PLOTS Maps Online

Fri, 08/14/2026

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen maps for 2026 are available online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

This year features about 925,000 PLOTS acres. Because PLOTS tracts can be added or removed from the program throughout the year, hunters are encouraged to use the Game and Fish mobile app or other mapping and browser-based applications to locate and identify these tracts. Map sheets are updated weekly on the department’s website.

PLOTS maps highlight walk-in hunting access areas, identified in the field by inverted triangular yellow signs, as well as other public lands.

The free printed PLOTS guides will be available in late August at most license vendors and other locations throughout the state.

The guides are not available by mail, so hunters will have to pick one up at a local vendor or Game and Fish office, or print individual maps from the website.

Waterfowl Stamp Requirements

Fri, 08/14/2026

North Dakota law requires all waterfowl hunters, regardless of age, to have a state-issued waterfowl habitat restoration electronic stamp in possession while afield. Waterfowl include ducks, geese, swans, mergansers and coots.

In addition, a federal duck stamp is required for waterfowl hunters 16 and older beginning Sept. 1. The federal electronic duck stamp is valid for the entire waterfowl hunting season. A physical stamp will be mailed in March 2027 to individuals who purchased the e-stamp.

Those interested in buying physical federal duck stamps can purchase them at many U.S. Postal Service offices or the Amplex website, and Amplex should be used for hunters wanting to support conservation by purchasing extra duck stamps. 

The federal duck stamp costs $25. An additional $4 shipping and handling fee is added. 

This year’s stamps are available for electronic purchase through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, or license vendors registered with the department’s licensing system. 

Fall Turkey Season Set

Wed, 08/12/2026

The fall turkey season is set with 3,700 licenses available to hunters, 610 fewer than last year.

License numbers in 13 of 21 hunting units are recommended to be reduced this fall, the remaining hunting units will have the same number of licenses as in 2025.   

The special flock reduction bow season will close on Jan. 3, 2027.  This mirrors the change to the deer herd reduction season which also closes on Jan. 3, 2027.  Previously, these two special seasons were open until Jan. 31.

Applicants can apply online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline is Sept. 2. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply in the first lottery.

The fall wild turkey season runs from Oct. 10 through Jan. 3, 2027.

Pronghorn Lottery Held

Mon, 08/10/2026

North Dakota’s pronghorn lottery has been held and all 1,310 licenses were issued.

In total, 17,640 applications were received, including 814 gratis applications.

Youth Outdoor Festival in Minot

Mon, 08/10/2026

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department, local wildlife clubs and other sponsors will host the 19th Annual Youth Outdoor Festival Sept. 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Game and Fish Conservation and Outdoors Skills Park on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair.

Young outdoor enthusiasts will get to partake in a variety of activities related to archery, fishing, hunting and more. Prizes will be awarded and a free barbeque will be provided.

For more information, contact Game and Fish outreach biologist Greg Gullickson at 701-720-1640.

Swan Hunt Applications

Wed, 08/05/2026

A total of 2,200 tundra swan licenses are available by lottery for the 2026 season. The deadline to apply is Aug. 19

North Dakota residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply. The resident swan license is $10, while the nonresident fee is $50. Successful applicants will receive a tag to take one swan during the season.

The statewide tundra swan hunting season opens on Oct. 3. Since swans are classified as waterfowl, nonresidents may hunt them only during the period their nonresident waterfowl licenses are valid.

All swan hunters, regardless of age, are required to have a general game and habitat license, and a waterfowl habitat restoration stamp. In addition, nonresidents must have a waterfowl license, and residents 16 and older need a small game or combination license. 

Small Game, Waterfowl, Furbearer Regulations Set

Wed, 08/05/2026

North Dakota’s 2026 small game, waterfowl and furbearer regulations are set, with some noteworthy changes from last year.

These changes include:

• Opening day for ducks, geese, coots and mergansers for North Dakota residents is Sept. 26. Nonresidents may begin hunting waterfowl in North Dakota on Monday, Oct. 5.
• Starting Nov. 29, shooting hours for geese will be one-half hour before sunrise to sunset to the end of the respective goose season.
• American marten will be allowed for take for the first time in 2026. The season will mirror the fisher season.
• Fisher can now be trapped statewide, removing the restricted area in the Turtle Mountains where American martens are located.
• River otter harvest will change to a three-week season, running from Nov. 23 through Dec. 13. Previously, the season was Nov. 23 through March 15, closing after the quota of 30 otters was met. 

Hunters and trappers can find upland game, migratory game bird and furbearer/trapping regulations, on the Game and Fish website. Printed guides will be available at vendor locations.

