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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

News Releases

Deer Season for Young Hunters Opens Sept. 13

Friday, Sept. 13 at noon Central Time signals the start of a nine-and-a-half-day deer hunting season for youth, and hunters are reminded that a 2019 general game and habitat license must be purchased before the state Game and Fish Department mails the youth deer license.

Hunters are encouraged to purchase the required license early, since it takes a couple of days to receive the deer license in the mail.

Licensed residents who turn age 11, 12 or 13 in 2019, are allowed to hunt statewide, but only for antlerless white-tailed deer.

Resident deer gun hunters who turn age 14 or 15 in 2019, with a “youth season” license, can hunt statewide for any deer, except a special license is required to hunt antlered mule deer in units 3B1, 3B2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F (valid only in the unit printed on the license).

After opening day, hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Solid daylight fluorescent orange vests or coats, and hats, are required for all young hunters and their adult mentors.

Each youth deer hunter must be under direct supervision of an adult while in the field. The adult is prohibited from carrying a firearm or bow while accompanying the youth hunter during the youth season.

The youth deer season closes Sunday, Sept. 22.

Sandhill Crane Season Opens Sept. 14

North Dakota’s sandhill crane season opens Sept. 14 and runs through Nov. 10.

Limits are three daily and nine in possession in unit 1 (west of U.S. Highway 281), and two daily and six in possession in unit 2 (east of U.S. Highway 281). Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to 1 p.m. each day through Nov. 2. Beginning Nov. 3, shooting hours are extended until 2 p.m. each day.

Hunters are urged to use caution and identify birds to prevent shooting at whooping cranes as they begin their fall migration.

In addition to other licenses required, resident hunters need a $10 crane permit, while nonresidents need a $30 permit. Hunters can buy a license online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Harvest Information Program certification is required. To get HIP certified, access the Department’s website, or call 888-634-4798.

 

Bowhunters in Williston Area Asked to Help with CWD Surveillance

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is asking bowhunters who harvest a deer in gun hunting units 3A1 and 3B1 to help the department’s chronic wasting disease surveillance efforts by submitting the head of their animal for testing.

Heads may be dropped off in freezers located at the Game and Fish district office in Williston, and at the Divide County sheriff’s office in Crosby (north side of building). Hunters wishing to keep the head may have it sampled at the Williston office during business hours. Taxidermists in Williston are also assisting in the effort by saving heads throughout the season.

Instructions and information are posted at the drop-off sites. Test results will be provided to hunters within 2-3 weeks. Additional drop-off sites will be available throughout the region during the deer gun season in November.

CWD is a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines if left unchecked. Annual surveillance for CWD is critical for determining the spread of the disease and if management actions have been effective.

More information on CWD, including information about testing, is available at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

 

Grouse and Partridge Seasons Open Sept. 14

North Dakota’s popular hunting seasons for grouse and partridge will open Saturday, Sept. 14.

Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Sharptails, ruffed grouse and Huns each have a daily limit of three and a possession limit of 12.

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

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. County governments also 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. Information on current fire danger indexes is available through ndresponse.gov, or from a county sheriff’s office.

For further season information and regulations, hunters should consult the North Dakota 2019-20 Hunting and Trapping Guide. 

 

Hunters Reminded of Big Game Transport Rules

Big game hunters are reminded of requirements for transporting deer, elk and moose carcasses and carcass parts into and within North Dakota, as a precaution against the possible spread of chronic wasting disease.

Hunters are prohibited from transporting into or within North Dakota the whole carcass of deer, elk, moose or other members of the cervid family from states and provinces with documented occurrences of CWD in wild populations, or in captive cervids. 

In addition, hunters harvesting a white-tailed deer or mule deer from deer hunting units 3A1, 3B1 and 3F2, a moose from moose hunting unit M10, or an elk from elk hunting unit E6, cannot transport the whole carcass, including the head and spinal column, outside of the unit. However, hunters can transport the whole deer carcass between units 3A1 and 3B1 during any open deer season. 

