The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will have 810 any-deer bow licenses available to nonresidents in 2022.
Applicants can apply online beginning March 15 on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for applying is April 15.
Up to five hunters can apply together as a party. A lottery will be held if more applications are received than licenses available. A total…
Based on all the necessary ingredients needed to provide essential water levels for lakes Sakakawea and Oahe in 2022, the forecast to do just that doesn’t look promising at this time.
“Given current water levels and projected runoff based on mountain snowpack, its likely both lakes Sakakawea and Oahe will be 5-10 feet lower than the lake elevations experienced in 2021,” said Greg Power…
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 23.
A total of 563 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, an increase of 40 from last year.
A total of 404 moose licenses are available, a decrease of 70 from last year. Moose units M4 and M1C will remain…
Mountain lion hunting during the late season in Zone 1 is closed immediately. The zone’s late-season harvest limit of either seven total cats or three females was reached after the third female was taken.
A conditional season in Zone 1 will open March 6 for hunters to pursue the additional seven mountain lions that were not taken during the early season. The Zone 1 early season harvest…
The deadline to submit entries for North Dakota’s Earth Day Patch contest is March 15.
The Earth Day Patch Contest is step one in bringing awareness and develop consciousness about the environmental conditions of our planet and North Dakota. Students who participate will develop a patch design using five colors to incorporate some aspect of Earth Day including environmental awareness,…
Anglers are reminded unoccupied fish houses must be removed from all waters beginning March 15 until ice-out.
Fish houses may be used after March 15 if they are removed daily.
Anglers are advised to use caution while accessing area lakes. Ice conditions can vary from region to region, between lakes in the same region, and even on the same lake
Harvest statistics released by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department show overall hunter success during the 2021 season for bighorn sheep was 80 percent, 90 percent for moose and 65 percent for elk.
The department issued four bighorn sheep licenses and auctioned one. Four of the five hunters harvested a bighorn ram.
The department issued 470 moose licenses last year. Of…
With most chronic wasting disease testing completed, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department reports 26 deer tested positive during the 2021 hunting season.
Fourteen were from hunting unit 3F2, eight from unit 3A1, and one was found in unit 3B1. Single positive deer were also found in three units (3C, 3D1 and 3E2) where the disease had not been previously detected.
CWD is a…
The 2022 spring wild turkey lottery has been held and 642 licenses remain in seven units. Remaining licenses are issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning 8 a.m. Central Time on March 16.
Hunters are allowed two licenses for the spring season.
Licenses remain in unit 06, Bowman County; unit 13, Dunn County; unit 19, Grant and Sioux counties and portions of Morton…
Spring turkey applicants are reminded the deadline to submit applications is Feb. 16.
Applicants can apply online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.
A total of 7,647 wild turkey licenses are available, 635 more than last year. Unit 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) remains closed due to lack of turkeys in the unit.
First-time spring turkey…
North Dakota’s spring light goose conservation order opens Feb. 19 and continues through May 15.
Residents must have a 2021-22 (valid through March 31) or 2022-23 (required April 1) combination license; or a small game, and general game and habitat license. Resident youth under age 16 only need the general game and habitat license. The 2022-23 license is available for purchase…
The next guide and outfitter written examination is April 2 at 1 p.m. at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department office in Bismarck. Preregistration is required no later than March 25 by calling the department’s enforcement office at 701-328-6604.
In addition to passing a written exam, qualifications for becoming a guide include a background check for criminal and game and fish…
Landowners interested in posting private land electronically for the 2022-23 hunting season can log into My Account on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for landowners to digitally post land is July 1, which is necessary to produce print material and digital content prior to hunting seasons that begin in August.
The 2021 state legislature passed…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s enforcement division tallied the number of hunting, angling and boating citations for 2021, and failure to carry a license was the number one violation.
Game wardens issued more than 2,600 citations last year. Counties with the most violations were Ramsey (399), Williams (132) and Benson (125).
The most common violations and number…
North Dakotans interested in supporting wildlife conservation programs are reminded to look for the Watchable Wildlife checkoff on the state tax form.
The state income tax form gives wildlife enthusiasts an opportunity to support nongame wildlife like songbirds and birds of prey, while at the same time contributing to programs that help everyone enjoy all wildlife.
The checkoff…
Wildlife managers urge outdoor enthusiasts to consider where they recreate during North Dakota’s leanest months to spare already stressed animals that are simply trying to survive the snow and cold.
This advice is especially true this winter as wildlife habitat and available food sources are limited because ongoing drought conditions leading up to winter nearly crippled the development…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual midwinter waterfowl survey in early January indicated about 81,000 Canada geese in the state.
Andy Dinges, Department migratory game bird biologist, said that number likely would have been higher, but snow and bitterly cold weather in late December undoubtedly pushed some birds south just prior to the survey.
“The number of…
The Earth Day Patch Contest is step one in bringing awareness and develop consciousness about the environmental conditions of our planet and North Dakota. Students who participate will develop a patch design using five colors to incorporate some aspect of Earth Day including environmental awareness, respect for Earth, water quality, wildlife or habitat conservation in North Dakota.
The…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering 7,647 wild turkey licenses for the 2022 spring hunting season, 635 more than last year.
Ten of the 22 hunting units have more spring licenses than last year, one has fewer licenses and 10 remain the same. Unit 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) is again closed due to lack of turkeys in the unit.
One noteworthy change from…
Tree stands, blinds, steps, and other personal items such as cameras, must be removed from all wildlife management areas by Jan. 31.
Items not removed by Jan. 31 are considered abandoned property and are subject to removal and confiscation by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
