Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Sorted by date Results 601 - 625 of 1018
Throughout late summer and early fall, the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) had received reports of dead and sick deer on the landscape throughout southwestern North Dakota. As September progressed into October, the reports remained steady and expanded throughout the western half of the state. Charlie Bahnson, NDG&F Veterinarian, confirmed the growing presence of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) on the landscape shortly after the first reports came in August. Carried by biting...
While silence in pursuit of deer is an important factor in setting up a successful hunt, as the rut approaches, making the right noise can be key in bringing a big buck in. With dozens of affordable methods available and deer firearms seasons across the upper Midwest rapidly approaching, now may be the time to add some calls to your arsenal and help seal the deal in the field this November. Rat-a-Tat Rattling antlers can be employed all season long with some success, but the best time of the...
For most anglers, a walleye of 30 inches or better is the fish of a lifetime. That magic number signals a true trophy and is often the threshold at which many would consider zipping back to the launch and off to the taxidermist to get the fish mounted. However, for Jamie Risovi, a taxidermist himself and avid big fish angler from New Rockford, N.D., who spends much of the spring and fall chasing the trophy northern pike of Devils Lake, his chance encounter with one such fish – twice in a season...
My dad recently told me a story about his little brother who, on his first gun season in Southern Minnesota, was dropped off in a tree grove before sunrise, given a couple slugs for his shotgun, and was strictly told to sit here and wait until someone came to get him. When the rutting buck came running through, he raised his gun and "click." Unsurprisingly, my then 12-year-old uncle was ill-prepared, not having put a slug in the chamber. There was a good outcome, however, this event influenced...
Outdoor notes: *Oct. 24: Mink, muskrat, and weasel trapping season opens. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, Oct. 13: 1,448.9 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.8 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,839.45 MSL; 13,300 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases. *Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Weather permitting, look for continued walleye activity along the bridges. Try jigging Raps. Also try working deeper water with lead-core. *Devils L...
Beyond the usual celebration of dog and bird and of field boots and swinging shotguns, this year's pheasant opener was highlighted by another frequent autumn occurrence in the upper Midwest: gusty conditions. In the gales that topped forty miles per hour on one stretch of my first weekend walks, the pines around me in the tree belt howled in a way that made me nervous that branches would start falling at any moment. More than a couple of times I had to adjust the Velcro strap on my...
While many other fall sports saw participation decline or be cancelled outright due to concerns over the resurgent pandemic, the activities of trap and skeet shooting have grown by more than 25 percent in this unique time of returning to school in a hybrid or completely online setting. Able to conduct regular league shoots in a socially distanced and safe manner, the USA Clay Target League (USA CTL) has seen its participation jump to more than 10,700 shooters nationwide this autumn as a coming...
I was paging through old photographs at Mom and Dad’s earlier this fall, looking for a 1980s picture of my Dad, his friend, Robert, and myself after a pheasant hunt in LaMoure County. We each held and proudly displayed one trophy rooster. It was from 1983 when you had 24 or so pictures on a roll of film and the investment was even more for buying and developing the precious film. Honestly, three decades later, the photograph is priceless. It represents the value of a hunt with friends and the le...
FOMO is the acronym for the “fear of missing out.” The term was coined in the mid-2000s as shorthand for a growing form of social anxiety about not being in on the latest happenings and events, particularly as online displays of all the fun other people were having increased through channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram being delivered directly to developing smartphone technology. While I’ve never particularly cared much about those avenues or many of the things that happen on them ...
Outdoor notes: *Oct. 18: Pronghorn season closes. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, Oct. 5: 1,448.99 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.94 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,839.44 MSL; 14,200 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases. *N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Some activity on Devils Lake but generally slow success. No reports from area lakes or the Missouri River System. *Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Continued small...
Autumn is always a time of optimism for many hunters as opportunities for excitement abound over the top of each rise and in the shady depths of every creek bottom. Putting the approach of winter aside, fall provides so much in the way of hopefulness in the pursuit of game that it is often hard to prioritize outings, and the shortening days go faster and faster as the season winds down. This year, however, there is even more to be excited about, as numbers across the board for those three things...
Hunters reminded to keep up with Fire Danger Index With pheasant hunting season opening this Saturday and thousands of hunters taking to the field, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds hunters to be aware of the daily fire danger index. Recent high daytime temperatures, combined with typical dry, late-summer and early-fall ground conditions, have caused an elevated fire danger index in some counties that will influence outdoor activities. Hunters are urged to keep up with the daily rural fire danger index, issued by the National We...
For most anglers, a walleye of 30 inches or better is the fish of a lifetime. That magic number signals a true trophy and is often the threshold at which many would consider zipping back to the launch and off to the taxidermist to get the fish mounted. However, for Jamie Risovi, a taxidermist himself and avid big fish angler from New Rockford, N.D., who spends much of the spring and fall chasing the trophy northern pike of Devils Lake, his chance encounter with one such fish – twice in a s...
