Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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The Biggest Wildlife Bill in 50 Years is Bipartisan. North Dakota Would be Better Off if it Passes. The warning signs are there for America's wildlife and if you listen close, you can hear the alarm bells ringing. Across the nation, over a third of wildlife species are at a heightened risk of extinction. Here in North Dakota, the Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) has identified 115 species in need of conservation priority including our state bird the western meadowlark, sharp-tailed and sage...
Outdoor notes: *Paddlefish snagging season closed but remains open for snag-and-release. Go to the Game & Fish website, (gf.nd.gov) for snagging regulations. *Deer gun and muzzleloader applications now available. Go to the Game & Fish Dept. website to apply by the June 8 deadline. *Many Turtle River State Park trails wet after heavy rains with some closed due to erosion. The Hollows Picnic Area road temporarily closed. Most of the campground is open but contact individual state parks for updates...
Deer season set, apply online North Dakota’s 2022 deer season is set, with 64,200 licenses available to hunters, down 8,000 from last year. In total, any-antlered licenses decreased by 150 from last year, any-antlerless by 350, antlered whitetail by 4,150, and antlerless whitetail by 3,700. Antlered mule deer licenses remained the same, and antlerless mule deer licenses increased by 350. In addition, muzzleloader licenses decreased by 168 and restricted youth antlered mule deer licenses remained the same. “Epizootic hemorrhagic disease dra...
It's been a long mix of chilly winter and underwhelming spring. Cold temperatures, snow, rain and general nastiness extending into May have built up a longing for the warmth of the later stretch of the season and the start of summer, and maybe with recent changes in the pattern, just possibly, that warmup is coming. With it comes the search for one vital fishing tool that not only reminds me that even in the cloudiest, coldest stretches, the sun is up there and getting stronger and a set of sung...
It is hard to believe the Big Muddy walleye tournament has come and gone already on the Missouri River this spring, but that's probably because we never really had a spring. Lots of major weather events definitely got in the way. I feel good about how things played out. Even though I didn't fish the tournament, I was in tune with what was happening and what took place. For me as a full-time guide this is important. Sometimes when you get stuck in guide mode you can miss out a little. Typically,...
With the drought of 2021 in the rearview mirror for the Red River valley of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota, following significant spring snows and ample April rains, the challenging conditions which limited angling opportunities for the flow's large catfish late last summer and into fall are also in the past. As the waters of the Red River of the North begin to recede and temperatures rise on that stretch from Grand Forks to the Canadian border, area guide and expert on the water's...
On the Pokemon cartoon series, there's a character named Goh, whose ambition is simply to encounter and capture every single type of fighting creature in the Pokemon universe. From the grub-like Weedle to the majestic azure legendary horse-like being Suicune and all sorts of different ones in between, that's his only goal – to experience the variety of what is available to him, and take part in it, collecting the varied species of Pokemon along the way. He truly embodies the franchise's motto o...
Outdoor notes: *May 15: Spring turkey season and light goose conservation order close. Tournaments: *May 21: Devils Lake, Creel Bay. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, May 3: 1,448.9 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.72 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,828.05 MSL; 14,400 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases. *N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: East-central area lakes slow but look for more activity with warmer weather. Coulees are flo...
It's the week of the Big Muddy walleye tournament, which is always the pinnacle of the spring here on the Missouri River near Bismarck. It means a couple things to me. First off, I wasn't allowed to fish it for the first 10 years of its existence, and I sure wish I could have back in those days. I have dabbled in it a few times over the last decade and have come close to winning it a few times. It's a tough one, and in my opinion the Big Muddy showcases the best of the best! So, for a guy like...
In an effort to provide anglers with more to fish for in North Dakota and encourage the use of expanding and varied fisheries resources, the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) has launched its 2022 Fish Challenge and is also in the annual process of stocking trout into various lakes and impoundments throughout the state. These two efforts – the former encouraging anglers to target underutilized species including northern pike, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and channel catfish, and t...
Outdoor notes: *May 2: N.D. Game & Fish Dept. public advisory meeting, Farmer’s Union Bldg., 1415 12th Ave SE, Jamestown, 7 p.m. *May 15: Spring turkey and light goose conservation order close. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, April 26: 1,448.4 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.13 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,827.74 MSL; 14,600 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases. *Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Some pike activity in Dev...
In the outdoors, there are always points of contention among anglers, hunters and just about anyone else with an opinion on anything that swims, flies, or falls for a lure or decoy. I'm not talking about the testifying in front of the legislature type of interactions, or the courtroom conservation battles handled by high priced attorneys in Washington D.C., either. Rather, those greatest of the great debates in the outdoors are the important ones: the best way to rig a plastic, which caliber is...
It's been a spring to remember on the Missouri River in the sense that it'll be tough to forget, no matter how much I might want to. Thinking back, I can only recall two days so far this season, since the river opened up on Mar. 19, where it was nice out. Of course, this has been a battle for my guide business. I've had way too many weather cancellations. It's just not fair for me to have folks come in and take them out when one, it's crappy out, and two, it's not what I would call a "guider's b...
