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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

News Releases

CWD Surveillance Continues

 

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will continue its Hunter-Harvested Surveillance program during the 2018 hunting season, by sampling deer for chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis from 17 units in the western portion of the state. In addition, all moose and elk harvested in the state are eligible for testing.

 

Samples from hunter-harvested deer will be tested from units 3A1, 3A2, 3A3, 3B1, 3B2, 3D1, 3D2, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1, 3F2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F.

 

Every head sampled must have either the deer tag attached, or a new tag can be filled out with the license number, deer hunting unit and date harvested.

 

Hunters are encouraged to drop off deer heads at the following locations:

  • Beach – Interstate Cenex
  • Belfield – Superpumper
  • Bismarck – Game and Fish Department headquarters, West Dakota Meats, 3Be Meats
  • Bowman – Frontier Travel Center
  • Carson – Hertz Hardware
  • Crosby – Crosby Water Plant, Jason’s Super Foods
  • Devils Lake – Game and Fish district office
  • Dickinson – Game and Fish district office
  • Dunn Center – Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge
  • Elgin – Gunny’s Bait and Tackle, Melvin’s Taxidermy
  • Glen Ullin – Kuntz’s Butcher Shop
  • Grenora – Farmer’s Union
  • Harvey – Lonetree Game and Fish district office
  • Hazen – Hazen Meats
  • Hettinger – Dakota Packing
  • Jamestown – Game and Fish district office
  • Kenmare – Des Lacs NWR, Lostwood NWR
  • Killdeer – Grab N Go, Hettich Salvage
  • Mandan – Butcher Block Meats
  • Minot – Johnson’s Taxidermy
  • Mohall – Engebretson Processing, Farmer’s Union
  • New Leipzig – Hertz Hardware
  • Parshall – Myers Custom Meats
  • Portal – Gastrak
  • Ray – Horizon Cenex
  • Riverdale – Game and Fish district office
  • Roseglen – Giffey Taxidermy
  • Scranton – Wolf’s Processing
  • Selfridge – Cenex
  • Stanley – Ace Hardware
  • Washburn – Enerbase
  • Williston – Williston Game and Fish district office, Mertin Kirschbaum, Scenic Sports, Bickler Taxidermy, Zerr’s Taxidermy
  • Wilton – Cenex.

Moose and elk heads should be taken to a Game and Fish office.

 

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal.

 

Deer Gun Licenses Available

Interested hunters still have time to purchase a license for the 2018 deer gun hunting season.

As of Oct. 15, more than 90 antlerless white-tailed deer licenses remain in units 3F1, 3F2 and 4F. These licenses are available only to individuals who have not already received a lottery or landowner license, and are valid only during the regular deer gun season, Nov. 9-25.

Hunters are required to purchase a general game and habitat license before receiving a deer license.

North Dakota Century Code 20.1-03-02 reads “a person may not acquire any resident or nonresident license to hunt, catch, take or kill any small game or big game animal unless that person first obtains an annual general game license.”

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will only mail deer licenses after the general game and habitat license is purchased.

Resident and nonresident hunters must purchase a remaining license online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

Fall Fish Survey Completed

North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries biologists have completed fall reproduction surveys and most waters fared as good as or better than expected.

Scott Gangl, Department fisheries management section leader, said Lake Sakakawea had the eighth highest catch of young-of-the-year walleye on record.

“There was good reproduction of most game species in the big lake, as we saw healthy numbers of pike, perch, smallmouth bass, white bass, crappies and walleye,” Gangl said. “And it’s the second year in a row of good walleye reproduction, which isn’t a surprise considering the high water is resulting in an abundance of food and habitat for the young fish.”

Lake Oahe showed good reproduction of walleye this year, which Gangl said is not necessarily a good thing. “This is the fourth good year class out of the last five years, leaving a lot of small fish out there right now,” he added. “Lake Oahe is lacking forage which causes fish to grow slower than they should.”

