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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

News Releases

Elk, Moose, Bighorn Sheep Applications Online

Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications are available online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. The application deadline is March 26.

A total of 960 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, an increase of 127 from last year.

Unit E7 was created after discussions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, landowners and hunters to manage a growing elk herd in and surrounding the J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge. Nontoxic ammunition is required while hunting on the refuge. General lottery license holders from E7 will be able to hunt in unit E1W beginning Nov. 24.

Licenses in units E2 and E3 increased due to a stable to increasing elk population. Licenses in elk units E1W, E4 and E6 remain the same. Licenses in unit E1E will have the same number of any licenses but fewer antlerless licenses than 2024. 

A total of 296 moose licenses are available, an increase of 54 from last year. 

Licenses in units M10 and M11 increased slightly to align with the observed population in these units. Licenses in units M6, M8 and M9 remain the same as the moose population appears to be stable with good hunter success in these units. Licenses in M5 were reduced slightly. Moose units M4 and M1C will remain closed due to a low moose population in these units. 

A bighorn sheep hunting season is tentatively scheduled for 2025, depending on the sheep population. The status of the bighorn sheep season will be determined Sept. 1, after summer population surveys. 

Unit B2 was created, adjusting the boundaries of units B3, B4 and B5. This was done to encourage the harvest of select sheep populations. 

Bighorn sheep applicants must apply for a license at the same time as moose and elk, but not for a specific unit. Once total licenses are determined for each unit in late summer, the bighorn lottery will be held and successful applicants will be contacted to select a hunting unit.

Because the bighorn sheep application fee is not refundable as per state law, if a bighorn season is not held, applicants would not receive a refund.

Elk, moose and bighorn sheep lottery licenses are issued as once-in-a-lifetime licenses in North Dakota. Hunters who have received a license through the lottery are not eligible to apply for that species again.

Drain Plugs Must Remain Out During Transport

As open water fishing on the Missouri River picks up during the spring bite, anglers should note that the drain plug must always remain out of the boat during transport, whether going to or away from the river.

In addition, to keep waters clean of aquatic nuisance species, all water users should clean, drain and dry all equipment after every use.

  • Clean and remove all plants and animals from watercraft or equipment prior to leaving any recreational area.
  • Drain all water from watercraft and equipment before leaving designated access points. Not draining water can be extremely hazardous and may cause negligent transportation of aquatic nuisance species to other locations.
  • Dry all equipment completely before using again.

 

 

Grant Application to Assist R3 Efforts

Wildlife, shooting, fraternal and nonprofit civic organizations can submit an application for the Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters program, a North Dakota Game and Fish Department grant program developed to assist in the recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunters.

The program supports projects and events that provide a positive environment to develop the skills and confidence needed to create lifelong, conservation-minded hunting and shooting sports participants.

Application deadline is May 1.

The maximum grant allowed is $3,000. The program currently helps fund approximately 40 club and organization events and projects each year, with an average grant of $1,550.

Funds help cover event expenses, including promotional printing; event memorabilia such as shirts, caps or vests; ammunition and targets; and eye and ear protection.

Past funding has enabled groups to conduct learn-to-hunt events, or sponsor trap and other shooting events, including archery and rifle shooting. Game and Fish has separate grant programs that support National Archery in the Schools Program and high school trapshooting teams.  

Clubs or organizations interested in applying should note the grant process, application, and records requirements. For more information, including a grant application, visit the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov, or contact Cayla Bendel, department R3 coordinator, at 701-220-3461.

 

Deadline to Remove Fish Houses

Unoccupied fish houses must be removed from all waters beginning March 15.

Fish houses may be used after March 15 if they are removed daily.

In addition, anglers are encouraged to look around and clean up the site if any trash is found left behind. 

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.

Game Wardens Association Offers Scholarships

The North Dakota Game Wardens Association is sponsoring scholarships for the fall semester for higher education students interested in majoring in wildlife law enforcement or a related field.

