North Dakota Game and Fish Department
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department Advisory Board will host public meetings this spring at eight locations across the state.
These public meetings 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.
View Meeting Schedule
A 3-pound yellow perch caught March 1 by Wisconsin angler Alan Hintz is the new state record, according to North Dakota Game and Fish Department personnel.
Hintz caught the 16.5-inch perch through the ice in the Pelican Bay area on Devils Lake.
The previous record of 2 pounds, 15 ounces, also from Devils Lake, was set in 1982 by Kyle Smith of Carrington.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department, under U.S. Coast Guard authority, has created an idle speed only and navigational safety zone near an ongoing bridge construction project on the Missouri River.
With spring’s early ice out, March 30 will mark the start of an idle speed only area and a navigation channel through the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad bridge project. The navigational channel will be marked with green and red floating buoys to direct the public to the navigable area through the construction zone. The navigational channel will change locations when phase two of the construction season starts, which is anticipated to be sometime in June.
Additionally, the project area will be marked with multiple types of lighted floating buoys and encloses an area from the west bank north of the project staging area, to the east bank, and then following the east bank south approximately 1,500 feet and back to the river’s west bank.
The “No Boats” buoys are located north and south of the active construction barges and have yellow flashing lights for nighttime visibility. The solid, white light “Idle Speed Only” buoys indicate where the idle speed zone starts and operate day and night.
The cautions are in place to protect people and boat traffic during the construction project and operate during the open water months on the Missouri River near Bismarck-Mandan. Also, river users operating paddlecraft, such as canoes and kayaks, are encouraged to exit the river upstream or downstream of the navigational safety zone.
A violation of the regulatory buoys is subject to a fine under North Dakota Administrative Code.
Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications must be submitted online before midnight, March 25.
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.
North Dakota’s waterfowl season opens for residents Sept. 26, while nonresidents may begin hunting waterfowl Oct. 5.
The resident-only portion of the season has been extended from seven days in previous years to nine days in 2026. This change, which was first presented to the public starting summer 2025, provides additional early season opportunities for resident hunters.
The zones and overall season structure for nonresident hunters will remain the same as the 2025 hunting season.
The North Dakota 2026-27 Hunting and Trapping Guide will be available this summer and will provide further details on the waterfowl hunting season.
The state Game and Fish Department’s annual spring aerial mule deer survey is scheduled for April 1–24 in western North Dakota and typically takes about two weeks to complete, weather permitting.
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 purpose of the survey is to determine a population index to assess mule deer abundance in the badlands.
North Dakota’s 2026-28 fishing proclamation is set, with regulations effective April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2028. New fishing licenses are required April 1.
Anglers can find the North Dakota 2026-28 Fishing Guide online at the state Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov, or at Game and Fish Department offices and license vendors throughout the state.
Noteworthy regulation changes include:
The 2026-27 fishing licenses can be purchased online by visiting the Game and Fish website starting March 15.
North Dakota anglers, hunters and trappers should note 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 by a game warden to show proof while hunting or fishing in rural areas that lack cellular service.
Licenses can also be purchased at more than 80 vendor locations throughout the state. The 2026-27 small game, fishing and furbearer licenses are effective April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
Unoccupied fish houses must be removed from all waters beginning March 15.
Fish houses may be used after March 15 if they are removed daily.
In addition, anglers are encouraged to look around and clean up the site if any trash is found left behind.
The North Dakota Game Wardens Association is sponsoring scholarships for the fall semester for higher education students interested in majoring in wildlife law enforcement or a related field.
Applications must be submitted by email to ndgamewardens@gmail.com no later than May 1.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department harvest statistics show overall success for the 2025 season was 100% for bighorn sheep, 87% for moose and 62% for elk.
The Department issued eight bighorn sheep licenses, one of which was an auction license. The Three Affiliated Tribes Fish and Wildlife issued two licenses in 2025, one to a tribal member and one to a Game and Fish Department applicant. All 10 hunters were successful.
The Department issued 292 moose licenses last year. Of that total, 281 hunters harvested 245 animals – 147 bulls and 98 cows/calves. Harvest for each unit follows:
| Unit | Hunters | Bulls | Cow/Calf | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 42.86 |
| M6 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 80 |
| M8 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 86.67 |
| M9 | 80 | 33 | 35 | 85 |
| M10 | 114 | 61 | 45 | 92.98 |
| M11 | 55 | 31 | 16 | 85.45 |
The Department issued 1,021 elk licenses last year. Of that total, 929 hunters harvested 576 elk – 280 bulls and 296 cows/calves. Harvest for each until follows:
| Unit | Hunters | Bulls | Cow/Calf | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1E | 134 | 33 | 36 | 51.49 |
| E1W | 191 | 43 | 62 | 54.97 |
| E2 | 199 | 59 | 75 | 67.34 |
| E3 | 364 | 121 | 121 | 66.48 |
| E4 | 22 | 18 | 1 | 86.36 |
| E6 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 23.08 |
| E7 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 66.67 |
Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications are available online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. The application deadline is March 25.
A total of 1,062 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, an increase of 102 from last year.
A total of 296 moose licenses are available, which remains the same as last year.
A bighorn sheep hunting season is tentatively scheduled for 2026, depending on the sheep population. The status of the bighorn sheep season will be determined Sept. 1, after summer population surveys.
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 will be 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 are not eligible to apply for that species again.