North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Neal Leier’s walleye caught on May 18 broke the longest-standing state record fish in North Dakota, one that stood for nearly 60 years.
The Bismarck angler reeled in a 15-pound, 13-ounce walleye from the Missouri River near Fox Island, besting the old record by one ounce.
The 32 and one-half inch fish broke the record that was established from Wood Lake in 1959 by Blair Chapman of Minnewaukan.
North Dakota’s 2018 deer season is set, with 55,150 licenses available to hunters this fall, 650 more than last year.
In total, antlered mule deer licenses increased by 150 from last year, antlerless mule deer by 550, antlered whitetail by 150 and antlerless whitetail by 150. The state Game and Fish Department reduced the number of "any antlered" licenses by 100, and reduced "any antlerless" license by 250.
In addition, restricted youth antlered mule deer licenses increased by 15, and muzzleloader licenses remained the same.
As in the past several years, no mule deer doe licenses are available in unit 4A.
North Dakota’s 2018 deer gun season opens Nov. 9 at noon and continues through Nov. 25.
Applicants for regular deer gun, youth and muzzleloader can apply online through the Game and Fish Department’s website at gf.nd.gov, or call 800-406-6409. A service fee is charged for applications made through the 800 number.
Gratis applicants must apply online – the toll-free licensing telephone number is not set up to receive gratis applications. In addition, paper applications are no longer available for any lottery or gratis licenses.
The deadline for applying is June 6.
Applicants who do not have access to a computer can submit the application at a public service location such as a public library, stop at a Game and Fish office, or request help from a friend, relative or neighbor.
Gratis applications received on or before the regular deer gun lottery application deadline will qualify for an any-legal-deer license. As per state law, gratis applications received after the deadline will be processed based on licenses remaining after the lottery – generally only antlerless licenses remain.
Total deer licenses are determined by harvest rates, aerial surveys, depredation reports, hunter observations, input at advisory board meetings, and comments from the public, landowners and department field staff.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department offers a simple message to well-intentioned humans who want to pick up and rescue what appear to be orphaned baby animals this time of year – don’t touch them. Whether it is a young fawn, duckling, cottontail rabbit or a songbird, it is better to just leave them alone.
More often than not, young animals are not abandoned or deserted, and the mother is probably nearby. Young wildlife are purposely placed into seclusion by their mothers to protect them from predators.
Anytime a young wild animal has human contact its chance for survival decreases significantly. It’s illegal to take wild animals home, and captive animals later returned to the wild will struggle to survive because they do not possess learned survival skills.
The only time a baby animal should be picked up is if it is in an unnatural situation, such as a young songbird found on a doorstep. In that case, the young bird could be moved to the closest suitable habitat.
Citizens should also steer clear of adult wildlife, such as deer or moose that might wander into urban areas. Crowding stresses animals, and this could lead to a potentially dangerous situation.
In addition, motorists are reminded to watch for deer along roadways. June is one of the peak months for deer‑vehicle accidents because young animals are dispersing from their home ranges. With deer more active during these months, the potential for car‑deer collisions increases.
North Dakota anglers and water recreationists are reminded that all water must be drained from boats before leaving a water body.
This regulation, intended to help prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species, includes all watercraft and associated bilges, livewells, baitwells and motors. However, anglers can transport fish on ice in a separate container.
In addition, all drain plugs that may hold back water must be removed, and water draining devices must be open, on all watercraft and recreational, commercial and construction equipment bilges and confined spaces, during any out-of-water transport.
Other ANS regulations require:
· All aquatic vegetation must be removed from boats, personal watercraft, trailers and fishing equipment such as fishing rods, bait buckets, lures and waders before leaving a body of water. That means "vegetation free" when transporting watercraft and/or equipment away from a boat ramp, landing area or shoreline. Time out of the water needed to remove aquatic vegetation at the immediate water access area is allowed.
