North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Daniel Wegener’s bullhead caught Sept. 27 broke a state record for the species that’s been in the books for more than 35 years.
The Fort Totten angler reeled in his 4-pound, 9-ounce bullhead from Devils Lake.
The previous record of 4 pounds, 1 ounce was established in 1988 by Riley Zavada, a Wolford angler who was also fishing Devils Lake.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department Advisory Board will host public meetings this fall at eight locations across the state.
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.
The district 7 meeting in Bismarck will be streamed live on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
Details on the district 1 meeting will be announced on the department's website as they become available.
District 2 – Bottineau, Burke, McHenry, Mountrail, Pierce, Renville and Ward counties
Date: Oct. 30 – 7 p.m.
Location: American Legion, Memorial Hall, 224 Second Ave. SE, Rugby
Host: Barton Sportsman Club
Contact: Dale Broe, 701-208-1300
Advisory board member: Travis Leier, Velva
District 7 – Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan and Sioux counties
Date: Nov. 4 – 7 p.m.
Location: Game and Fish Main Office, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck
Host: Dakota Chapter Pheasants Forever
Contact and advisory board member: Jody Sommer, Mandan, 701-527-2295
District 4 – Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina and Walsh counties
Date: Nov. 6 – 7 p.m.
Location: UND, Gorecki Alumni Center, 3501 University Ave., Grand Forks
Host: UND Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Contact: Susan Felege, 701-777-3699
Advisory board member: Karissa Daws, Michigan
District 3 – Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Ramsey, Rolette and Towner counties
Date: Nov. 12 – 7 p.m.
Location: LRSC, Chautauqua Room, 1801 College Dr. N., Devils Lake
Host: Devils Lake Tourism
Contact and advisory board member: Edward Dosch, Devils Lake, 701-351-4202
District 8 – Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope and Stark counties
Date: Nov. 19 – 7 p.m.
Location: Economic Development Corp, 13 E. Divide, Bowman
Host: Rob Brooks
Contact and advisory board member: Rob Brooks, Rhame, 701-440-8952
District 5 – Cass, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele and Traill counties
Date: Nov. 20 – 7 p.m.
Location: City Hall, 241 Langer Ave. N., Casselton
Host: Cass County Wildlife Club
Contact: Gabe Kost, 701-212-8260
Advisory board member: Doug Madsen, Harwood
District 6 – Barnes, Dickey, Foster, Griggs, Logan, LaMoure, McIntosh, Stutsman and Wells counties
Date: Nov. 26 – 7 p.m.
Location: VCSU, Rhoades Science Center, Room 203, 101 College St., Valley City
Host: VCSU Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Contact: Bob Anderson, 605-695-1344
Advisory board member: Cody Sand, Ashley
District 1 – Divide, McKenzie and Williams counties
Date: to be announced
Location: to be announced
Host: to be announced
Contact: to be announced
Advisory board member: Beau Wisness, Keene
A permit is required before taking possession of a dead deer. Only shed antlers can be possessed without a permit.
Permits are free and available from North Dakota Game and Fish Department game wardens and local law enforcement offices.
In addition, hunters should properly dispose of dead deer. Carcass waste cannot be left on public property, including roadways, ditches or wildlife management areas.
If transported outside of its respective gun unit, carcass waste must be disposed of via landfill or waste management provider. This requirement does not apply to heads dropped off at chronic wasting disease collection sites, or lymph nodes submitted for CWD surveillance.
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 2025. 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.
The calendar is the North Dakota OUTDOORS magazine’s December issue, so current subscribers will automatically receive it in the mail.
State wildlife and outdoor recreation agency officials said a weekend of historic fires in western North Dakota delivered a stark reminder to hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts about the need to be acutely aware of dry conditions while recreating outdoors.
While the need to be aware of the daily fire index is standard for hunters and state park visitors in North Dakota in fall, it’s especially true now considering the conditions and the fact that many hunters will be in the field for the pheasant season opener and hundreds of campers will visit North Dakota state parks this weekend.
“While hunters are always our eyes and ears in North Dakota’s rural areas in fall, it will be especially true this weekend with the highly anticipated pheasant season opening,” said Jeb Williams, North Dakota Game and Fish Department Director. “We encourage hunters who spot a fire caused by whatever means to report the situation immediately to law enforcement officials. We also encourage hunters to carry fire extinguishers, shovels, water and other tools. And it goes without saying to extinguish and discard smoking materials appropriately, not from a vehicle.”
Williams added that individuals who are not trained firefighters should not attempt to fight a fire that is out of control.
“Anyone recreating outdoors is asked to remain vigilant as dry conditions and wildfire risk remains high,” said North Dakota Parks and Recreation Director Cody Schulz. “We are grateful for the numerous first responders, local officials, and landowners for their efforts to battle these wildfires, and we encourage everyone that if they see something – a spark that ignites nearby grasses, or smoke in any vegetation or trees – to say something immediately by calling 9-1-1.”
An elevated fire danger index in most counties will likely influence outdoor activities. The most current wildfires and fire danger index can be found at NDResponse.gov. Conditions can change daily depending on temperature, wind and precipitation forecasts.