The following lower-risk portions of the carcass can be transported:

  • Meat that has been boned out.
  • Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached.
  • Meat that is cut and wrapped either commercially or privately.
  • Hides with no heads attached.
  • Skull plates with antlers attached having no hide or brain tissue present.
  • Intact skulls with the hide, eyes, lower jaw and associated soft tissue removed, and no visible brain or spinal cord tissue present
  • Antlers with no meat or tissue attached.
  • Upper canine teeth, also known as buglers, whistlers or ivories.
  • Finished taxidermy heads.

Hunters should also note that hunting big game over bait, or placing bait to attract big game for the purpose of hunting, is prohibited in deer units 3A1, 3A2, 3A3 north of U.S. Highway 2, 3B1, 3C west of the Missouri River, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1 and 3F2.

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 is 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 - or by clicking the HIP Registration link - at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, hunters can call 888-634-4798 and record the HIP number on their printed license.

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.

 

New Waterfowl Book Available

Outdoor enthusiasts interested in North Dakota’s waterfowl will want to get their hands on the state Game and Fish Department’s new book, “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.

“We wanted to make the book appealing to both waterfowl hunters and people interested in history, and I believe we did that,” Szymanski said. “The book is user-friendly and contains a ton of really cool, old photos of hunting scenes and historical figures.”

Szymanski and his predecessor, longtime Game and Fish waterfowl program leader Mike Johnson, worked with the authors and others to see the book to publication. 

“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.

Fall Turkey Season Set

North Dakota’s fall turkey season is set, with 3,660 licenses available to hunters, 50 fewer than last year.

Fall turkey hunters, including gratis applicants, who are interested in applying for a 2019 license can submit an online application through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

Applications are also accepted at the department’s toll-free licensing line, 800-406-6409. A service fee is added for license applications made over the phone.

The deadline for applying is Sept. 4.

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.

As per state law, a resident who does not want to receive a fall turkey hunting license but would like to accrue a bonus point, can purchase a point on the application for the same fee as the turkey license. The bonus point fee is allocated to the department’s Private Lands Open to Sportsmen Program.

Hunting units 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) and 47 (Sheridan, Wells, Eddy, Foster, Kidder and Stutsman counties) will be closed to fall turkey hunting again this year because of low turkey numbers.

The fall wild turkey season runs from Oct. 12 through Jan. 5, 2020.

Swan Hunt Lottery Held, Licenses Remain

North Dakota’s swan lottery has been held and 185 licenses remain. Only hunters who do not have a swan license for the 2019 season can apply, as regulations limit hunters to one license per year.

Beginning Aug. 28, all remaining licenses will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Resident and nonresident hunters must apply online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. The license fee is $10 for residents and $30 for nonresidents.

The statewide tundra swan hunting season is Sep. 28 – Dec. 29, 2019. 

Hunters should note that Game and Fish will not mail swan licenses to successful applicants until after they purchase a valid 2019-20 hunting license. All swan hunters, regardless of age, are required to have a general game and habitat license. In addition, residents age 16 and older need a small game license and nonresidents must have a waterfowl license.

Game Warden Exam Set for Sept. 6

Individuals interested in taking the exam to select candidates for the position of district game warden must register no later than Sept. 2. The test is at 10 a.m., Sept. 6, at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's main office in Bismarck.

Applicants must register to take the exam by submitting an online application through the North Dakota State Job Openings website.

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and have a bachelor’s degree at time of hire, have a valid driver’s license and a current North Dakota peace officer license, or be eligible to be licensed. Candidates must have excellent interpersonal skills in communications and writing, and must not have a record of any felony convictions.

District game wardens enforce game and fish laws and related regulations in an assigned district and other locations as determined by the department. Wardens normally work alone under varied conditions, at all hours of the day, night and weekends. In addition to law enforcement duties, wardens assist in the areas of public relations, education programs, and hunter and boat safety education.

Salary through training for a district game warden is $3,900 per month. For more information, see the district game warden job announcement on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

Federal Duck Stamp Required Sept. 1

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 2019-20 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. The words "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 actual physical stamp. 

Deer Archery Season Opens Aug. 30

North Dakota’s deer archery season opens Friday, Aug. 30 at noon, and continues through Jan. 5, 2020.

Bowhunters can buy a license online at the state 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. A general game and habitat license is also required for archery hunters, and must be purchased prior to receiving the archery tag.

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 and 3F2.

Hunters should refer to the 2019 deer hunting guide for season information and regulations.