· All legal live aquatic organisms used by anglers, including legal baitfish (fathead minnows), amphibians (salamanders and frogs), invertebrates (crayfish and leeches) and insects must be purchased and/or trapped in North Dakota. Anglers can transport live bait in water in containers of five gallons or less in volume. The only exception is that anglers may not transport live bait in water away from the Red River (Class I ANS infested waters). At Class I ANS infested waters, all water must be drained from bait buckets as anglers leave the shore, or remove their boat from the water. Anglers must properly dispose of unused bait away from the river, as dumping bait in the water or on shore is illegal.
· Transportation of live white suckers, other than within Richland, Cass, Traill, Grand Forks, Walsh and Pembina counties, is illegal.
The Lewis and Clark Wildlife Management Area shooting range south of Williston will be closed May 14-16, and the Riverdale WMA range southwest of Riverdale will be closed May 16.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department manages five public shooting ranges on its wildlife management areas.
The state Game and Fish Department reminds anglers that live white suckers are not legal baitfish anywhere in North Dakota, except in the Bois de Sioux and Red rivers.
Although anglers can use live white suckers on the Bois de Sioux and Red rivers, and tributaries up to the first vehicular bridge, they are illegal elsewhere. Fathead minnows, sticklebacks and creek chubs are the only legal live baitfish outside of the Bois de Sioux and Red rivers. Dead white suckers which have been preserved by freezing, salting or otherwise treated to inactivate reproductive capabilities are legal bait.
The transportation of live white suckers, other than in Richland, Cass, Traill, Grand Forks, Walsh and Pembina counties, is illegal.
Anglers are also reminded that live baitfish, or other live aquatic bait such as leeches, cannot be transported from another state into North Dakota.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department completed its annual spring mule deer survey in April, and results indicate western North Dakota’s mule deer population is similar to last year, and 45 percent above the long-term average.
Biologists counted 2,540 mule deer in 245.8 square miles during this year’s survey. Overall mule deer density in the badlands was 10.3 deer per square mile, compared to 10.9 in 2017.
Big game management supervisor Bruce Stillings said mule deer in the badlands have recovered nicely following the winters of 2009-11, which led to record low fawn production and a population index low of 4.6 mule deer per square mile in 2012.
“The population recovery is due to no antlerless harvest for four years combined with milder winter conditions during 2012-2016, which led to good fawn production since 2013,” Stillings said. “However, the long-term health of the population will depend on maintaining high quality habitat. Rangeland conditions are in tough shape in the badlands due to drought conditions, and could have a negative impact on fawn production this summer.”
The 2018 survey results show that hunting opportunities, according to Stillings, can increase slightly in all badlands units except 4A, which has been slower to recover than the rest of the badlands units. “There are localized areas that have very high mule deer densities and have exceeded landowner tolerance levels,” Stillings said.
The spring mule deer survey is used to assess mule deer abundance in the badlands. It is conducted after the snow has melted and before the trees begin to leaf out, providing the best conditions for aerial observation of deer. Biologists have completed aerial surveys of the same 24 study areas since the 1950s.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is reminding parents to capture their little angler’s first catch on a specially designed First Fish certificate.
First Fish has no qualifying weights or measurements. The only requirement is the successful landing of a North Dakota fish. Certificates are available to all who request them, and have ample room for all the important information, such as name, age, lake and a short fish story, plus a blank space for a photograph big enough to contain the smile of the happiest little angler.
Free certificates are available by contacting the Game and Fish Department at 701-328-6300, or send an email to ndgf@nd.gov.
Boat owners are reminded that children ages 12-15 who want to operate a boat or personal watercraft alone this summer must first take the state’s boating basics course.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department education coordinator Brian Schaffer recommends all boaters take a boater education course, however state law requires only youngsters ages 12-15 must pass the course before they operate a boat or personal watercraft with at least a 10 horsepower motor by themselves. In addition, some insurance companies give adult boat owners who pass the course a discount on boat insurance.
The course is available for home-study from the Game and Fish Department’s Bismarck office. Two commercial providers also offer the course online, and links to those sites are found on the department’s website at gf.nd.gov.
While the home-study course is free, students will be charged a fee to take it online. The online provider charges for the course, not the Game and Fish Department. The fee stays with the online provider.
