Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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While water levels are down about two feet after a dry spring and summer across southeastern North Dakota's prairie lakes country, the opportunities to find fast ice fishing for perch and walleyes are up, as record opportunities to catch both species exist this winter. Record rains from the fall of 2019 have helped keep waters fishable and expanded the number of lakes stocked with popular winter species according to North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) Southeast Fisheries District...
DEVILS LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA - An ice covering will soon allow fishermen access to 240 square miles of Devils Lake perch, walleyes, pike and white bass. One of the most popular U.S. ice fishing destinations is the lake by the city with the same name – Devils Lake, North Dakota. Following a summer and late fall with some of the best fishing action ever, even long-time fishing guides are giddy about what's coming. Zippy Dahl, owner of the famed Perch Patrol, said, "I'm overly optimistic. This was o...
Outdoor notes: *Ice is never completely safe. Avoid areas with vegetation, moving water, pressure ridges, and springs. Check conditions as you go along on the ice and don’t move around at night. *Keep hunting dogs away from ice on wetlands and lake shorelines with thin ice conditions in many areas yet. *Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for information regarding North Dakota’s new electronic posting regulations and assistance. *Check area U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Nat...
The lure of that first ice fishing opportunity has lost some of its pull on me. Where in the past I’d be one of the first anglers sliding out onto the newly-formed ice, these days I’m more comfortable taking my time getting out there. In part, due to my cautious nature, having felt the chill of ankle, thigh, and knee-deep winter waters in my younger years, and also due to my love for late-season pheasant hunting, which usually ends when the ice is more than stable for a stroll out to my fav...
Fishing tournaments require 30-day notice Organizers planning fishing tournaments, including ice fishing contests this winter, must submit an application, along with fishing tournament regulations, to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at least 30 days prior to the start of the event. The 30-day advance notice allows for a review by agency staff to ensure the proposed tournament will not have any negative biological consequences, or conflicts with other proposed tournaments for the same location and/or time. Fishing tournaments may not...
While many hunters were gearing up for the 2021 firearms deer season, agents of the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) were completing aerial surveys of the state's mule deer populations in the western portion of the state and compiling the data tracking the numbers and health of the state's popular herd. Unfortunately, a number of factors including lack of forage, lack of cover and a spike in EHD mortality for the state's muleys likely impacted the results of the survey and well being...
"We now return you to your regularly scheduled program!" Whether it was Bozo the Clown before school or Saturday morning cartoons, when interrupted by a breaking news story or weather alert, those nine words were a relief during my childhood that no matter what was happening in the world or on the landscape, things would quickly be returning to normal, and I could get back to the day's routine. For me the firearms deer season is always like that TV interruption of old. It's not a bad break from...
I’ve often wondered if I could give up hunting and just fish, or give up fishing and just hunt. I’m most often struck with that thought as I sit peacefully in my deer stand up from a small lake, and listen to the last anglers of the season drop their boats off the launch at first light for the aggressive autumn trout that occupy the chilly waters. Ever a victim of FOMO, or the fear of missing out, I find myself caught in the internal debate of which is better, which would I do if I had to choose...
Outdoor notes: *Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for information regarding North Dakota’s new electronic posting regulations and assistance. *Check area U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge hunting regulations for potential late season upland game hunting opportunities. *Nov. 26: Muzzleloader deer season opens. *Nov. 29: Dove season closes. *Dec. 1: N.D. Game and Fish Dept. public advisory meetings, Leeds Community Center, 7 p.m. *Dec. 2: N.D. Game a...
My neighbor taught me another new word. Locavore. I wasn’t sure if it was in Websters, or if it was slang. But, the meaning hit home. There’s a growing interest in fishing, hunting or even planting food on your own. Securing it “locally.” Maybe it was grown in your own garden, or you shot the duck or grouse just down the road. The unique aspect of the English language is, at times, you make the word fit the situation. I’ve dined on an array of wild game, from delicacies like lemon-pep...
I decided to slip out of work early Friday and hunt the opener. I knew that there would be a fair number of hunters who had the same idea, but I thought the little tract of PLOTS where I had hunted last year would be unoccupied, boy was I wrong. When I arrived, I was met with three trucks at the entrance and another on the backside. I rolled down my window, told them I'd head elsewhere and wished them luck. I was disappointed that "my spot" was not the hidden gem I thought it was but I moved on...
While referred to in some crowds as "desperation weekend," the final three-day stretch of the North Dakota firearms deer season can often be the very best as changing environmental conditions, increased rut activity and decreased pressure on the landscape can align to provide some excellent hunting. Don't give up hope or fall into that dejected mindset just yet, as some ideal conditions are setting up for the season finale. Full Moon, Fine Forecast With the November full moon falling on Fri....
North Dakota's deer hunters breathed a collective sigh of relief last week, much of which could be seen in the air outdoors as temperatures dropped down into the lower teens and even the single digits in some areas. The first hard frost of the fall coming with those temperatures signaled the end to a long, difficult stretch for the state's population of white-tailed deer, especially in the western half of North Dakota, which this summer had been severely impacted by epizootic hemorrhagic...