Early Canada Goose Dates Announced

Wed, 08/05/2026

North Dakota’s early Canada goose season dates are set, with bag limits and licensing requirements the same as last year.

Opening day is Aug. 15 in all three zones. Closing dates are Sept. 7 in the Missouri River zone; Sept. 15 in the western zone; and Sept. 22 in the eastern zone.

Early Canada goose limits are 15 daily and 45 in possession.

Limits and shooting hours are different from the regular season, while the zone boundaries remain the same. Shooting hours for early Canada goose are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Residents need a $10 early Canada goose license and a general game and habitat license. Also, residents 16 and older need a small game license. Nonresidents need only a $50 early Canada goose license. In addition, all early Canada goose hunters need a waterfowl habitat restoration stamp. Licenses can be purchased online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Harvest Information Program certification is required and beginning Sept. 1 a federal duck stamp for hunters 16 and older is needed. Those who HIP registered to hunt the spring light goose conservation order in North Dakota do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required in each state only once per year.

Waterfowl rest areas, closed to hunting during the regular season, are open during the early season. Most land in these rest areas is private, so hunters may need permission to access them.

Early Canada goose regulations can be found in the small game, waterfowl and furbearer proclamation and hunting regulations on the Game and Fish website. Printed guides will be at vendors by late August.

Hunting of Canada geese in August and early September is intended to reduce local Canada goose numbers. Game and Fish is attempting to provide additional hunting opportunities to increase pressure on locally breeding Canada geese.

Pronghorn Applications Due

Mon, 08/03/2026

The deadline to apply for the 2026 pronghorn hunting season is Aug. 5.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply.

Fall Flight Forecast

Mon, 07/27/2026

 Duck brood numbers are up 55% from 2025, and North Dakota Game and Fish Department migratory game bird biologists expect a fall flight of ducks about 9% higher than last year.

 The fall flight forecast is based on information collected during the department's annual May breeding duck survey and July duck brood survey, which together estimate the number of adult ducks and ducklings expected to enter the fall population.

 John Palarski, department migratory game bird management supervisor, said timely rains during late May and June greatly improved brood-rearing habitat across parts of North Dakota.

 "The 2026 mid-July water index was up 36% from last year, creating favorable habitat during much of the nesting and brood-rearing period," he said. "Far northwestern North Dakota received considerable rainfall and was noticeably wetter than last year. Additional precipitation in the Devils Lake area created excellent wetland conditions in northeastern North Dakota, where intact seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands provided high-quality brood habitat."

 Palarski added that although temporary water was abundant in some areas this year, North Dakota's long-term duck production continues to depend on intact prairie wetlands.

 Blue-winged teal and gadwall were the most common broods recorded during the survey, accounting for nearly 53% of all identified broods. Most duck species showed increases in brood numbers compared to 2025, with notable increases in gadwall (97%), northern pintail (76%), and redheads (76%). The redhead brood count was the highest recorded during the survey's 62-year history.

2026 Pronghorn Season Set

Thu, 07/23/2026

The 2026 pronghorn hunting season is set with 1,310 licenses available in 18 units, the same number as last year.

Biologists flew 15,292 survey miles in June and July to estimate pronghorn populations and set tag allocations. The statewide population increased 12% from 2025 but conservative harvest strategies continue to encourage population growth.

Each unit will once again have a season that is split into an early bow-only portion, and a later gun/bow season.

The bow-only portion of the season is Sep. 4 (noon) – Sept. 27. Anyone who draws a license can hunt pronghorn with a bow in the unit printed on their license. 

From Oct. 2 (noon) – Oct. 18, hunters who still have a valid license can use legal firearms or archery equipment, but must stay in their assigned unit.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply for a pronghorn license. Applicants must be at least 12 on or before Dec. 31.

Hunters can apply online. The application deadline is Aug. 5.

First-Come, First-Served Deer Gun Licenses Available

Tue, 07/21/2026

Ninety-five deer licenses are available in unit 3F2 for North Dakota’s 2026 deer gun season. These licenses will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Aug.12 at 10 a.m. Central time. Residents and nonresidents who have not already received a lottery or landowner license are eligible to apply online by visiting the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

Hunters who want to purchase additional licenses may do so Aug. 26 at 10 a.m. Central time. At that time, any remaining licenses will be issued as a concurrent season license, which can be used during the archery season with a bow; deer gun season with a bow, rifle or muzzleloader; or during the muzzleloader season with a muzzleloader. However, youth under age 14 (at the end of the calendar year) will be issued a concurrent season license for archery only. There is no limit on the number of concurrent season licenses a hunter can purchase.

Hunters with concurrent season licenses are restricted to the type of antlerless deer printed on the license and must stay in the unit in which the license is assigned.