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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

News Releases

Fire Danger Index for Fall Outdoor Activity

As hunting seasons and other fall outdoor activities get underway, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds hunters, anglers and other enthusiasts to be aware of the daily fire danger index.

Recent high daytime temperatures, combined with typical dry, late-summer ground conditions, has caused an elevated fire danger index in some counties that will influence outdoor activities.

Hunters are urged to keep up with the daily rural fire danger index, issued by the National Weather Service, to alert the public to conditions that may be conducive to accidental starting or spread of fires.

In addition, county governments have the authority to adopt penalties for violations of county restrictions related to burning bans. These restrictions apply regardless of the daily fire danger index and remain in place until each county’s commission rescinds the ban.

The fire danger index can change daily depending on temperature, wind and precipitation forecasts. If the index reaches the extreme category, open burning is prohibited; off-road travel with a motorized vehicle is prohibited, except for people engaged in a trade, business or occupation where it is required; and smoking is restricted to inside of vehicles, hard surface areas, homes or in approved buildings.

Information on current fire danger indexes is available at NDResponse.gov.

Swan Lottery Held

North Dakota’s swan lottery has been held and individual results are available online at the state Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

A total of 2,200 hunting licenses were available and 2,502 applications were received. All licenses were issued.

Unsuccessful applicants have received a refund to their credit card.

Hunters Reminded of Baiting Restrictions

Hunters are reminded it is unlawful to hunt big game over bait, or place bait to attract big game for the purpose of hunting, in deer units 3A1, 3A2, 3A3 north of U.S. Highway 2, 3B1, 3C west of the Missouri River, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1, 3F2, 4A, 4B and 4C. 

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department strongly discourages recreational feeding of wildlife within these units. The restriction is in place to help slow the spread of chronic wasting disease, a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines if left unchecked. 

In addition, baiting for any purpose is prohibited on all Game and Fish Department wildlife management areas. Hunting big game over bait is also prohibited on all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, U.S. Forest Service national grasslands, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed lands, and all North Dakota state trust, state park and state forest service lands.

More information on CWD can be found at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

 

Deer Archery Season Opens Sept. 4

North Dakota’s deer archery season opens Friday, Sept. 4 at noon and continues through Jan. 3, 2021.

Bowhunters can buy a license online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov; by calling 800-406-6409; or at vendors linked to the Game and Fish Department’s online licensing system. Hunters who purchase bow licenses at a vendor location will receive a tag at time of purchase; otherwise, hunters who purchase their license over the phone or personal computer should allow for several days to receive their tag in the mail.

Bowhunters must follow all regulations of the managing agency when using tree stands, ground blinds and game cameras on public hunting areas, including displaying an equipment registration number, or the owner's name, address and telephone number, on all equipment left unattended on Game and Fish wildlife management areas.

In addition, hunting big game over bait is prohibited on both public and private land in deer hunting units 3A1, 3A2, 3A3 north of U.S. Highway 2, 3B1, 3C west of the Missouri River, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1, 3F2, 4A, 4B and 4C.

Hunters should refer to the 2020 deer hunting guide for season information and regulations.

Dove Season Opens Sept. 1

North Dakota’s dove season opens statewide Sept. 1, and hunters are reminded to register with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting.

The daily limit is 15 and possession limit 45. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. The season is open through Nov. 29.

All dove hunters, regardless of age, must possess a general game and habitat license. In addition, hunters ages 16 and older need a small game license.

Hunters can HIP certify when purchasing a license at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, hunters can call 888-634-4798.

Those who registered to hunt the spring light goose or August Management Take/Early September Canada goose seasons in North Dakota do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required only once per year. However, hunters must HIP register in each state for which they are licensed before hunting migratory game birds.

 

Equipment Registration Number Used for Identification

Hunters, trappers and anglers are reminded that an equipment registration number, or the individual’s name, address and telephone number, must be displayed on all equipment requiring identification.

While on state wildlife management areas, identification is required on items such as ground blinds, tree stands, cameras and traps.

Identification must be attached to cable devices that are set on either private or public land, and on fish houses left unattended on the ice.

Owners can generate an equipment registration number by visiting buy and apply at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. One registration number will be issued that can be used on all equipment that requires identification.

The equipment registration number does not expire.

Federal Duck Stamp Required Sept. 1, 2020

Waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are reminded a federal duck stamp is required beginning Sept. 1. Waterfowl includes ducks, geese, swans, mergansers and coots.

