The 2022 North Dakota OUTDOORS calendar is available for ordering online at the state Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.
The calendar features outstanding color photographs of North Dakota wildlife and scenery, and includes season opening and application deadline dates, sunrise-sunset times and moon phases.
Calendars are also available via mail order. Send $3 for each, plus $1 postage, to: Calendar, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND 58501-5095.
The calendar is the North Dakota OUTDOORS magazine’s December issue, so current subscribers should have already received it in the mail.
Coyote Catalog Available
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department and North Dakota Department of Agriculture are again opening the Coyote Catalog, a statewide effort designed to connect committed hunters and trappers with landowners who are dealing with coyotes in their areas.
Anyone who registered for the Coyote Catalog in the past must register again to activate their names on the database.
Throughout winter, hunters or trappers may receive information on participating landowners, and they should contact landowners to make arrangements.
Landowners experiencing coyote depredation of livestock should first contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services.
The Coyote Catalog will remain active through March 31.
For more information, contact Ryan Herigstad at Game and Fish, 701-595-4463 or rherigstad@nd.gov; or Colby Lysne, at the Department of Agriculture, 701-390-7515 or clysne@nd.gov.
2022 Tentative Season Opening Dates
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department annually provides its best estimate for opening dates to help hunters prepare for hunting seasons.
Dates become official when approved by governor’s proclamation. Tentative opening dates for 2022 include:
2022 Tentative Season Opening Dates
Season
Tentative Open Date
Spring Turkey
April 9
Dove
September 1
Deer and Pronghorn Bow, Mountain Lion
September 2
Sharptail, Hun, Ruffed Grouse, Squirrel
September 10
Youth Deer
September 16
Youth Waterfowl
September 17
Early Resident Waterfowl
September 24
Youth Pheasant, Regular Waterfowl
October 1
Pronghorn Gun
October 7
Pheasant, Fall Turkey
October 8
Mink, Muskrat, Weasel Trapping
October 22
Deer Gun
November 4
Deer Muzzleloader
November 25
Darkhouse Spearfishing Opens at Ice-Up
North Dakota’s darkhouse spearfishing season opens on most state waters whenever ice-up occurs. Legal fish are northern pike and nongame species.
Individuals required to possess a valid fishing license (age 16 and older) to darkhouse spearfish must first register online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.
Spearers and anglers are reminded that materials used to mark holes must be in possession as soon as a hole greater than 10 inches in diameter is made in the ice.
All waters open to hook and line fishing are open to darkhouse spearing except:
East Park Lake, West Park Lake, Lake Audubon – McLean County
Nonprofit organizations eligible to receive big game hunting licenses in 2022 must have the application submitted to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department no later than Jan. 1.
North Dakota state law provides direction for the Game and Fish director to allocate big game hunting licenses to eligible organizations. Under this directive, up to two elk, moose and pronghorn licenses, and 10 white-tailed deer licenses, can be issued to organizations to use for fundraising.
Eligible organizations must be exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3), and must provide a copy of the letter from the Internal Revenue Service to that effect. In addition, organizations must be active and in good standing with the office of the North Dakota Secretary of State.
Successful lottery applicants must agree to donate at least 10% of the net proceeds of any license fundraiser to a conservation-related project, such as hunting access, conservation education, habitat development or shooting range management.
Fishing Tournaments Require 30-Day Notice
Organizers planning fishing tournaments, including ice fishing contests this winter, must submit an application along with fishing tournament regulations to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at least 30 days prior to the start of the event.
The 30-day advance notice allows for review by agency staff to ensure the proposed tournament will not have negative biological consequences, or conflicts with other proposed tournaments for the same location and/or time.
Fishing tournaments may not occur without first obtaining a valid permit from the department.
Waterfowl Book Makes Great Gift
Looking for a gift for a waterfowl hunter this holiday season? You might want to check out the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s “The Duck Factory – A History of Waterfowl in North Dakota.”
Authored by Mike Jacobs and Erik Fritzell, the 213-page, soft-cover publication in full color traces the history of waterfowl species and their habitats in North Dakota.
Migratory game bird program leader Mike Szymanski said there is a lot of interesting information about the interactions with people and waterfowl in North Dakota.
“This book is appealing to both waterfowl hunters and people interested in history,” Szymanski said. “It has a lot of really cool, old photos of hunting scenes and historical figures.”
“The Duck Factory” is an important story because of North Dakota’s longtime and continuing contribution to the world of migratory birds, Szymanski said. “North Dakota is the most important state for breeding ducks,” he added. “The contribution of ducks from North Dakota into the fall flight is unmatched by any other state, and its importance to duck hunters cannot be understated. Describing the history of waterfowl in North Dakota was a story that we felt was certainly worth telling.”
The book is sold only online for $24.99, including shipping, on the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, by clicking on Buy and Apply, and then Shop.
Mountain Lion Zone 1 Late Season Opens
North Dakota’s early mountain lion season in Zone 1 closed Sunday, Nov. 21, and the late season, when hunters can pursue lions with dogs, is open.
During the early season, hunters took one cat from a harvest limit of eight. Under the season structure, a conditional season could open five days after the late season closes for hunters to pursue the additional seven mountain lions that were not taken.
