Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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Despite the cold weather season descending on North Dakota in earnest this week, the Badlands Bass Bandits are looking to keep the open water action rolling with the organization's new winter tournament series which kicked off in December and will run through March on Nelson Lake near Center, N.D. The impoundment, formed by the installation of the Minnkota Power Plant which utilizes the water for cooling purposes, stays open all year with winter temperatures frequently in the sixties, and with...
Like so many other outdoor activities, ice fishing offers up some incredible opportunities at dawn and dusk and even late into the night for crappies, walleyes and other fish that forage in low light or even in times of complete darkness when a hot bite can materialize out of the depths. As a result, having the right lighting system both for the individual and for a shack will help make things easier to see during set-up and takedown, travel around a set of hot holes, and in those moments where...
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. *North Dakota state parks remain open with trails usable for hiking. Check with individual parks for other available amenities this winter. *Lake Metigoshe State Park Wild Outdoor Women (WOW) registration now open. Go to (https://bit.ly/2021WinterWOWInfo) for more information and class descriptions for t...
Mike Anderson, video project supervisor for the ND Game and Fish Dept in Bismarck, received the agency’s Director’s Award for professional excellence. Terry Steinwand, Game and Fish director said “From traveling to every corner of the state to take his next photo, film his next video, conduct his next interview or package his next story, Mike was able to deliver more than 100 programs this year alone, because of his commitment and passion for his job, this agency and his peers,” Steinwand said. “He is the consummate professional. He spends co...
Kylor Johnston, North Dakota Game and Fish Department district game warden stationed in Hazen, is the state’s 2020 Wildlife Officer of the Year. Johnston was honored recently by Shikar-Safari Club International, a private conservation organization that recognizes outstanding wildlife officers in each state. In a nomination letter sent to Shikar-Safari, chief warden Scott Winkelman said Johnston’s district contains a variety of wildlife and recreational areas. “Warden Johnston’s district includes some of the busiest and best open water fishing...
North Dakota Game and Fish Department Director Terry Steinwand recently honored employees with performance-based awards. Ashley Peterson, photographer and videographer of Bismarck, was recognized for her efforts in live streaming the spring and fall advisory board meetings. Bob Frohlich, fisheries development supervisor, Bismarck, was recognized for fisheries development projects, specifically with state, federal and local permitting, and federal grant funding and construction plans. Brett Wiedmann, big game biologist, Dickinson, was...
Here's some ice fishing insight for North Dakota this winter from Greg Power, fisheries division chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Q: In terms of fishing activity, how much participation in overall effort is winter ice fishing? Power: It can be substantial. In an open winter, at least in the past, we've seen as much as 25% of our entire annual fishing effort come from the ice fishing season. On a bad winter, historically, it could be as low as 5%. Q: Outdoor recreation continu...
The depths of winter and the long dark nights can often trigger a lot of indoor time. Whether it's a weekend outing cancelled by a blizzard, or just the hum-drum routine of not seeing the sun after five o'clock for a few weeks, time spent inside is a frequent occurrence in the coldest months of the calendar. That time, however, can be very productive in terms of getting set for the fishing seasons to come. From those first openwater opportunities where panfish flood the shallows after ice out,...
It isn’t fair to compare hunting dogs, not among friends or fellow hunters, or even among the different ones owned throughout a person’s lifetime. It isn’t fair, but we do it anyway. I was spoiled with my first lab, Gunnar, who lived for 15 and a half years and hunted for 13 of them. He was an adept field companion who trained me more than I trained him. He’d creep up on a scent line and drop his head so low to the ground when he went on point that he nearly disappeared into the grass. His rig...
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. *Darkhouse spearing open on lakes where it is allowed when ice conditions permit safe access. *North Dakota state parks remain open with trails usable for hiking. Check with individual parks for other available amenities this winter. *Dec. 24: Western N.D. Canada goose season closes. *Dec. 26 & 27: Free Fishing Weekend. *Dec. 31: Elk...
Have you ever tried darkhouse spearfishing in North Dakota? If not, there's a first time for everything? As we've seen since last March when the pandemic began cancelling, rescheduling and turning much of the world upside down, interest and participation in recreating outdoors has been on the rise. Recently, Greg Power, Game and Fish Department fisheries division chief, shared some insight from last year's spearing survey that showed 27% did so for the first time in winter 2019-20. While there...
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. *Darkhouse spearing open on lakes where it is allowed when ice conditions permit safe access. *North Dakota state parks remain open with trails usable for hiking. Check with individual parks for other available amenities yet this fall, however. *Dec. 19: Eastern N.D. Canada goose season closes. *Dec. 24: Western N.D. Canada goose...
It might seem like pheasant numbers are down in certain areas as the season approaches its end, and people may be inclined to assume that by not hunting roosters in these final weeks that they may be helping preserve populations for next season. That’s likely not the case, however, and to the contrary, removing some of those late season roosters now may be good for next year’s populations. So, if you’re thinking about holding off on hunting the upper Midwest’s favorite upland bird because they s...