This year’s 2020-21 federal duck stamp is available for electronic purchase through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, instant licensing telephone number, 800-406-6409, or at license vendors registered with the department’s licensing system. Physical stamps are not available at North Dakota license vendors, but they can still be purchased at many U.S. Postal Service offices.

The electronic stamp is a purchase item like any other hunting or fishing license. When the purchase is completed the electronic stamp is valid immediately. Federal Duck Stamp will be printed on the license certificate, along with an expiration date 45 days from the date of purchase. The actual physical stamp will be sent by postal mail.

The physical stamp is processed and sent by the official duck stamp vendor in Texas, and should arrive to the individual buyer well before the expiration date printed on the electronic license. The physical stamp must remain in possession of the hunter after the 45-day electronic stamp has expired. Individuals who have questions regarding the status of their physical stamp can contact the federal duck stamp vendor customer service number at 800-852-4897.

The federal duck stamp has a fee of $25. An additional $1.50 fee is added to cover shipping and handling costs of the physical stamp.

Pronghorn Lottery Held

North Dakota’s pronghorn lottery has been held and individual results are available online at the state Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

A total of 1,790 licenses were available in 15 units, and 16,248 applications, including 689 gratis, were received.

All licenses were issued.

 

Fall Turkey Season Set, Application Deadline Sept. 2

North Dakota’s fall turkey season is set with 3,785 licenses available to hunters, 125 more than last year.

Unit 47 (Eddy, Foster, Kidder, Sheridan, Stutsman and Wells counties), which has been closed to fall turkey hunting because of low numbers, is open due to an increase in turkeys in the northern part of the unit. Unit 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) will remain closed because of a low turkey population.

Fall turkey hunters, including gratis applicants, who are interested in applying for a 2020 license can submit an online application through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

Applications are also accepted by calling 800-406-6409. A service fee is added for license applications made over the phone. The deadline for applying is Sept. 2.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply in the first lottery. Nonresidents can apply for fall turkey licenses that are still available following the first lottery.

The fall wild turkey season runs from Oct. 10 through Jan. 3, 2021.

 

Electronic Posting Pilot Study in Ramsey, Richland and Slope Counties

Hunters in Ramsey, Richland and Slope counties are encouraged to use the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s online map resources this fall to evaluate electronic posting, a pilot study that was authorized by the 2019 state legislature.

Private land that is posted electronically for the 2020-21 hunting season is viewable on a computer or smartphone, or can be printed from the Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

A benefit of electronic posting is the ability for hunters to determine a point of contact for the landowner, or authorized individual who posted the land. Point of contact is included on the Department’s map service application.

Hunters are reminded to be respectful of landowners and be mindful of their daily schedules, as farmers will be busy with fall duties, including harvesting crops, moving cattle and hauling bales.

Hunters using the application will help evaluate electronic posting as an option for landowners to post land into the future. The electronic posting study will conclude with a brief survey. The information collected will help the North Dakota Legislature’s Interim Natural Resources Committee determine the usability of the electronic posting application and provide direction for changes required to existing law.

A total of 79 landowners in the three counties are participating in the pilot study by electronically posting their land, totaling 268 parcels and 38,600 acres.

More information on electronic posting is available by visiting the Game and Fish website.

PLOTS Guide Available Online

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide for 2020 is now available online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, the free printed PLOTS guides will be available in mid-August at most license vendors and other locations throughout the state.

The guide will feature about 800,000 PLOTS acres. Because the guide is printed in mid-August, some PLOTS tracts highlighted in the guide may have been removed from the program since the time of printing. There will also be some PLOTS tracts where the habitat and condition of the tract will have changed significantly. Conversely, Game and Fish may have added new tracts to the program after the guide went to press.

To minimize possible confusion, Game and Fish will update PLOTS map sheets weekly on its website.

The PLOTS guide features maps highlighting these walk-in areas, identified in the field by inverted triangular yellow signs, as well as other public lands.

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

 

Swan Application Deadline Aug. 12

Swan hunters are reminded the deadline for submitting an application for the 2020 season is Aug. 12

Applicants must submit an online application through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. North Dakota residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply. The resident swan license is $10, while the nonresident fee is $30.

The statewide tundra swan hunting season opens Oct. 3. A total of 2,200 licenses are available. Successful applicants will receive a tag to take one swan during the season. Since swans are classified as waterfowl, a nonresident may hunt them only during the period their nonresident waterfowl license is valid.

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