The late season in Zone 1 opened Nov. 22 and is scheduled to run through March 31, 2022, or until the harvest limit is reached. The late season harvest limit is seven total lions or three female lions, whichever comes first.
Hunters are advised to check the status of the late season by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.
Zone 1 includes land in western North Dakota south of ND Highway 1804 from the Montana border to the point where ND Highway 1804 lies directly across Lake Sakakawea from ND Highway 8, crossing Lake Sakakawea, then south along ND Highway 8 to ND Highway 200, then west on ND Highway 200 to U.S. Highway 85, then south on U.S. Highway 85 to the South Dakota border.
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, 2022.
The mountain lion season is open only to North Dakota residents. Hunters need a furbearer or combination license to participate.
Early Ice Awareness
Outdoor enthusiasts are reminded to be aware of early ice conditions before traveling onto and across North Dakota waters.
A few reminders include:
Edges firm up faster than farther out from shore.
Snow insulates ice, which in turn inhibits solid ice formation, hiding cracks, weak and open water areas.
Ice can form overnight, causing unstable conditions. Ice thickness is not consistent, as it can vary significantly within a few inches.
Avoid cracks, pressure ridges, slushy or darker areas that signal thinner ice. The same goes for ice that forms around partially submerged trees, brush, embankments or other structures.
Anglers should drill test holes as they make their way out on the lake, and an ice chisel should be used to check ice thickness while moving around.
Daily temperature changes cause ice to expand and contract, affecting its strength.
The following minimums are recommended for travel on clear-blue lake ice formed under ideal conditions. However, early in the winter it’s a good idea to double these figures to be safe: 4 inches for a group walking single file; 6 inches for a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle; 8-12 inches for an automobile; and 12-15 inches for a pickup/truck.
And some life-saving safety tips:
Wear a personal flotation device and carry a cell phone.
Carry ice picks or a set of screwdrivers to pull yourself back on the ice if you fall through.
If someone breaks through the ice, call 911 immediately. Rescue attempts should employ a long pole, board, rope, blanket or snowmobile suit. If that’s not possible, throw the victim a life jacket, empty water jug or other buoyant object. Go to the victim as a last resort, but do this by forming a human chain where rescuers lie on the ice with each person holding the feet of the person in front.
To treat hypothermia, replace wet clothing with dry clothing and immediately transport the victim to a hospital.
Late-Season Hunting Dates
The statewide duck and white-fronted goose seasons close Dec. 5. However, duck hunting in the high plains unit reopens Dec. 11 and continues through Jan. 2.
In addition, the season for Canada geese closes Dec. 18 in the eastern zone, Dec. 23 in the western zone and Dec. 31 in the Missouri River zone. Light goose hunting closes statewide Dec. 31.
Archery deer, fall turkey, sharp-tailed and ruffed grouse, partridge and pheasant hunting seasons continue through Jan. 2.
The season for tree squirrels closes Feb. 28.
Collective Effort to Save Native Grasslands Unveiled
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department announces a new statewide strategy that will team landowners, conservation groups, scientists, and others to enhance, restore and sustain native grasslands in North Dakota.
The vision of the Meadowlark Initiative, named after the state’s iconic, yet declining Western meadowlark, is to promote and create healthy, thriving grasslands that provide biodiversity and prosperity for wildlife, pollinators, ranching operations and communities.
North Dakota has lost more than 70% of its native prairie over time, and it will take more than the Game and Fish Department and its long list of contributing partners in the long-haul task of enhancing, restoring and retaining what’s left of North Dakota’s native grasslands.
“When we talk about native prairie in the state, we need to acknowledge who the owners and managers of our native prairie are,” said Greg Link, Department conservation and communications division chief. “In most cases, we’re talking about ranchers and producers who run livestock on that prairie. We need those folks because they're important in keeping that prairie healthy.”
Link said through the Meadowlark Initiative, producers can plant marginal cropland back to diverse native perennial grasslands for grazing. Cost-share to establish the grass and to install grazing infrastructure, such as fencing and water, is available. During the first three years of grass establishment, producers also are eligible to receive rental payments as the land transitions from cropland to grazing land.
“This is about keeping working lands working, getting it done on the private playing field, and we know in that arena, we have to come together, we've got to collaborate,” he said.
A year ago, the Game and Fish Department and 13 contributing partners submitted a USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program grant proposal, seeking to leverage over $12 million in partner contributions with $10 million of USDA-NRCS funding to kick-start collaborative work toward a goals and objectives, encompassed in the Meadowlark Initiative. In spring, it was selected as one of 85 successful projects nationwide.
Together, the collected effort focuses on improving, increasing and connecting wildlife habitat, and supporting the sustainability of new and existing livestock ranches by offering incentives and programs to promote regenerative grazing with grass-based livestock operations.
To learn more about the Meadowlark Initiative, visit the game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov.
Advisory Board Meetings Announced
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department Advisory Board will host public meetings on site this fall at eight locations across the state.
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.
Topics to be discussed include: 2022-24 fishing proclamation, drought conditions impacting water levels, epizootic hemorrhagic disease, chronic wasting disease, meadowlark initiative and electronic posting.
District 1 – Divide, McKenzie and Williams counties
North Dakota Game and Fish Department