Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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The things you own end up owning you. It's a statement I say every so often in life, as mechanical things break down, technology freezes up, and the piles of day-to-day stuff mount in the corner of the basement storage area. I uttered it at least once this weekend as a summer's worth of clutter, which accumulated between the end of school, road trips, holidays and other adventures, was purged from our house and garage, or boxed and stashed to be dealt with more permanently somewhere down the...
My open water guiding days are definitely slowing down a tad right now, by choice and also by design. I have decided to volunteer my time back in the hockey circle this fall, so most of my weekends are hockey and the weekdays are fishing. I've been off Sakakawea now for a full week, but I have, however, been on Devils Lake this past week and will be back on it in the coming week. I will also begin fishing the river near Bismarck starting the next couple of weeks. I do have a few more Sakakawea...
Imagine the largest deer you could ever shoot was one that only made it to two-and-a-half years of age. At best, that's a buck with a small four-by-four rack, or a doe that likely was only able to produce one or two years of fawns to help sustain the local herd. For some places in North America, where its prevalence has escalated to more than fifty percent of sampled deer populations, chronic wasting disease (CWD) is starting to suggest those unlikely situations may become a reality. With its de...
While often the coldest and snowiest portion of North Dakota, the northeastern quarter, like the rest of the state, was spared the usually chilly temperatures and drifts it normally sees during the winter of 2020-2021, and as a result, the herds of whitetails in the region survived well. With that, and a more limited impact of the statewide drought until recently, North Dakota Game and Fish (NDG&F) Big Game Biologist Bill Jensen anticipates that this fall's archery and firearms deer seasons...
Outdoor notes: *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality blue-green algae reports: Advisories – Alkali, Antelope, Barnes, Buffalo, Buffalo Lodge, and Reule lakes, Jamestown and Pipestem reservoirs, and South Hoffer. *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. *Concurrent deer licenses now available in some units. Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, gf.nd.gov) for details. *Use cau...
The North Dakota legislature in 2021 passed a bill to allow electronic posting of private land, giving landowners another option for posting private property. It’s another option. If landowners would rather post property as they have in the past they still can. Landowners interested in posting electronically for the 2021-22 hunting season had to do so by July 15. If a landowner wants to go out and put up posted signs now or in the future on land they didn’t electronically post they still can. Br...
Try Hunting Doves This Season 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 1...
"Now, you get to do the strap up on top of it," I said with a laugh, as on my tip toes I cranked hard on the ratchet which secured the stabilizing pole of my buddy's new deer stand to his chosen tree, putting a pair of red lines into my palm, which suggested the brace was secure. It was his first experience with the process of dragging the awkward combination of seat and ladder in the brushy bottom, and probably my twentieth in the last decade, as from season-to-season a case of...
Most of my guiding this past week has been on Devils Lake with a day spent on Lake Sakakawea. One thing is for sure, the fish are trending deeper on both waters. Starting with Sakakawea, the water levels continue to fall and the fish also continue to slip deeper. A majority of the walleyes now seem to be in that 30-foot ballpark. I know I sound like a broken record, but plan on keeping those fish. 25 feet or deeper seems to be the benchmark for barotrauma which prevents successful release. Slow...
So many big dates are on the horizon this time of year, as we make the turn from summer into fall. The start of the school year, football kickoff; and of course, opening days across a wide variety of hunting seasons, are among the big dates to consider. There are so many now that it makes it tough not to have the ink bleed through from one calendar page to the other, from all the red Sharpie circles on the pages into November. For those looking to get the next generation into the outdoors,...
Outdoor notes: *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality blue-green algae reports: Advisories – Alkali, Antelope, Barnes, Buffalo, Buffalo Lodge, and Frettim lakes, South Hoffer, and Jamestown and Pipestem reservoirs. *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. *Concurrent deer licenses now available in some units. Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for details. *Ea...
August is no longer just about winding down the fishing season, and planning and preparing for upcoming hunting seasons. While North Dakota has long had a crow season that got its start in mid-August, it wasn't until the changes several years ago which 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 numbers...
Fire Danger Index for Fall Outdoor Activity As hunting seasons and other fall activities get underway, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts need to be aware of the daily fire danger index. Considering this year’s prolonged drought, combined with typical dry, late-summer and early-fall ground conditions, an elevated fire danger index in most counties will likely influence outdoor activities. Hunters are urged to keep up with the daily rural fire danger index, which is issued by the National Weather Service, to alert the public to conditions t...
