Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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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. *Oct. 23: Mink, muskrat, and weasel trapping season opens. Fishing: *Devils Lake e...
Michael Roue enrolled at Lake Region State College with an interest in Information Technology (IT), but was unsure of his long-term career plan. Then, one day one of his IT instructors at Lake Region State College alerted him to the new Information Technology (IT) apprenticeship program the college was initiating. Next thing, Roue was one of the early apprentices in the LRSC IT Apprenticeship program. Lake Region State College partnered with Core Technology Services, the all-encompassing IT arm for the North Dakota University System. “The o...
On a recent road trip back from Denver, after exhausting all my podcast downloads and Spotify playlists, boredom struck, and in desperation to stay awake, I decided to count roadkill. I've always called out game when driving, pointing out deer, antelope, or pheasants, while often annoying my passengers, but never roadkill. This impromptu "roadkill bingo" was triggered by a nice, and I mean a really nice pronghorn buck dead on the highway's shoulder. I know it's just one animal in a species, but...
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. *Do not release any fish caught from water 25 feet and deeper because their swim bladder likely won’t allow them to survive when coming up from deep water. *Oct. 23: Mink,...
When it comes to hunting, where you find habitat, you find your quarry. While fields of corn and soybeans will draw pheasants, deer and waterfowl to their edges to feed, the other 95 percent of their lives are spent loafing, staying warm, remaining hidden and raising their young in places kept away from prying eyes under the cover of thick vegetation and tangled reeds and branches. Sloughs, tree claims, creek hollows, river bottoms and other such stretches of habitat, including those that were...
Autumn is often a brief part of the circle of seasons in the upper Midwest, but for those that piggyback their ice fishing or angling success on the hunting adventures that come with it, it may be the most important portion of the year. The wide and varied game bag afforded hunters in the region – including pheasants, ducks, partridge, even turkeys – provides a stash of materials for those who create jigs, tie flies and craft tackle of all kinds. Selecting the perfect pelt from any of those bird...
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. *Do not release any fish caught from water 25 feet and deeper because their swim bladder likely won’t allow them to survive when coming up from deep water. *Oct. 15: Devils Lake Ducks Unlimited banquet, KC Club, 5:30 p.m. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, Oct. 5: 1,447.04 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,446.94...
They say summer moves fast, and it’s true, but by far, fall goes by the quickest of all the seasons; especially for those of us of a hunting mindset, and specifically in this particular autumn we’re experiencing. It always feels as if the next three months will be subject to the wills of the weather and the winds of change, as autumn so often is hemmed in by the first strong snowfall. However, this fall, summer has spilled into the front half, making morning outings in the field with my lab sho...
Sportsmen are rarely dissuaded by the weather, unless it's life-threateningly cold, or hot to the point of taxing the well-being of a field dog, adventures in the uplands continue through all sorts of conditions. Wind, snow and even rain impact how pheasants relate to their habitat and where they seek shelter, and how these birds respond to damp environments can give hunters clues that lead to better success, when the heavens open up and rains highlight a scheduled day afield. What follows are t...
Outdoor notes: *Be aware of proper waterfowl identification as most ducks are not in full fall plumage 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. *East Totten Recreation Area boat ramp is the only available ramp on Lake Audubon during a lake draw-down to allow for facility maintenance work along the U.S. Highway 83 embankment. *Do not release any fish caught from water 25 feet and d...
The recent mornings have brought a taste of the cool autumn air, mixed with the above-average summerlike afternoon temperatures that the region has been experiencing at the start of the season. In those chilly stretches around dawn, whether walking around the block with the dogs or running along the edge of town, I can sense the approaching pheasant season and the onset of October, despite the mercury later in the day getting into the 70s, 80s and even 90s. Thus, making for sweaty evening bow...
This will probably be my last Devils Lake fishing report until the upcoming ice fishing season. I will say this, if the open water season on Devils Lake is any indication on what this winter will be like, it's going to be epic! We have finally hit the fall transition. The leaves are changing along with the air temperatures, and with that the water is cooling down and the fish are a tad sluggish because of it. The funny part about these changes, it always seems the walleyes snap out of it in a...
Along with all the hunting seasons that come with it, fall also provides a chance to stalk a couple types of massive beasts long ago introduced to the great plains. But they don't possess paws with which to corral their prey, or hooves with which to make a quick escape, rather these creatures are two unique types of fish which provide an autumn opportunity that to many borders on obsession. Pure strain muskellunge, first stocked from waters to the east and north decades ago, and their...
