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The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide for 2024 is now available online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. The guide will feature about 836,000 PLOTS acres. Because PLOTS tracts can be added or removed from the program throughout the year, hunters are encouraged to use the Game and Fish mobile app or other mapping and browser-based applications to locate and identify these tracts. Map sheets are updated weekly on the department’s website. The PLOTS guide features maps highlighting these wal...
Migratory bird hunters of all ages need to register with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, coots, cranes, snipe, doves and woodcock. Hunters must register in each state they are licensed to hunt. Hunters can HIP certify when purchasing a license by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Those who registered to hunt during the spring light goose conservation order in North Dakota do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required only once per year. HIP...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will lift the Tuesday-Wednesday camping restriction on state wildlife management areas for the Labor Day holiday week. The removal of the restriction will allow overnight camping Sept. 3-4 on those WMAs that otherwise have the two-day restriction in place. A complete list, including other WMA regulations, is available on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov....
A federal duck stamp is required for waterfowl hunters 16 and older beginning Sept. 1. Waterfowl includes ducks, geese, swans, mergansers and coots. This year’s 2021-22 federal duck stamp is available for electronic purchase through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, or at license vendors registered with the department’s licensing system. Physical stamps are not available at North Dakota license vendors but can still be purchased at many U.S. Postal Service offices. The electronic stamp is a purchase item like...
Want to take someone new hunting this fall? If so, the upcoming dove season offers a great opportunity to introduce a new hunter to North Dakota’s outdoors. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has a Virtual Dove Hunting Mentor webpage with all the basics, including license requirements, regulations, gear recommendations and tips for finding a place to hunt. The season opens Sept.1 and continues through Nov. 29. All dove hunters regardless of age must possess a general game and habitat license, and hunters 16 and older need a small game l...
North Dakota’s deer bow season opens Friday, Sept. 3 at noon and continues through Jan. 2, 2022. Bowhunters can buy a license online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov, or at vendors linked to the department’s online licensing system. Hunters should plan accordingly and allow for time to receive their tag in the mail, as this year the tag will arrive by postal mail and not over the counter while the customer waits. This applies while purchasing a bow license at a license vendor, or at the Game and Fish Dep...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds outdoor recreationists to keep public use areas, including state wildlife management areas, clean this summer by packing out all trash. All garbage should be placed in a proper trash receptacle. If trash cans aren’t available, or are full, take the trash and dispose of it at home. It is not uncommon to see garbage piling up around full trash containers. Styrofoam containers are not biodegradable, but yet are often found wedged in cattails, drifting or washed up on shore. Tires, mattresses and k...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds citizens that possession or use of fireworks on state wildlife management areas is prohibited. The primary objective of a wildlife management area is to enhance wildlife production, provide hunting and fishing opportunities, and offer other outdoor recreational and educational uses that are compatible with these objectives. Only activities that would not disrupt the intentions of how these areas are managed are encouraged, and a fireworks display is not compatible. In addition, the Game and...
Anglers have until midnight, March 15 to remove permanent fish houses from North Dakota waters, and from any state wildlife management area or federal refuge land. Anglers are advised to remove their house soon because access on many lakes could be restricted due to snow. The deadline of March 15 will not be extended. Fish houses may be used after March 15 if they are removed daily....
Winter anglers are reminded that any fish house left unoccupied on North Dakota waters must be made out of materials that will allow it to float. A popular question this time of year is if campers qualify as legal fish houses. The answer is the same for any structure taken on the ice – if it’s left unattended, it must be able to float; if it’s not able to float, it must be removed when the angler leaves the ice. Other fish house regulations include: - Fish houses do not require a license. - Occupied structures do not require ident...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is urging winter anglers and late-season hunters to use extreme caution when venturing out on ice. Ice thickness is never consistent, especially early in winter, and can vary significantly on the same body of water. Edges become firm before the center. A few reminders include: - Snow insulates ice, which in turn inhibits solid ice formation, and hides cracks, weak and open water areas. - Avoid cracks, pressure ridges, slushy or darker areas that signal thinner ice. The same goes for ice that forms aroun...
Friday, Sept. 14 at noon signals the start of a nine-and-a-half-day deer hunting season for youth, and hunters are reminded that a 2018 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 days to receive the deer license in the mail. Licensed residents ages 11, 12 and 13, and 10-year-olds who turn age 11 in 2018, are allowed to hunt statewide, but only for antlerless white-tailed deer. Res...
North Dakota’s roadside surveys conducted in late July and August indicate total pheasant and Hungarian partridge numbers this fall are similar to last year, while sharp-tailed grouse numbers are down. R.J. Gross, upland game management biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the survey shows total pheasants observed per 100 miles are down 2 percent from last year. In addition, broods per 100 miles were unchanged, while the average brood size was up 27 percent. The final summary is based on 278 survey runs made along 1...
