The next guide and outfitter written examination is May 9 at 1 p.m. at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department office in Bismarck. The test is given periodically to anyone interested in becoming a guide or outfitter in the state.
In addition to passing a written exam, qualifications for becoming a guide include a background check for criminal and game and…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will have 780 any-deer bow licenses available to nonresidents in 2020.
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…
Hunter success during last fall’s pronghorn hunting season was 74 percent, according to statistics provided by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
Game and Fish issued 1,324 licenses (877 lottery and 447 gratis), and 1,167 hunters took 859 pronghorn, consisting of 786 bucks, 59 does and 14 fawns. Each hunter spent an average of 2.7 days afield.
…North Dakota’s 2020-22 fishing proclamation is set, with regulations effective April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2022. Anglers are reminded new fishing licenses are required April 1.
The 2020-22 North Dakota Fishing Guide has a new look. The 52-page document offers the same information, but in a much more user-friendly format. Anglers can find the guide online at the state Game and Fish…
Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications are available online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline to apply is March 25.
A total of 523 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, an increase of 45 from last year.
A total of 474 moose licenses are available, a decrease of five…
Harvest statistics released by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department show overall hunter success during the 2019 season for bighorn sheep was 100 percent, 87 percent for moose and 62 percent for elk.
The department issued four bighorn sheep licenses and auctioned one. All five hunters harvested a bighorn ram.
The department issued 475 moose licenses last year. Of that total…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering free seed for the 2020 growing season to landowners who are interested in planting wildlife food plots for pheasants.
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…
Anglers are reminded all 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 because mild weather conditions can quickly result in unstable ice conditions that can make removing a fish house with a vehicle difficult…
Volunteer instructors for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department were recently recognized at the annual recognition event in Bismarck.
William Bahm, Almont, was recognized as hunter education instructor of the year and Kevin Lech, Mandan, was named archery education instructor of the year. Dickinson resident Walter Turbiville was honored with a lifetime…
The 2020 spring wild turkey lottery has been held and individual results are available on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.
The Game and Fish Department will mail the spring turkey licenses to successful applicants after they purchase a valid 2020-21 hunting license. All spring turkey hunters regardless of age are required to have a general game and habitat…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds ice anglers to continue to use caution when traveling on frozen waters, even though recent ice conditions may appear safe.
Enforcement division operations supervisor Jackie Lundstrom said last fall’s record wet conditions have resulted in more water than normal moving within or between lakes, causing areas of bad ice, which is…
North Dakota’s spring light goose conservation order opens Feb. 22 and continues through May 10.
Residents must have a valid current season 2019-20 (valid through March 31) or 2020-21 (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…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s enforcement division has tallied the number of hunting, angling and boating citations for 2019, and failure to carry a license was the number one violation.
Game wardens issued more than 2,300 citations last year. Counties with the most violations were Ramsey (227), Williams (215) and McKenzie (188).
…Prospective spring turkey hunters are reminded the deadline for submitting an application for the 2020 season is Feb. 12.
Spring turkey applicants can apply online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Applications can also be submitted by calling 800-406-6409.
First-time spring turkey hunters…
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…
Several contour lake maps were recently updated with greater detail and quality and are now available on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website.
Along with maps of fishing waters that were updated in December, new waters recently improved are Northgate Dam and Smishek Lake, Burke County; New Johns Lake, Burleigh County; Camels Hump Lake, Golden…
The North Dakota National Archery in the Schools Program state tournament is scheduled for March 20-21 at the State Fair Center in Minot. The tournament will feature competition in Bullseye or Olympic style, 3-D and Varsity Archery.
The tournament consists of team and individual competition in elementary, middle school and high school divisions, including…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has received numerous reports of dead and dying Eurasian collared doves in the Bismarck-Mandan area since December. Pigeon paramyxovirus-1 has been confirmed as the cause of death.
PPMV-1 primarily affects Eurasian collared doves and pigeons and is believed to spread by direct contact between birds. Mourning doves are…
The state Game and Fish Department’s annual Earth Day awareness campaign is accepting entries for design of a 2020 Earth Day patch. North Dakota students ages 6-18 are eligible to participate. The deadline for submitting entries is March 15.
The Game and Fish Department will announce a winner in three age categories – 6-9, 10-13 and 14-18. Each winner will…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering 6,230 wild turkey licenses for the 2020 spring hunting season, 205 more than last year.
Seven of the 22 hunting units have more spring licenses than in 2019, five have fewer and nine remain the same. Unit 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) is again closed in 2020 due to lack of turkeys in the unit.
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