.45
LaMoure
11,823.72
Sargent
21,073.44
Burke
1,039.71
Logan
419.22
Sheridan
86,485.63
Burleigh
26,938.28
McHenry
1,686.94
Sioux
221.60
Cass
8,108.37
McIntosh
9,897.14
Slope
1,948.20
Cavalier
14,957.59
McKenzie
37,026.45
Stark
5,646.82
Dickey
13,332.74
McLean
128,414.51
Steele
10,947.41
Divide
2,553.30
Mercer
21,489.12
Stutsman
5,688.19
Dunn
5,283.76
Morton
25,618.49
Towner
2,501.88
Eddy
6,744.22
Mountrail
6,438.72
Walsh
10,565.23
Emmons
7,576.85
Nelson
8,005.98
Ward
59.16
Foster
1,062.48
Oliver
2,825.03
Wells
62,793.31
Golden Valley
169.45
Pembina
12,046.98
Williams
9,682.14
Report Bald Eagle Nest Sightings
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is asking for help locating active bald eagle nests.
Conservation biologist Sandra Johnson said the department is looking for locations of nests with eagles present, not individual eagle sightings.
Eagles lay eggs in early to mid-March, which hatch about a month later. Johnson said it’s easy to distinguish an eagle nest because of its enormous size.
Nearly 350 active bald eagle nests can be found in 47 of the 53 counties in the state. Historically, Johnson said nests were found along river corridors, but that’s not the case today, as bald eagles will nest in trees in the middle of pastures, fields or anywhere near a food source.
Nest observations should be reported online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. Observers are asked not to disturb the nest, and to stay a safe distance away. Johnson said foot traffic may disturb the bird, likely causing the eagle to leave her eggs or young unattended.
Elk, Moose, Bighorn Sheep Apps Due March 29
Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications must be submitted online before midnight, March 29.
Applicants can apply by visiting My Account at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.
Elk, moose and bighorn sheep lottery licenses are issued as once-in-a-lifetime licenses in North Dakota. Hunters who have received a license through the lottery in the past are not eligible to apply for that species again.
Grant Application to Assist R3 Efforts
Wildlife, shooting, fraternal and nonprofit civic organizations can submit an application for the Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters program, a North Dakota Game and Fish Department grant program developed to assist in the recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunters.
The program supports projects and events that provide a positive environment to develop the skills and confidence needed to create lifelong, conservation-minded hunting and shooting sports participants.
Application deadline is May 1.
The maximum grant allowed is $3,000. The program currently helps fund approximately 40 club and organization events and projects each year, with an average grant of $1,550.
Funds help cover event expenses, including promotional printing; event memorabilia such as shirts, caps or vests; ammunition and targets; and eye and ear protection.
Past funding has enabled groups to conduct learn-to-hunt events, or sponsor trap and other shooting events, including archery and rifle shooting. Game and Fish has separate grant programs that support National Archery in the Schools Program and high school trapshooting teams.
Clubs or organizations interested in applying should note the grant process, application, and records requirements. For more information, including a grant application, visit the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov, or contact Cayla Bendel, department R3 coordinator, at 701-220-3461.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department