Waterfowl Book Makes Great Gift Can’t find a gift for your waterfowl hunter? You might want to check out the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s, “The Duck Factory – A History of Waterfowl in North Dakota.” Authored by Mike Jacobs and Erik Fritzell, the 213-page, soft-cover publication in full color traces the history of waterfowl species and their habitats in North Dakota. Migratory game bird program leader Mike Szymanski said there is a lot of interesting information about the interactions with people and waterfowl in North Dakota. ...
In the first installment of this two-part series celebrating the start of the ice season, it was pointed out that the last half century has been an amazing ice age for hardwater anglers. From tackle to tech and the advanced tactics both allow for on the ice, these options have opened a world of better fishing to those who have followed along. As a result, considerably more fish are caught each winter than the season before, ice fishing has become its own booming industry, and the pastime has...
Even as one of the last waters in the state to totally freeze up, Devils Lake remains one of the first places people think of when it comes to ice fishing in North Dakota. With abundant walleye, perch and pike populations, even in off years, mni wakan or “spirit water” as it is known in indigenous lore, also embodies the spirit of the state’s ideal destination for hardwater angling each winter. Walleye Watch With a reloading walleye population and abundant young fish available, anglers will...
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. *North Dakota state parks remain open with trails usable for hiking. Check with individual parks for other available amenities yet this fall, however. *Darkhouse spearing season opens at ice-up on lakes where it’s allowed. *Dec. 6: High and Low Plains ducks, merganser, coot, and white-fronted goose seasons close. *Dec. 12: High and Low...
If you’ve never tried ice fishing before this pandemic impacted year, with all the cancellations of activities and events, now might be the time to pick up a new hobby or renew an old winter pastime. I was sent my first ice fishing photos in late October. The angler had walked out on 3 inches of pretty good ice, and while it’s never something I’ll advocate the fact is I’ve seen safer ice this past October than I have at times in late February. It proves the advice that there’s no such thing as...
Late-Season Hunting Dates North Dakota waterfowl hunters are reminded the statewide duck and white-fronted goose seasons close Dec. 6. However, duck hunting in the high plains unit reopens Dec. 12 and continues through Jan. 3. In addition, the season for Canada geese closes Dec. 19 in the eastern zone, Dec. 24 in the western zone and Jan. 1 in the Missouri River zone. Light goose hunting closes statewide Jan. 1. Archery deer, fall turkey, sharp-tailed and ruffed grouse, partridge and pheasant hunting seasons continue through Jan. 3. The season...
The first morning of muzzleloader season arrived clear, cold, and calm. With just the faintest bit of dawn edging over the eastern hills, I ventured down to the southernmost stretch of a favorite piece of public access land and followed the flags along the hillside break to the final mark on my GPS. The grass coming up from the cottonwood stand on the riverbank was well-traveled and along the way I noted sign and scat in the beam of my headlamp that suggested heavy doe traffic, perfect for the a...
In the blink of an eye which has been human existence, we've gone from living in caves to designing skyscrapers that touch the heavens. Where travel by horse and carriage brought messages from east to west over a period of weeks, electronic impulses now carry them in seconds. In the fraction of that blink has existed the modern age of ice fishing, where in just 50 years or so, we've gone from hand augers and hope for a bite to suitcases full of finesse lures and specialized rods and electronics...
I can still hear the whisper from my left and sense Gene leaning in as the deer emerged in the first tree line below our position on the top of the hillside along the Sheyenne River valley one temperate November evening in 2008. It's a moment I relive each time I'm in the field this time of year and a bobbing set of antlers appears above a pair of dark, wary eyes on a deer. "Nick...there's a buck..." It was a moment that changed my life and my mentor helped ignite a fire in me for deer hunting,...
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. *Nov. 29: Dove season closes. *Nov. 30 & Dec. 1: N.D. Game & Fish Dept. virtual livestream advisory board public meetings. Email advance questions to [email protected]. Go to the department website, (gf.nd.gov) for more information. *Dec. 6: High and Low Plains ducks, merganser, coot, and white-fronted goose seasons close. *Dec. 12: Hig...
In post-to-post fashion, the Bismarck State College Clay Target League (BSC CTL) team took the USA College Clay Target League's (USA CCTL) Conference 1A-1 Fall National Trap Title with dominant shooting performances from its team members competing in just their first season for the Mystics. "I am tickled to death with the results of our inaugural season," said head coach Darryl Howard, "BSC will be a force to be reckoned with for seasons to come with our state's caliber of shooters," he added,...
There was nothing subtle about the way the buck came into the cut bean field where the growing herd of does and fawns were working diligently, heads down, to scrape up the remnants of a harvest from two months ago. He charged the nearest one like the intoxicated BMOC hitting on a cheerleader at the local watering hole in any small university town on a Friday night. Apparently, he used the wrong line, and she scampered off to the far edge of the sloping hill which led down to my vantage point in...