This Saturday was the second of two back-to-back weekend road races which capped off the most amazing summer of running for me. It was blissfully cool in the morning ahead of the two-day warm-up which, once again in this summer's style, timed out perfectly for an enjoyable weekend. With the major milestones of dove, deer archery and grouse opener behind me, the off weekend allowed for a chance to close out what has been an excellent summer for many things, including time on the trail. I can't...
It's too bad we can't extend some seasons in North Dakota, as fall is the one I wish was twice as long! There isn't time to do it all. I have two nights off this week and have one buddy wanting me to join him for a dove hunt, another asked me to go beat prairie grasslands to chase grouse and partridge, another wants to chase shallow water salmon and my wife just wants me to help her fill her moose tag. However, I can't get muskies or trophy trout out of my mind, or bow hunting for that matter....
The fall transition has started on Devils Lake and the walleyes are starting to do the same. Expect things to be a little inconsistent for a bit. The water temperatures have started to drop, and I noticed some of the muck from the bottom floating on the surface this week while fishing. This typically is the indicator that the surface water has begun to mix with the bottom water due to these temperature changes. The process is known as the fall turnover. Usually when this happens things slow for...
Pheasants Forever's (PF) Precision Agriculture and Conservation Specialists are intentionally positioned to connect not just with growers who are already thinking about conservation practices, but more specifically, with growers who may not be currently considering conservation practices as a viable solution to lower-producing acres on their operations. These specialists seek out new connections with growers to add to the work of existing successful private land biologists found across the...
In what has been an historically hot summer across much of the country, and certainly the upper Midwest, it's easy to assume those temperatures will stick around into fall. As the old saying goes, when in a drought, don't predict rain. But even in those average years over the past few decades, September and October have not been without their surges into the upper 80- and low 90-degree range, making many afternoons more suitable for backyard football games in shorts and t-shirts, following a...
Pheasants Forever's (PF) Soil Health and Habitat program, an initiative created with corporate support from Purina Inc., is helping to establish more grassland habitat and better soil and water quality throughout the nation's Prairie Pothole region in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. Now entering its third sign-up, the partnership is helping farmers and operators fund the establishment of prairie plantings, use of cover crops, and other effective means of expanding areas for...
Opening day of North Dakota’s bow season sits in that stretch of time where summer and fall mix together. Cool dewy mornings of Labor Day weekend melt into warm afternoons, and despite the fact that deer are in their warm-weather patterns, and most often present themselves with a reserve limited to those habits from previous months, the start of the season remains a big draw for me. Heading out into the dark countryside, where the glow of town’s lights is muted by a rise in the hills, and the...
Hunters can play an important role this fall across the tinder-dry landscape. First and foremost, consider this advice: If you see something you think needs to be reported, pick up the phone and call. This fall, more than ever, time can save property and lives by reporting wildfires. Rather than assume it’s been reported or not of concern, reporting the fire is the best first decision. Also, hunters, farmers, anyone just enjoying the outdoor sights and sounds of fall across North Dakota, need to...
Hunters Asked to Submit Wing Envelopes Hunters can help in the effort to manage upland game birds in North Dakota by collecting feathers from harvested birds and sending in wing envelopes. Birds included in the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s upland game wing survey, which has been in practice for decades, are ring-necked pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, turkeys and ruffed grouse. Collecting enough pheasant samples is typically never a problem, but securing enough sharptail and partridge feathers can be. Game and F...
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. *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality blue-green algae advisory reports: Alkali, Antelope, Barnes, and Reule lakes, Jamestown and Pipestem reservoirs, and South Hoffer. *East Totten Recreation Area boat ramp is the only available ramp on Lake Audubon during a lake draw-down to allow for facility maintenance work along the U.S. H...
September brings with it the initial upland seasons of the year, and sharptailed grouse have often been that first flush that has sent my heart soaring each fall after its beat echoed steadily in my ears as my dog held point. While these buff and gray birds with the trademark chuckle that can be heard over their whirring wings are creatures of the open prairie and rolling grasses, there are certain spots that seem to hold them better than others. What follows are some subtle structural elements...
Outdoor notes: *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality blue-green algae reports: Advisories – Alkali, Antelope, Barnes, Buffalo Lodge, Reule lakes, Jamestown and Pipestem reservoirs, and South Hoffer. *East Totten Recreation Area boat ramp is the only available ramp on Lake Audubon during a lake draw-down to allow for facility maintenance work along the U.S. Highway 83 embankment. *Do not release any fish caught from water 25 feet and deeper, because their swim bladder likely won’t allow them to su...