One thing is for sure, we are spoiled here in North Dakota when it comes to walleye fishing and so far, the dog days of summer are pretty dog gone good! I'll start with Lake Sakakawea since that is where I have been mostly. Lots and lots of fish are still being caught all over the lake. Many of the fish are still in 20 to 30 feet of water. You can catch them on crankbaits, bottom bouncers with slow death or a propeller rigs, or my favorite, the jig rap or shiver minnow. Watch for the jig raps an...
This past week has been one of the best weeks of the season so far, with lots of active muskies moving to the inside weed edge. The fish have been active all day long. Detroit Lake has been one of the best local lakes producing quality fish. It has been giving everyone who goes out opportunities at muskies, some as many as five or six fish a day. We haven't been having many follows throughout the day as most of the fish either eat or don't show themselves. The inside weed edges have been the...
Perhaps the most amazing number included in the North Dakota Game & Fish Department's (NDG&F) recent release of upland tallies from the fall of 2020 was the jump of more than 52,000 estimated sharptailed grouse harvested over the previous season. Coming on improved nesting and recruitment of broods into the population, last autumn's grouse harvest was also buoyed by a 43 percent increase in hunters pursuing the birds which can be found throughout much of the state. In total, an estimated 19,971...
Summer fish population surveys by North Dakota fisheries crews peg Devils Lake walleyes, perch and white bass all doing exceptionally well. “The test netting results showed numbers for all species up over last season and considerably higher than traditional averages,” said biologist Todd Caspers.” The fish are doing well. So, too, is tourism according to Tourism Executive Director Suzie Kenner. She said, “Tourism has been going really strong. If the summer activity pace continues, I feel Devils Lake will experience a record year.” Walleyes caug...
Outdoor notes: *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality blue-green algae reports: Advisories – Alkali, Antelope, Buffalo, Buffalo Lodge, Coal Mine, and Frettim lakes, South Hoffer. *Use caution on boat ramps with slippery conditions due to vegetation, etc. *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. *Watchable Wildlife photo contest underway with Oct. 1 deadline. Contact N.D. Game and Fis...
As I waded through the recently cut wheat fields and grassy stretches around them on the way to check my trail camera this weekend, I watched the grasshoppers flee before my boots in waves like those made by the wakeboarders back at the cabin. As they did, I recalled just how fun those summers of more than two decades ago, along that same lakeshore were, thanks to some of my first - and certainly most consistent - topwater success. I can’t remember now if my dad had purchased a Rebel Crickhopper...
Sipping coffee early in the morning and talking fishing is about as close as it gets to enjoying fishing without wetting a line. Truth is, I spend more time talking about fishing than actually casting, but I’ve gotten used to it. I say it’s like the plumber whose faucet is always leaking, yet he spends more time fixing the dripping pipes of others. Don’t get me wrong, I like talking about fishing more every day. Hearing the excitement and listening to the stories is priceless. I took a call...
Map tools to identify land posted electronically Hunters should take note of the map tools available to identify electronically posted private land before venturing out this fall. Brian Hosek, North Dakota Game and Fish Department business operations manager, said map resources, mobile applications and printable maps can be found on the department’s website. “We do provide a few different tools on our website, and each have different strengths, such as some require cell service while others can work offline, others offer the ability to det...
A strong, snow-filled winter not only challenged deer in the northeastern corner of the state, but also hindered survey tactics employed by the North Dakota Game & Fish Department at the start of the year. Unable to fly any aerial surveys, the department leaned heavily on the reports of staff, landowners and the general public, along with hunter surveys from 2019 to set the tone and the tag numbers for the 2020 firearms deer season. Despite not flying the annual surveys, the department isn't...
Rocked by the waves generated from the wake board boats closing out their weekends on the water, my brother and I drifted around the patches of weeds on the long point extending into the lake. Here and there, loons would cluster and then spread out as jet skis and pontoons wove their way around the main basin and back across it. On the otherwise still day, the motion of the water would linger with me well after the trip, and I’d feel the slight rocking as I settled in, back at the cabin. A...
Hints of North Dakota’s fall duck and pheasant populations were revealed in spring. For starters, the pheasant population index was about the same as last year, according to the state Game and Fish Department’s 2021 spring crowing count survey. Pheasant crowing counts are conducted each spring throughout North Dakota. Observers drive specified 20-mile routes, stopping at predetermined intervals, and counting the number of pheasant roosters heard crowing over a two-minute period. The number of...
Outdoor notes: *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality blue-green algae reports: Advisories – Alkali, Antelope, Buffalo, Buffalo Lodge, Coal Mine, Frettim, and Spiritwood lakes, South Hoffer, and Jamestown and Pipestem reservoirs. *Use caution on boat ramps with slippery conditions due to vegetation, etc. *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. *Watchable Wildlife photo contest und...