Outdoor notes: *Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for information regarding North Dakota’s new electronic posting regulations and assistance. *Nov. 14: Sandhill crane season closes. *Nov. 21: Deer gun season closes. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, Nov 9: 1,447.05 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,447 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,830.19 MSL; 13,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases. *N.D. Game and Fish Dept. D...
There is nothing more surprising on an upland game hunt than to wander into a draw or to the edge of a stretch of grass and watch a covey of grouse or a group of pheasants rise en masse, wings whirring over their warning calls issued in the moment of excitement. Likewise, there are few results more disappointing in the outdoors than to expend two or three shots after an adrenaline-fueled shouldering of a scattergun and come away empty handed from such an amazing opportunity. The phenomenon of...
When it comes to deer season questions and answers, the best advice I can give is if you don’t know, ask. The best person to ask a specific question on rules and regulations is the game warden in the area you are hunting. Understanding the strains of Game and Fish enforcement during this busy time of year means asking in advance will help aid in getting a question answered quickly. Q: Can I hunt over bait on private land? It is unlawful to hunt over bait, or place bait to attract big game for th...
Every year, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department receives questions from deer hunters who want to clarify rules and regulations. Some common questions are listed below. Hunters with further questions are encouraged to visit the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov., or call 701-328-6300, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. weekdays. Q: I have a concurrent season license. When can I use it? The license can be used during the archery season with a bow; the deer gun season with a bow, rifle or muzzleloader; or the muzzleloader season with a muz...
Outdoor notes: *Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for information regarding North Dakota’s new electronic posting regulations and assistance. *Nov. 8: Fall crow season closes. *Nov. 13: Pekin Rod and Gun Club Ducks Unlimited Wild Game Night, Pekin Community Center, 6:00 p.m. *Nov. 14: Sandhill crane season closes. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, Nov 2: 1,447.08 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,440 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,830.35 MSL; 1...
The sound of a grunting buck can send a shiver of anticipation up any hunter's spine. What was a calm sit in a tree stand can quickly become an adrenaline rush of epic proportions. Whether it's a low tending vocalization to a nearby doe, or something more aggressive toward another buck (whether seen or unseen) in the area, that tell-tale "urp!" coming from a wooded bottom or a cruising bruiser is one of the autumn's best sounds. Learning to imitate it and taking knowledge from the successes and...
When it comes to the outdoors, I'm not a huge traveler. I find contentment and more importantly, excitement, close to home with the opportunities I have nearby. Whether that's plying the breaklines for walleyes, casting to rising trout on a stocked lake, or working public parcels with my dog for pheasants, much of the joy I experience in fishing and hunting comes within an hour of my home. However, that home and thousands of others up and down the streets around me, likely harbor sportsmen who...
For an uplander, there’s nothing more reassuring than a trusted shotgun. For me, it remains a super light 20-gauge that shoulders easily, swings smoothly, and more often than not, connects with my target. The familiar crook between trigger guard and checkered wood grip, where my hand tenses up as a bird rises, and the smooth section which cradles my cheek to the stock on the mount, feels as natural as my face hitting the pillow after a long day. Familiarity with a firearm coming from time on t...
Outdoor notes: *Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for information regarding North Dakota’s new electronic posting regulations and assistance. *Please submit wildlife mortality observations, such as a dead deer, to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website reporting form, (gf.nd.gov) to help track EHD and CWD. However, do not possess any antlers or heads without a Game and Fish Dept. permit. *Nov. 4: Jamestown Ducks Unlimited banquet, KC Hall, Jamestown, 5:30 p.m. *Nov. 5: D...
The Bismarck State College (BSC) Mystics Clay Dusters trapshooting squad put on a dominant performance at the Minnesota Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) 2021 Clay Target Championship on Oct. 19 in Alexandria, Minn., with sophomore Ayden Kautzman posting a perfect 100 to lead the team to its first championship and earn him the men's and overall high gun awards for the event. Kautzman's 100 was followed by teammate Bryer Erickson's total of 99 which tied him for second place on the day along...
There are several components of the hunt I value more than a bird in the bag. As a bird dog fanatic, there's nothing I enjoy more than watching my dog work. As someone who values connections with others, the conversations both afield and at the tailgate are ones I cherish most. As someone who has enjoyed the outdoors since childhood and have only recently been able to call North Dakota my home, the landscapes this state holds are enough to catch my breath every hunt. A lot of times when I get...
I’ve come to despise plastic. I guess not all plastic, just the plastic that gets in the way of enjoying the outdoors and the aesthetics of being in places where plastic shouldn’t be. Like all things in this life, it’s a harsh duality and a battle of rationalization along a fine line at times. That’s because plastic is so versatile, arguably the foundation of our current society, and probably a big part of a successful trip in the outdoors as well, whether fishing, hunting, hiking or camping...