Gangl said while there was some indication of gizzard shad reproduction in Lake Oahe in 2017, there wasn’t much this year. “The cold winter didn’t allow for much survival with this forage fish,” he said.

Devils Lake saw fair to good numbers of walleye, with the catch close to average even though Game and Fish didn’t stock any walleye in the fishery this year. “The end result was all from natural reproduction,” Gangl said.

Sampling results on smaller lakes generally vary from lake to lake. The common theme mentioned this year from fisheries personnel across the state is that the young-of-the-year fish were larger than normal. “This is significant because bigger fish generally have a better chance of surviving through the first winter,” Gangl said, “and that’s an important step in getting to a catchable size in the future.”

Reproduction surveys evaluate natural reproduction, stocking success and forage abundance.

 

Order 2019 OUTDOORS Calendar

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 2019. Along with outstanding color photographs of North Dakota wildlife and scenery, it also includes sunrise-sunset times and moon phases.

To order online, visit buy and apply at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov., or  send $3 for each, plus $1 postage, to: Calendar, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND 58501-5095. Be sure to include a three-line return address with your order, or the post office may not deliver our return mailing.

The calendar is the North Dakota OUTDOORS magazine’s December issue, so current subscribers will automatically receive it in the mail. 

 

Permit Required to Possess Dead Deer

North Dakota Game and Fish Department enforcement personnel are issuing a reminder that a permit is required before taking possession of a dead deer, or any part of a dead deer such as a skull and antlers, found near a road or in a field. Only shed antlers can be possessed without a permit.

Permits to possess are free and available from game wardens and local law enforcement offices.

In addition, hunters are reminded to properly dispose of dead deer. Deer carcasses cannot be left on the side of a roadway or in a ditch, and deer parts cannot be discarded in commercial dumpsters. 

Equipment Registration Number Used for Identification

Hunters, trappers and anglers are reminded that an equipment registration number, or the individual’s name, address and telephone number, must be displayed on all equipment requiring identification.

Identification must be attached to cable devices that are set on either private or public land, and on fish houses left unattended on the ice.

While on wildlife management areas, identification is required on items such as ground blinds, tree stands, cameras and traps.

Owners can generate an equipment registration number by visiting My Account at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. One registration number will be issued that can be used on all equipment that requires identification.

The equipment registration number does not expire. 

 

Hunters Asked to Report Invasive Weed

With pheasant season opening this weekend, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department is asking hunters be on the lookout for Palmer amaranth, an invasive weed that was recently identified in the state for the first time.

Palmer amaranth is native to the southwestern United States, but was accidentally introduced to other areas and has devastated crops in the South and Midwest, according to a North Dakota Department of Agriculture news release following confirmed identification of the plant in McIntosh County in August. Since then, North Dakota State University weed specialists have had reports of additional suspect plants in several other counties in the eastern part of the state. Those plants have been sent to a lab for confirmation.

“Since thousands of pheasant hunters will be covering the countryside over the next few weeks,” said Kevin Kading, Game and Fish Department private lands section supervisor, “we want them to be aware they could run into this plant, and ask them to report any suspected discoveries.”

Palmer amaranth can grow to 6-8 feet tall and the seed heads can grow to up to 2 feet long. Anyone who encounters a suspicious plant, Kading said, should take a photo of it, note the location, and contact the North Dakota Department of Agriculture at 701-328-2250 or North Dakota State University Extension at 701-231-8157 or 701-857-7677.

More information and identifying photos are available on the NDSU website at https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/palmeramaranth.

Motorists Warned to Watch for Deer

Motorists are reminded to watch for deer along roadways this time of year because juvenile animals are dispersing 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 along roadways. Most deer-vehicle accidents occur primarily at dawn and dusk when deer are most often moving around.

Motorists should be aware of warning signs signaling deer are in the area. 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 still required to take parts or the whole carcass of a road-killed deer. Permits are free and available from game wardens and local law enforcement offices.

A few precautions can minimize chances of injury or property damage in a deer-vehicle crash. 

·         Always wear your seat belt.