Applications must be submitted by email to ndgamewardens@gmail.com no later than May 1.

 

Game and Fish Offers Wildlife Food Plot Seed

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is once again offering free seed for the 2025 growing season to landowners interested in planting wildlife food plots for pheasants.

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 spring through fall, which will attract insects, the major diet component of pheasant chicks. Additionally, the mix will provide needed cover during spring and summer, as well as a winter food source. Other wildlife species will also benefit from this mix.

Most Game and Fish food plots are part of the department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen program, but this food plot campaign does not require a PLOTS contract. Participating landowners are encouraged to allow reasonable public access, which could mean simply providing permission to hunters from time to time, putting up “Ask Before You Enter” signs around the area, or not posting the surrounding land. Additionally, participating landowners cannot charge a fee for hunting.

The department will provide enough seed to cover up to a maximum 5-acre planting at no cost to the landowner.

Landowners interested in receiving the seed must sign up online by April 4. Seed will be available in May at Game and Fish offices in Bismarck, Jamestown, Devils Lake, Harvey, Dickinson, Williston and Riverdale.

Game and Fish private land biologists can provide technical assistance on food plot location and site preparation.

Landowners interested in additional financial incentives may be considered for the PLOTS program as well. More information is available by contacting a private land biologist at any Game and Fish office, or email ndgf@nd.gov.

Game and Fish Seeks Contractors for Work on Private Lands

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department encourages businesses to add their names to a list of available contractors to perform habitat work on Private Land Open To Sportsmen program lands across the state.

PLOTS is an agreement between the department and private landowners to open their lands to walk-in hunting. The department also encourages private landowners to establish or enhance habitat on PLOTS land with grass plantings, food plots, and so on. However, if a landowner does not have the necessary equipment for the work, a contractor is usually needed.  

There is a shortage of contractors, or equipment, to perform habitat work in some parts of the state. The bulk of the habitat work is planting native and introduced grasses, which requires a tractor, operator and a grass drill. Other work may include spraying, food plots, tree removal, prescribed burning, and construction of grazing infrastructure (fence/water).

Contractors or businesses interested in being added to the list can enter their information online or call 701-328-6265. This is not a guarantee for work, but as projects come about the department will refer landowners to the list of available contractors. 

Habitat and Hunting Access Summit Recording Available

Landowners, hunters, lawmakers, wildlife managers and others gathered in mid-December in Bismarck to discuss the importance of wildlife habitat on the landscape and providing access to hunters across the state.

Approximately 200 people attended the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Habitat and Hunting Access Summit where the evening opened with remarks from Gov. Kelly Armstrong on the importance of hunting to the state’s economy, workforce, but most importantly to North Dakota’s way of life.

“Every single time someone puts their gun away and says they’re done hunting because they can’t find anywhere to shoot a rooster, or just to have an opportunity to shoot a couple ducks, that means the likelihood of their kid hunting is almost zero,” Armstrong said. “And that’s really something that we should work on as landowners, as a government, as sportsmen … we should do everything we can to make sure that happens as few times as possible.”

And there are ways in which we can do this, Armstrong added, and there are ways in which we can have these conversations.

“But none of it’s going to happen overnight. But we have to remember that if we don’t pass this on to the next generation, it will die out,” he said. “It’s too big a part of the fabric of North Dakota to let that happen.” 

Department staff gave presentations on the status of habitat and wildlife populations in the state, followed by moderated panel discussions addressing questions that were submitted by attendees. 

The summit was hopefully only the beginning of what will be further conversations, initiatives and collaboration to address this very important topic to our state.

The summit was recorded.

 

Take Someone New Ice Fishing

To encourage greater participation in ice fishing, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department is again running the Take Someone New Ice Fishing Challenge from Dec. 16 through Mar. 31, 2025.

Invite somebody new along who has never been ice fishing and log your story here for a chance to a win a fish house donated by Runnings. One random winner will be chosen. 

All other winter fishing regulations apply.