Upon completion of the online test, and providing a credit card number, students will be able to print out a temporary certification card, and within 10 days a permanent card will be mailed.
The course covers legal requirements, navigation rules, getting underway, accidents and special topics such as weather, rules of the road, laws, life saving and first aid.
For more information contact Schaffer by email at ndgf@nd.gov; or call 701-328-6300.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department and Townsquare Media are sponsoring the Missouri River SPLASH – a recreation and boating safety event for everyone who enjoys the Missouri River.
The event is Thursday, May 17 in Mandan from 2-5 p.m. at Moritz Sport and Marine. Displays, hands-on activities, demonstrations, regulations, registrations and prizes are included.
The event is free, and people of all ages are invited to attend.
State law requires youngsters ages 12-15 who want to operate a boat or personal watercraft with at least a 10 horsepower motor to first pass the state’s Boat North Dakota safety course. In addition, some insurance companies give adult boat owners who pass the course a discount on boat insurance.
The Boat North Dakota safety course is free and available at the Game and Fish Department.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is sponsoring “Wildlife of North Dakota Featuring Pollinators” workshops in Bottineau and Bismarck, for teachers, environmental educators and anyone else who works with youth.
The event in Bottineau is June 12-13 at Dakota College, and in Bismarck June 19-20 at the Game and Fish Department’s main office. Workshops run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Participants will learn about wildlife and their habitats, with the North Dakota Habitats curriculum used as textbooks. In addition, participants will receive the Urban Pollinator curriculum, and explore urban pollinator gardens and learn how to develop one in a local community.
The fast-paced workshop offers a hands-on approach educators can use in their classrooms and on field trips, and in discussing classroom and curriculum integration. All supplies are provided.
Curriculum materials are suitable for both elementary and secondary teachers. Workshop instructor Sherry Niesar has a master’s degree in wildlife science and teaches many educator workshops in the region.
Preregistration is required. To register, contact Niesar at 701-527-3714, or sniesar@nd.gov. A $10 deposit fee, refundable upon completion of the course, is required.
To register for graduate credit, visit the University of North Dakota’s website at und.edu. The cost for graduate credit is $50.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department recently paid more than $621,000 in taxes to counties in which the department owns or leases land. The 2017 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 they received.
| County | Tax Due | County | Tax Due | County | Tax Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 182.33 | Grand Forks | 14,129.07 | Pierce | 2,815.44 |
| Barnes | 5,644.02 | Grant | 1,131.83 | Ramsey | 15,390.45 |
| Benson | 4,596.45 | Griggs | 82.08 | Ransom | 1,495.39 |
| Billings | 300.78 | Hettinger | 4,718.98 | Richland | 18,136.88 |
| Bottineau | 5,218.40 | Kidder | 10,315.27 | Rolette | 38,642.11 |
| Bowman | 2,097.65 | LaMoure | 9,812.72 | Sargent | 17,627.17 |
| Burke | 1,200.12 | Logan | 336.07 | Sheridan | 62,021.67 |
| Burleigh | 27,957.99 | McHenry | 1,609.79 | Sioux | 232.35 |
| Cass | 7,054.45 | McIntosh | 9,466.17 | Slope | 1,585.08 |
| Cavalier | 28,619.90 | McKenzie | 33,447.76 | Stark | 5,383.98 |
| Dickey | 12,964.84 | McLean | 94,341.96 | Steele | 8,245.29 |
| Divide | 1,873.65 | Mercer | 17,137.90 | Stutsman | 4,563.95 |
| Dunn | 5,892.05 | Morton | 19,720.35 | Towner | 2,267.82 |
| Eddy | 5,749.63 | Mountrail | 7,736.86 | Walsh | 10,871.86 |
| Emmons | 3,802.69 | Nelson | 5,560.39 | Ward | 115.79 |
| Foster | 978.75 | Oliver | 2,919.94 | Wells | 61,796.96 |
| Golden Valley | 146.55 | Pembina | 17,862.28 | Williams | 5,243.55 |