·         Don’t swerve or take the ditch to avoid hitting a deer. Try to brake as much as possible and stay on the roadway. Don’t lose control of your vehicle or slam into something else to miss the deer. You risk less injury by hitting the deer.

·         If you spot deer ahead, slow down immediately and honk your horn.

General Game and Habitat License Required for Deer Hunters

Deer hunters are reminded of a state law that requires hunters to purchase a general game and habitat license before receiving a deer license.

North Dakota Century Code 20.1-03-02 reads “a person may not acquire any resident or nonresident license to hunt, catch, take or kill any small game or big game animal unless that person first obtains an annual general game license.”

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will only mail deer licenses after the general game and habitat license is purchased.

The general game and habitat license can be purchased online by visiting My Account at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. 

Also, it’s important to locate your deer license and check it for accuracy, making sure the unit and species is what is intended.

Deer hunters who can’t find their deer license and who have already purchased their general game and habitat license, can get a replacement license by printing out a duplicate (replacement) license application from the Game and Fish website, or can request an application by calling 701-328-6300.

The form must be completed and notarized, and sent back in to the department with the appropriate fee.

 

Teddy Roosevelt Family Day Scheduled Sept. 30

Families looking for a fun afternoon filled with outdoor activities are invited to attend Teddy Roosevelt Family Day on Sunday, Sept. 30 at McDowell Dam just east of Bismarck.

The free event runs from 1-4 p.m. and families can come and go at any time. It features many hands-on activities including archery, BB gun shooting, fishing, animal identification, prizes and more.

The first 900 kids who attend also receive a free Teddy Roosevelt patch.

Organized by area Boy Scout, Girl Scout and 4-H organizations, Teddy Roosevelt Family Day is sponsored by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, North Dakota Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Mule Deer Foundation, Scheels All Sports, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and AMVETS.

McDowell Dam is 3.5 miles east of Bismarck on ND Highway 10, then one mile north. 

PLOTS Regulations

Out-of-state hunters are reminded that state law does not allow nonresidents to hunt on North Dakota Game and Fish Department owned or managed lands during the first week of pheasant season.

Private Land Open to Sportsmen acreage and state wildlife management areas are open to hunting by resident hunters only from Oct. 6-12. Nonresidents, however, can still hunt those days on other state-owned and federal lands, or private land.

The law applies to all small game, waterfowl, furbearer and big game hunting on PLOTS and state wildlife management areas during the first seven days of the pheasant season. Starting Oct. 13 this year, nonresidents may hunt on PLOTS and WMAs as long as the appropriate season is open.

In addition, all hunters are reminded that activities such as riding horses for hunting purposes or for pleasure on PLOTS require written permission from the landowner. Permission from the landowner is always required for motorized vehicle access, such as for setting decoys in a field, unless specifically designated on the PLOTS sign.

Leaving equipment or other provisions in a PLOTS area overnight, such as tree stands or blinds, decoys, firearms and archery equipment, or trail cameras is not allowed without written permission from the landowner.

Also, hunting deer over bait is legal on PLOTS tracts – except in deer hunting units 3C west of the Missouri River, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1 and 3F2 – but substances used as bait must be removed when the hunter leaves unless written permission from the landowner is granted. 

 

Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest

The deadline for submitting entries in the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest is Oct. 1.

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.

Contest entries are limited to digital files submitted via email only. Contestants are limited to no more than five entries. Photos must have been taken in North Dakota.

By submitting an entry, photographers grant permission to Game and Fish to publish winning photographs in North Dakota OUTDOORS magazine, on the Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, and on agency social media accounts.

Photographers can send emailed digital photos to photocontest@nd.gov, with individual photo file sizes limited to 5 MB or less. Game and Fish may contact photographers for original full resolution images if needed for publication.

All entries must be accompanied by the photographer’s name, address, phone number and email address. Other information such as photo site location and month taken are also useful.

For more information contact contest coordinator Pat Isaakson at 701-328-6300, or email ndgf@nd.gov.