North Dakota’s paddlefish season opens May 1, and tags are only available for purchase online at the state Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, and during normal business hours at Game and Fish offices in Bismarck, Dickinson and Williston. Snaggers buying tags online should plan accordingly and allow for a few days delivery through the mail.
The season is scheduled to…
Outdoor enthusiasts need to be aware of ground conditions while enjoying spring activities.
An increase in human outdoor activity in spring, combined with dead ground vegetation and high winds, make this time of year highly susceptible to wildfires.
Because of highly variable weather patterns, North Dakota experiences a distinct spring fire season every year. With that in mind…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is sponsoring professional development for educator workshops this summer in Devils Lake, Bottineau and Fargo. Curriculum materials are suitable for elementary, middle and high school teachers.
Teaching Science Through Art is June 1-2 at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake and June 14-15 at Dakota College in Bottineau.
…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department Advisory Board will host public meetings on site this spring at eight locations across the state. In addition, the district 7 meeting in Bismarck will be streamed live on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
These public meetings, held each spring and fall, provide citizens with an opportunity to discuss fish and wildlife issues and ask…
Landowners interested in a 2022 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 8.
General deer and muzzleloader lottery applications will be available online in early May, also with a deadline of June 8.
Gratis applicants who have previously applied online will automatically have…
North Dakota’s moose and elk lotteries have been held, and individual results are available by visiting My Account at the state Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.
A total of 19,426 applications were received for bighorn sheep, 23,427 for elk and 26,038 for moose.
While in My Account, successful applicants must pay for a moose and/or elk license. In addition, a 2022-…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2021 bighorn sheep survey, completed by recounting lambs in March, revealed a record 335 bighorn sheep in western North Dakota, up 4% from 2020 and 15% above the five-year average. The count surpassed the previous record of 322 bighorns in 2020.
Altogether, biologists counted 99 rams, 175 ewes and 61 lambs. Not included are approximately 40…
Individuals interested in taking the exam to select candidates for the position of a full-time temporary district game warden must register no later than May 24. The test is at 10 a.m., May 27, at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's main office in Bismarck.
Applicants must register by submitting an online application through the North Dakota State Job Openings website.
…
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…
The state Game and Fish Department’s annual spring aerial mule deer survey is set to begin around April 1 in western North Dakota. Weather permitting, the survey takes about two weeks to complete.
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…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is prohibiting open burning this spring on public property it manages south of Bismarck and Mandan, as a means to reduce the potential for wildfires in a heavily wooded recreation area along the Missouri River.
All open burning, including campfires, is banned until further notice on the Oahe Wildlife Management Area along both sides of the…
Animal health officials with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and North Dakota Department of Agriculture are monitoring a national outbreak of a foreign strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza detected in a number of central and eastern states since December.
The virus can cause high levels of sickness and death in domestic poultry but has also been attributed to a number…
Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications must be submitted online before midnight, March 23.
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…
North Dakota’s paddlefish snagging season opens Sunday, May 1, and one noteworthy regulation change involves the sale and distribution of paddlefish tags.
Paddlefish tags are only available for purchase online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, and during normal business hours at Game and Fish Department offices in Bismarck, Dickinson and Williston.…
North Dakota’s 2022-24 fishing proclamation is set, with regulations effective April 1, 2022, through March 31, 2024. New fishing licenses are required April 1.
Anglers can find the 2022-24 North Dakota 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…
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…
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…
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…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering free seed for the 2022 growing season to landowners interested in planting wildlife food plots for pheasants.
Department private land section leader Kevin Kading said rather than a traditional corn or sunflower food plot, Game and Fish is offering a seed mix that provides increased plant diversity, including flowering plants from…
Local clubs or communities interested in receiving a grant to support a high school trap shooting team must have the application in before April 1. Existing teams that have received a grant in the past are not eligible.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department offers a grant of up to $1,000, with funds designed to purchase gear such as eye and hearing protection, vests, shell bags and…