When spring eventually arrives, and it will, the time for big bass will be upon us. Whether it's largemouth staking out the dark-bottomed shallows of a backwater bay for their ideal spawning site, or smallmouth holing up on a cleared gravelly patch against a stack of timber placed by recent floodwaters, both fish find their vernal comfort zones amidst structure. Sometimes, that can make getting an offering to them a challenge as reeds, lily pads, sticks, and other debris provide them the cover...
Whether having fished Devils Lake once or for 18 years, guide clients tell the same story, "We can't wait to get back." This north-central North Dakota lake has morphed over the past 30 years from 40,000 acres to nearly 200,000 acres and back to 160,000 acres. It will rise about two feet this spring due to a heavy snow pack. No matter what the lake is doing, the fishing remains constant – good to great to better than great – according to guides, tournament fishermen, locals, and especially tho...
Outdoor notes: *People are asked to report any dead birds and abnormal behavior in migrating birds, especially waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors, to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. on their wildlife mortality reporting form, (gf.nd.gov/wildlife/diseases/mortality-report), due to a national outbreak of highly contagious avian influenza. It can also impact domestic poultry. While rarely infectious to humans, hunters or anyone handling poultry should use precautions, such as avoiding handling sick...
In the process of fishing, I’ve seen a good deal and done a lot of it. I’ve read a ton, watched some more, and through trial-and-error learned quite a bit, but most days it feels like it’s never enough. Through trial-and-error with new ideas, patterns, and processes, I trade frustration for elation and vice versa on a variety of streams and lakes for the seemingly unlimited species available. Perhaps the greatest leap in all of that learning, which any angler makes, is gaining the under...
Deer gratis application online Landowners interested in a 2022 deer gratis license must apply online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for applying is June 8. General deer and muzzleloader lottery applications will be available online in early May, also with a deadline of June 8. Gratis applicants who have previously applied online will automatically have their land description forwarded to this year’s application. However, any changes with land descriptions from last year’s application mus...
May conjures up images of the first meadowlark on the prairie, stray migrating snow geese and spring turkey season wrapping up. We’ll also likely spot the first brood of Canada geese and find a few ticks to remove from you or your dog. May 1 every year marks the start of North Dakota's paddlefish snagging season, and one noteworthy regulation change involves the sale and distribution of paddlefish tags. Paddlefish tags are only available for purchase online at the North Dakota Game and Fish D...
So, we dug out of this late spring snow here in Bismarck. We got anywhere from 18 to 20 inches of snow, but to the north and west of the Missouri River, they received a lot more. Now, as I wake up this Easter morning and look out my window, we are getting yet another shot of snow. Maybe two-to-four inches this morning by the time it's over. What is this doing for everyone's fishing? Well, for me it's extremely tough on business and I'm monitoring it very closely. Yesterday I drove the river and...
I was going to write about a successful North Dakota spring turkey hunt. Hiking out into the badlands, the first camping trip of the year, and turkeys gobbling from their roost. I would have told you how I closed the distance, made a few notes on my call and that a tom came in on a line. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans and my turkey trip got scratched due to the spring blizzard that hit the state. And while it is bringing much needed moisture to our area, it has changed many of our...
Outdoor notes: *People are asked to report any dead birds and abnormal behavior in migrating birds, especially waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors, to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. on their wildlife mortality reporting form, (gf.nd.gov/wildlife/diseases/mortality-report), due to a national outbreak of highly contagious avian influenza. It can also impact domestic poultry. While rarely infectious to humans, hunters or anyone handling poultry should use precautions, such as avoiding handling sick...
There's chilly, and then there's spring fishing on the Missouri River chilly. No matter how I've fished it in the past couple of years, that stretch in March and April when the walleyes start to move on the flow provides its own unique challenges. The wind seems to always be blowing upstream, pulling with it the cold from the fast-flowing water below and depositing the bulk of it directly on my hands as I struggle to wrangle a squirming fathead minnow from a scoop, or fumble through the...
If you are watching the weather closely, it is looking like we may have a major setback to fishing on the Missouri River starting this Tuesday. Reports are early, but Bismarck seems to be in the storm's bullseye at the moment. Anywhere from 12 to 25 inches of snow is being tossed around. I've already started rearranging my guide schedule. We do need the moisture. I just wish it would have happened more out in Montana in the mountains that feed these systems with water. This will dirty up the...
Way back in 1952, in the back room of a small café, a few dedicated archers wanted to get an archery deer season established in North Dakota. The first goal that these want-to-be-bowhunters needed to accomplish was to establish a coalition which could represent their interests at the state legislative assembly. Through this meeting, a group of interested archers and other sportsmen were organized. This new group was to be called the North Dakota Bowhunters Association (NDBA) and quickly prepared...