For those recreating outdoors this fall:
The daily rural fire danger index is issued by the National Weather Service to alert the public to conditions that may be conducive to the accidental starting or spread of fires. In addition, county governments have the authority to adopt penalties for violations of county restrictions related to burning bans. These restrictions apply regardless of the daily fire danger index and remain in place until each county’s commission rescinds the ban.
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. 12-18, 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, decoys, firearms, archery equipment, or trail cameras, is not allowed without written permission from the landowner.
Permission from the landowner is always required for motorized vehicle access on PLOTS, such as for setting decoys in a field, unless specifically designated on the PLOTS sign.
The state Game and Fish Department’s annual fall aerial mule deer survey is set to begin Oct. 14 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 badlands study areas since the 1950s. The survey is used to collect mule deer population data for monitoring demographic trends, such as buck-to-doe and fawn-to-doe ratios.
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 waterfowl species and their habitats in North Dakota.
“The Duck Factory” is an important story because of North Dakota’s longtime and continuing contribution to the world of migratory birds, said Mike Szymanski, Department migratory game bird management supervisor.
“North Dakota is the most important state for breeding ducks,” he added. “The contribution of ducks from North Dakota into the fall flight is unmatched by any other state, and its importance to duck hunters cannot be understated. Describing the history of waterfowl in North Dakota was a story that we felt was certainly worth telling.”
The book is sold only online for $24.99, including shipping, on the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, by clicking on Buy and Apply, and then Shop.
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 most often moving around.
When you see one deer cross the road, look for a second or third deer to follow. Also, pay attention on roadways posted with Deer Crossing Area caution signs.
Deer-vehicle accidents are at times unavoidable. If an accident does happen, law enforcement authorities do not have to be notified if only the vehicle is damaged. However, if the accident involves personal injury or other property damage, then it must be reported.
In addition, a permit is required before taking possession of a roadkill deer. Permits are free and available from game wardens and local law enforcement.
A few precautions can minimize chances of injury or property damage in a deer-vehicle crash.
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 double last year’s estimate, and almost 30% above the 2003-23 long-term average.
The number of wetlands (seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands) counted on the survey was the sixth highest since 2003, but conditions vary widely.
The southeast and northwest regions showed declines from last year and are 31 and 43% below average, respectively. Conditions are drying up in the northwestern part of the state and hunters should expect wetlands with wide mud margins in that region. The north central (up 84%), northeast (up more than 200%), and south central (up 26%) regions showed big improvements from last year and are well above their long-term averages.
“We came out of winter pretty dry, but fairly consistent rains started in late-April, helping wetland conditions rebound in many areas,” Szymanski said. “However, precipitation really dropped quickly in some areas, bringing drought conditions to the western third of the state by mid-September. The eastern two-thirds of the state continued to have abundant rainfall, and some localized areas, especially in the north central and northeast regions, received deluge recently creating areas that are still very wet. As a result, conditions within wetlands on the survey were highly variable. Also of note is that wetland conditions improved substantially after spring migration occurred, so we have a lot of water out there right now, particularly in the north central and northeast, that wasn’t really associated with breeding activity this spring.”
Rainfall patterns were spotty, Szymanski added, and while much of the state got a lot of rain over the late spring and summer, some localized areas received much more than others. Hunters should expect wetland conditions east of U.S. Highway 83 to be quite variable as a result.
“The quality of waterfowl hunting in North Dakota is largely determined by weather conditions and migration patterns,” he said. “North Dakota saw meager duck production in most regions of the state this year and somewhat low numbers of ducks in the state during late summer. This will lead to spotty hunting opportunities that will vary at small, local scales. Hunters will really need to do their scouting to find the better opportunities. As always, our wetland conditions are highly dynamic, and hunters should look at areas they plan to hunt as they may have changed quite a bit from last year.”
Hunters need to be cautious of soft areas in fields and roads from recent rains, but at the same time be cautious of tall, dried vegetation that could be a fire hazard.
The fall wetland survey is conducted in mid-September to provide an assessment of conditions duck hunters can expect.
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 boats are the most common types of fatal boating accidents for hunters.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is asking water recreationists and property owners to check for zebra mussels and other aquatic nuisance species when removing boat lifts, docks and other equipment from state waters.
Ben Holen, ANS coordinator, said water recreationists and property owners play a vital role in ANS prevention.
Zebra mussels attach to hard surfaces left in the water for long periods of time, first settling in tight spaces and areas that are protected from sunlight, Holen said. Equipment such as boat lifts and docks are high risk vectors for spreading ANS, especially zebra mussels.
“It makes it easier to do a thorough search when equipment is taken out of the water in fall,” he said. “Pay special attention to wheel wells, right angles on frames, and areas otherwise protected from sunlight. Feel for attached organisms that have small hair-like structures holding them in place. Small mussels can feel like rough sandpaper and adults can be as large as 2 inches long.”
Holen said if you think you’ve found a zebra mussel, take photos, write down any relevant information, such as how many were found and where, and report it online at the Game and Fish website gf.nd.gov/ans, or email Holen at bholen@nd.gov.