The Department has openings for Hike the Maah Daah Hey Trail, an educational event for women scheduled Sept. 8-9. Women interested in attending the workshop must enroll by contacting Brian Schaffer at 701-328-6312, or email [email protected]. Participants will hike a 16-mile portion of the newest stretch of the Maah Daah Hey Trail south of Medora from Burning Coal Vein to Tom’s Wash. The Maah Daah Hey Trail offers unparalleled views of the Badlands in North Dakota. Activity level for this hike is STRENUOUS, due to the rough terrain of the b...
North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel encourage anglers to keep fish caught from depths of more than 25 feet, rather than practice catch-and-release. Scott Gangl, Game and Fish fisheries management section leader, said while catch-and-release is often encouraged under the right conditions, fish reeled in from this depth will likely die if released. “Fish caught from deep water likely won’t survive because of the extreme change in water pressure,” Gangl said. Change in water pressure will cause the swim bladder to expan...
Migratory bird hunters of all ages are reminded to register with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, coots, cranes, snipe, doves and woodcock. Hunters must register in each state for which they are licensed to hunt. Hunters can HIP certify when purchasing a license - or by clicking the Migratory Bird HIP 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 Department has openings for Hike the Maah Daah Hey Trail, an educational event for women scheduled Sept. 8-9. Women interested in attending the workshop must enroll by contacting Brian Schaffer at 701-328-6312, or email [email protected]. Participants will hike a 16-mile portion of the newest stretch of the Maah Daah Hey Trail south of Medora from Burning Coal Vein to Tom’s Wash. The Maah Daah Hey Trail offers unparalleled views of the Badlands in North Dakota. Activity level for this hike is STRENUOUS, due to the rough terrain of the b...
North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel recently stocked nearly 10 million walleye fingerlings in more than 140 waters across the state. “Considering not many went into Lake Sakakawea, this was one of the largest stockings of more than 8 million fingerlings into the smaller fishing waters across the state,” said Jerry Weigel, fisheries production and development supervisor. With more than 50 new walleye lakes in North Dakota, Weigel said the demand to stock these waters, along with the larger, traditional fisheries, has gre...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds outdoor recreationists to keep it clean this summer by packing out all trash. All garbage, including used fireworks, should be placed in a proper trash receptacle. If trash cans aren’t available, or are full, take the trash and dispose of it at home. It is not uncommon to see garbage piling up around full trash containers. Styrofoam containers are not biodegradable, but yet are often found wedged in cattails, drifting or washed up on shore. Tires, mattresses and kitchen appliances have found t...
High water levels on the Missouri River have closed or restricted access at numerous public boat ramps, specifically in the Bismarck/Mandan and Williston areas. Bob Frohlich, North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries development supervisor, said high releases from Garrison Dam have led to the closure of Cross Ranch (Sanger), Hoge Island, Grant Marsh Bridge, Fox Island and Little Heart Bottoms ramps, and high flows coming from the Yellowstone River have inundated and closed the Highway 85 boat ramp near Williston. “In addition, several o...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds citizens that possession or use of fireworks on state wildlife management areas is prohibited. The primary objective of a wildlife management area is to enhance wildlife production, provide hunting and fishing opportunities, and offer other outdoor recreational and educational uses that are compatible with these objectives. Only activities that would not disrupt the intentions of how these areas are managed are encouraged, and a fireworks display is not compatible. In addition, the Game and...
A fish kill affecting adult rainbow smelt is ongoing in portions of the upper half of Lake Sakakawea, according to Dave Fryda, Missouri River System fisheries supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Fryda said the cause of the die-off has been documented numerous times in North Dakota in the past. “The vast majority of the dead and dying smelt have physical signs of Columnaris bacteria,” said Fryda. “We’ve recovered infected fish from White Earth Bay downstream to Deepwater Bay and Van Hook Arm.” Columnaris bacteria are prese...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department closed the state’s 2016 regular paddlefish snagging season, effective at 9 p.m. Central Daylight Time, on Monday, May 9. Snaggers are reminded that Sunday and Monday are snag-and-release only. The 2016-18 fishing proclamation allows for the Game and Fish director to close the snagging season early if it appears the harvest will exceed 1,000 paddlefish. “Snaggers this year have been extremely successful,” said Greg Power, fisheries chief. “In addition, similar to last year, a high proportion of this ye...
North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel recently stocked more than 40 local fisheries with catchable trout, catfish and pike. Approximately 23,000 11-inch rainbow trout, 800 adult catfish, 750 5-pound pike and 600 1- to 5-pound cutthroat trout were recently stocked in rural and city ponds and lakes. Fisheries production and development section leader Jerry Weigel said while the state’s fisheries are at historic highs, many are not as easily accessible to youngsters, older adults and disabled anglers. “These stockings put cat...
A paddlefish tag is required to participate in North Dakota’s paddlefish snagging season, which opens May. 1 and is scheduled to continue through the end of May. However, depending on the overall harvest, an early in-season closure may occur with a 24-hour notice issued by the state Game and Fish Department. Snag-and-release of all paddlefish is required on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays; therefore, the first two days of the 2016 snagging season will be snag-and-release only. Mandatory harvest of all snagged paddlefish is required on T...