While 2020 has been an unusual year, to say the least, there is some good news in the outdoors as many of North Dakota's bird and big game populations are on the rise. Deer Game and Fish made available 69,050 licenses for the 2020 hunting season, an increase of 3,550 from 2019. Population and harvest data indicate the state's deer population is stable to increasing, but still below management goals in most eastern hunting units. Consequently, there was a moderate increase in deer licenses...
My four-year-old son calls it an "adventure." Which, being of much slighter stature, and not as familiar with the rise and fall of the hillsides in the small drainage just outside of our housing development, the 30-minute hike we take from time-to-time probably is a grand trek when perceived from his vantage point. With the top of the hills hayed in late summer, the open area above the brome and milkweed covered slopes with the public trail winding through the last stretch of undeveloped land...
Outdoor notes: *Watch duck identification with so many ducks not fully colored yet. *Oct. 9: Moose season opens. *Oct. 10: Pheasant and fall turkey seasons open. *Oct. 11: Bonus blue-winged teal season closes. *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality issued blue-green algae advisories for Buffalo, Wood, Dry, East and West Stump, and Antelope lakes and Devils Lake. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, Sept. 28: 1,449.04 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,449.04 MSL. *Lake...
Biologists Monitoring Deer Mortality Due to EHD Wildlife biologists have been monitoring an ongoing mortality event in white-tailed deer in western North Dakota. Since late August, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department has documented white-tailed deer deaths attributed to epizootic hemorrhagic disease in Emmons, Grant, Morton, Dunn, Billings, Stark, Hettinger and Adams counties. “EHD is a viral disease transmitted by biting gnats,” said Dr. Charlie Bahnson, Game and Fish wildlife veterinarian. “We see a low level of EHD activity most years...
Despite the pandemic-related headwinds which hindered fundraising efforts and banquet activities for Pheasants Forever (PF) chapters across North Dakota this spring, State Coordinator Rachel Bush sees a lot of great developments for the organization in the region, and is eyeing up a successful return to the field buoyed by better bird numbers and some habitat-producing projects. "Our chapters have continued to do great things and put habitat on the ground, so we're always appreciative of the wor...
With waterfowl hunting underway and the challenge of a rising pheasant on the horizon for many, the field presents a number of challenging shots for hunters, especially those getting back after a long off season which saw some shooting sports facilities closed due to pandemic restrictions. Whether new to the field, or just needing some pointers on converting those challenging shots that are sure to come up this fall, what follows are some tips to bag more birds and make the most of each...
If you are a landowner in North Dakota wanting hunters to help trim coyote or Canada goose numbers, law allows hunting and access without permission if the land is not posted. Conversely, if a landowner wants to restrict access or trespassing, the requirement is to post the land as "No Hunting" or "No Trespassing." The debate in landowner and hunter discussions has continued in the North Dakota legislature for decades with different bills addressing the same concerns for generations. The last le...
Scent Checked In the headlights, the yellowing leaves of fall in the ash tree alongside the approach on the gravel country road were pre-dawn reminders of the ongoing seasonal shift. The cool air that curled into the truck as I opened the door was the second, and the third was the ritualistic walk around the pickup to the back and the uncasing of my bow for my first morning sit of the season, having previously taken on some warmer patrols in the evenings. The quiet calm of the cool darkness befo...
Outdoor notes: *Be careful with waterfowl species and sex identification with so many brown, uncolored birds yet. *Oct. 3: Tundra swan season opens. *Oct. 3: Nonresident waterfowl season opens. *Oct. 3-4: Youth pheasant season. *Oct. 10: Pheasant and fall turkey seasons open. *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality issued blue-green algae advisories for Antelope, Buffalo, Dry, Wood, South Golden, and Stump lakes, and Devils Lake. Tournaments: *Oct. 2-3: Lake Sakakawea, Indian Hills Resort....
Waterfowl Season Set North Dakota’s 2020 waterfowl season opens for residents Sept. 26, while nonresidents may begin hunting waterfowl Oct. 3. The season for swans opens Oct. 3 for both residents and nonresidents who have purchased a swan license. Hunters may take six ducks per day with the following restrictions: five mallards of which two may be hens, three wood ducks, two redheads, two canvasbacks, one scaup and one pintail. Hunters can take two additional blue-winged teal from Sept. 26 through Oct. 11. The daily limit of five mergansers m...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual fall wetland survey indicates fair to good wetland conditions for duck hunting throughout the state. Andy Dinges, Department migratory game bird biologist, said the number of duck hunting wetlands are down about 38% statewide from very wet conditions last fall, but still only 2% below the long-term average. He said duck hunting wetlands in the south central and southeast regions are still relatively abundant and both are about 40% above the long-term. One region that has also slightly i...
A wet fall of 2019 and abundant moisture which carried over into the start of 2020 primed the pump for a successful breeding season for waterfowl in North Dakota's prairie pothole region. With good recruitment comes increased numbers of ducks for hunters headed out to stake out their favorite slough as the season starts for resident waterfowl hunters on Sat. Sept. 26. Despite drier conditions in the back half of summer, many wetlands remain in good shape, particularly in the eastern third of the...
