Guest post by Sandra Johnson, North Dakota Game and Fish Department conservation biologist...
I drew my first mule deer doe tag 20 years ago.
My husband and I met in 2004 and started hunting the badlands together the following year.
We spent many rifle seasons hunting mule deer those first 10 years together.
We would set up a tent at various campgrounds, and on occasion in remote, off-grid areas where the cattle roamed.
I recall one sleepless night, imagining a scenario where a cow, drawn by curiosity to our tent and something new to lick, would become tangled in the guy lines and drag us across the badlands.
That never happened, of course, but we did have our share of mishaps, like the inevitable cactus in the butt cheeks. Still, we had a great time.
Back then, it took a few points to draw a mule deer buck tag, but you could easily draw a second-choice doe tag.
There were more than enough tags for every hunter. We would each get at least one tag, but my husband kept buying additional over-the-counter tags.
Every hunter had a freezer full of venison.
Looking back, it’s astonishing how fast the crash happened. Almost 145,000 deer gun licenses were available in 2009 to about 43,000 in 2015. Just six years.
I drew a mule deer buck tag this year, this time with six points. The last time we had buck tags was in 2017.
By then we upgraded the tent to a camper, and I slept without images of cows tipping home away from home.
For 2025, we’re upgrading again, this time to a hotel.
Partly because the luxury of a bed and hot shower is calling our now middle-aged bodies, but also because the camper is having electrical issues.
I guess we could dig out the tent from the crawl space … ah, too late now.
Everyone has their favorite game to hunt. For most North Dakotans, deer are likely number one.
But I’ll admit, deer hunting is not at the top of my list.
As we watched our black Lab grow older in the late 2000s, we decided to give a pointing dog a try. Then we got another one. Now we have three.
After discovering the thrill of watching a dog run the prairie and lock up on a covey of grouse, our November time off for deer hunting gave way to September bird hunts.
I feel bad the dogs will be stuck at the kennel while we’re strolling around the badlands.
They’ll be sniffing every piece of gear when we get back, with that judgmental look on their faces of “Where were YOU at without US?” Hopefully they will forgive us after a few more late season pheasant hunts.
I think everyone knew the “good old days” were gone but didn’t expect this level of dismal.
This year, 82,000 hunters applied for 42,300 deer gun tags. There simply aren’t enough deer to go around, and people are upset.
Really upset.
I get it. The Game and Fish Department gets it.
North Dakota has 44.1 million acres, and everyone has a different vision for them.
Biologists and hunters want habitat.
Developers want progress.
Farmers and ranchers want to make a living.
The truth is, we need all those things.
We probably won’t see 2009 deer numbers again. Getting back to a rifle tag for everyone isn’t realistic without the habitat.
There is some hope, as a CRP-like program is gaining momentum, and it has broad support from a wide range of decision makers, agriculture interests and hunters.
Maybe we won’t get back to what it once was, but we might build something that works to boost deer numbers for the future.
Meanwhile, if you didn’t draw a tag, or even if you did, go take out your frustration on some roosters.
There is at least one of those for everyone this year.
