Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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While my college transcript might indicate otherwise, I've always enjoyed statistics. That's about the most positive spin I can put on my appreciation for numbers while giving credit to the confusion some figures can portray. Case in point: If you took the 2019 pheasant hunting statistics at face value, you might think the pheasant numbers were down. Our post-season survey showed about 50,000 pheasant hunters harvested 256,800 roosters (down 25%) in 2019, compared to 59,400 hunters and 342,600...
Fisheries managers often hear from anglers who fish in, say, Minnesota and elsewhere, and wonder why specific regulations are applied in those states, but not North Dakota. One of the more frequent conversations involves slot limits. North Dakota doesn’t currently have any slot-limit regulations, and most fisheries managers will tell you that a slot limit is likely the most misunderstood of fish size restrictions. Most anglers refer to a slot limit as a harvestable size range, say, from 14 to 2...
Readers of this column know I love wildlife as much as anyone. In person, on the phone and via email I've connected with many compassionate people regarding situations with young wildlife, and I understand it's not easy to step back from the urge to "help" an animal and let nature take its course. But in the big picture, that is the best choice. From seemingly abandoned deer fawns, to birds that fell from a nest, to a mother duck trying to lead her brood across a crowded city parking lot,...
Hunters looking for a bit of good news got some recently, when the North Dakota Game and Fish Department announced a license increase for the 2020 deer gun season. The actual numbers are 69,050 deer gun licenses available to hunters, 3,550 more than last year. As a closer look inside the numbers shows that any-antlered licenses increased by 1,500 from last year, any-antlerless by 1,600, antlered whitetail by 250, antlerless whitetail by 200, and antlered and antlerless mule deer licenses...
Now is the time to start thinking about hunter education, not next fall. If you’re planning to hunt out of state, check if you may need certification. If you have a child, friend or relative who will need a hunter education certificate in order to purchase a North Dakota hunting license in 2020, now is the time to make sure that gets taken care off. In North Dakota, hunter education classes are taught by several hundred volunteer instructors, a great group always looking for new members (yes, t...
I’m amazed at the raw pure connection to the outdoors enjoyed by many of my friends and co-workers. When the temperature drops and the ice begins to form, it doesn’t signal the end to spending time hunting and fishing. It’s just a transition. One of those transitions taking place now is the wait for darkhouse spearfishing. That season no longer has a specific opening date, so you can start spearing whenever you can find safe ice on which to set up a darkhouse. Some spearers got an early start...
I met a new friend recently who had moved to back North Dakota from California. When the afternoon discussion turned to the many options for restaurants now available in North Dakota that weren’t here when he left for the military, we both recalled fond memories of growing up in rural North Dakota and eating more grouse, duck, partridge and venison meals than fast food. I’ve dined on an array of wild game preparations, from delicacies like lemon-pepper broiled walleye, to more obscure off...
Wild fish and game is a common, much anticipated course to many a North Dakota meal. But if you’ve ever tried a piece of freezer burned fish, or taken a bite of a sour piece of jerky you may hesitate the next time it’s offered your way. This is why proper care of wild game, and food safety recommendations, are an important component to not only enjoying a meal, but also introducing the next generation of hunters and anglers to the tasty end products of a day in the field or on a lake. With fal...
The discovery of chronic wasting disease in deer in North Dakota 10 years ago was an unfortunate milestone. The disease is fatal to deer, elk, and moose and can lead to reduced populations if left unchecked. While there is no treatment, vaccine or feasible way to eliminate CWD. The state Game and Fish Department has implemented regulations over subsequent years that are designed to minimize the spread of the disease within the state. In addition to carcass transportation restrictions from three...
The 2019 North Dakota hunting seasons have officially been open since Aug. 15 when the early Canada goose management take began. In fact, depending on the Canada goose zone in which you hunt, the first early season closure is Sept. 7 in the Missouri River zone. The other Canada goose zone closures are Sept. 15 in the western zone and Sept. 20 in the eastern zone. But this column is more about openings than closures. We’re in that time of year when many weekends through early November have so...
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 h...
August is no longer just about winding down the fishing season and starting the planning and preparation for upcoming hunting seasons. While North Dakota has long had a crow season that got its start in mid-August, it wasn't until changes several years ago put the early Canada goose opener into the middle of the month that a significant season kicked off before Labor Day weekend. The first early Canada goose season was held in 1999 as a regional effort to help reduce resident Canada goose...
Hunters take a special interest when they bag a banded duck or goose, and for good reason. By reporting the basic information of a banded bird, hunters are contributing to expanding the knowledge base and assisting in research. In similar fashion, anglers who catch a tagged fish can also contribute to better understanding of the ever-changing dynamics of North Dakota fisheries. This year, North Dakota Game and Fish Department personnel tagged approximately 5,000 walleyes in two popular bodies...
Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was scheduled to determine whether the monarch butterfly warranted listing as an endangered species. That didn't happen, not because the North American monarch population suddenly improved dramatically, but because the deadline for this important decision was extended for about 18 months, to Dec. 15, 2020. With the additional time, biologists from the Fish and Wildlife Service and other organizations will continue to collect information on the...
By mid-June all the North Dakota “traditional” spring sport state events are wrapped up, but there are still hundreds of kids awaiting their “shot” at state tournament honors. And yes, that is a pun intended. The North Dakota State High School Clay Target League 2019 state tournament is June 15-16 at The Shooting Park near Horace. It’s an increasingly popular event that has seen participation more than double in just the last three years, necessitating an extra day so everyone who wants to compe...
The 2019 North Dakota deer season is set, and there are 65,500 licenses available to hunters, 10,350 more than last year. •Antlered mule deer licenses increased by 450 from last year. • Antlerless mule deer by 700. • Antlered whitetail by 700. • Antlerless whitetail by 1,250. • "Any antlered" by 3,150. • "Any antlerless" by 4,100. • Muzzleloader licenses increased by 184 •Restricted youth antlered mule deer licenses increased by 45. Total deer licenses are determined by harvest rates, aerial s...
You often hear veteran anglers and biologists refer to the current status of North Dakota’s fisheries as “the good old days.” Of course, that’s a general reference and each individual water is unique. Some are doing better than others and at the moment one of those “better” waters is Lake Sakakawea. North Dakota Game and Fish biologist Dave Fryda assessed the size, structure and abundance of Lake Sakakawea’s walleye in a recent edition of the agency’s webcast, Outdoors Online. Here are’ some...
May conjures up images of the first crocus on the prairie, lingering snow geese and turkey season winding down. We’ll also likely spot the first brood of Canada goose goslings and find a few ticks to remove from you or your dog. While May doesn't have a true statewide fishing opener in North Dakota, it does have a special season that attracts a lot of attention in the northwestern part of the state. May 1 every year marks the start of North Dakota's paddlefish snagging season. If history is a...
Every year some of the earliest open-water boat fishing in North Dakota occurs on the Missouri River. Historically, from Washburn down past Bismarck-Mandan, this “first boat in the water” has occurred anywhere from late February through early April. (I’ll qualify that, however, by noting that Nelson Lake in Oliver County, and the Garrison Dam Tailrace, are open year-round and sometimes host boats on nice days in the midst of winter, so they don’t really count as the first “ice-off” of the spring...
The first official bird hunting season opener of 2019 took place in late February, but it’s highly unlikely anyone has yet seen, let along hunted, a snow goose flying over North Dakota’s cold, snow-covered landscape. I can recall a few years ago that reports of scout flocks of snow geese were spotted in mid-February even before the season opened, but those birds met with snow and wind and were soon nowhere to be found, likely blowing back south for a few more weeks. The point is, in the two dec...
What is the value of fishing and hunting to North Dakota? An economic activity report just released by the State Game and Fish Department provides some impressive statistics that help to answer that question in terms of dollars and cents. The report, produced by the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University, tracked hunter and angler expenditures for the 2017-18 hunting and fishing seasons. Overall, during that licensing year, the report estimates hunters...
Two biggest concerns for the future of North Dakota outdoors were really not even on the radar in North Dakota less than 20 years ago. While we’ve known about chronic wasting disease or CWD and zebra mussels, it wasn't until the last 10 years they were documented in North Dakota. CWD is a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines if left unchecked. Since 2009, 14 deer have tested positive for CWD in North Dakota, and all previous cases were from within h...
Pheasant, grouse and archery deer seasons just ended Jan. 6, so I wouldn’t blame hunters if they’re not quite yet starting to plan for next fall. But if you have a child, friend or relative who will need a hunter education certificate in order to purchase a hunting license in 2019, now is the time to make sure that gets into the calendar. In North Dakota, hunter education classes are taught by more than 700 volunteer instructors, a great group always looking for new members (yes, that's a hin...
The fundamental principle about planning certainly applies when it comes to spending time outdoors. Planning ahead can help achieve a more positive or preferred outdoors experience. We likely all have a few stories related to forgetting a shotgun, shells or bait at home, to the ice auger running out of gas on the second hole with no reserves. While those are lapses on individual trips, when it comes to the big-picture planning for those trips this year, one of the best tips I can provide is...
Did you know it's been nearly 20 years since the North Dakota Game and Fish Department has required licensing of ice fishing houses and shelters? While most young hard-water anglers don't remember that provision, I still get questions from time to time about fish house licensing. These days, while no license is required, fish houses do need some type of identification if they are left on the ice unoccupied. In the past that meant putting a name and phone number or address on the shelter, but...
