Skip to main content
nd.gov - The Official Portal for North Dakota State Government

News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department


News Releases


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

Date: April 24 – 7 p.m.

Location: City Hall, 120 Eighth St. E., Harvey 

Host: Harvey Wildlife Club

Contact: Tom Marchand, 701-341-0273

Advisory board member: Cody Sand, Ashley, 701-535-1071

 

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 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Elk, Moose, Bighorn Sheep Applications Online



Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications are available online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for applying is March 29.

A total of 603 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, an increase of 40 from last year.

Licenses in units E1E and E1W increased due to a stable to increasing elk population. Licenses in elk units E2, E3, E4 and E6 remain the same as in 2022. 

A total of 257 moose licenses are available, a decrease of 147 from last year. 

Licenses in units M6 and M8 remain the same as the moose population appears to be stable with good hunter success in these units. Licenses in M5 increased slightly due to a stable population and several consecutive years with all hunters successful in this unit. Licenses in M9, M10 and M11 are reduced due to an observed decrease in the population from winter aerial surveys, a decrease in hunter success and a winter tick outbreak the previous spring that impacted the population in these areas. Moose units M4 and M1C will remain closed due to a continued downward population trend in the northeastern part of the state. 

A bighorn sheep hunting season is tentatively scheduled for 2023, depending on the sheep population. The status of the bighorn sheep season will be determined Sept. 1, after summer population surveys are completed. 

Bighorn sheep applicants must apply for a license at the same time as moose and elk, but not for a specific unit. Once total licenses are determined for each unit in late summer, the bighorn lottery will be held and successful applicants contacted to select a hunting unit.

Because the bighorn sheep application fee is not refundable as per state law, if a bighorn season is not held, applicants would not receive a refund.

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.

2023-24 Licenses Needed April 1



North Dakota anglers, trappers and hunters are reminded that new licenses are required beginning April 1.

Licenses can be purchased online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Once the license is processed, hunters and anglers will have the option to print a hard copy and/or download the license to a smart phone or mobile device, which is helpful when asked to show proof while hunting or fishing in rural areas that lack cellular service.

Licenses can also be purchased at more than 140 vendor locations throughout the state. The 2023-24 small game, fishing and furbearer licenses are effective April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.