Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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Outdoor notes: *Sept. 1: Dove season opens. *Sept. 2: Fall turkey applications due. *Sept. 4: Pronghorn (lottery licenses only) and deer archery seasons open. *Remaining deer licenses now available on first-come-first-served basis. Go to the N.D. Game & Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for details and application. *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality blue-green algae warning for Stump Lake and advisories for Jamestown Reservoir and Buffalo and Coal Mine lakes. *Do not release any fish caught...
When you consider North Dakota’s storied hunting heritage and the reality that about 93% of the land in the state is privately owned, it’s no wonder landowner-hunter relations have long been a vital component of our hunting legacy. Nevertheless, the Game and Fish Department’s owned or managed wildlife management areas also play an important role in not only providing public access but quality habitat to foster and safeguard those animals hunters ardently pursue. North Dakota has more than 220 w...
Even in the dim start of the day which hinted back to how many seasons in the area had begun, with low clouds hanging over the rock-and-cedar covered edges of the small stream on Lake Superior’s north shore, it was evidently summer. The humidity stuck to everything like the rust-colored algae on the rocks in the slower edge pools and I felt the breathability of my waders fade as they quickly began to cling to my legs in the August air. While not hot to start, it was a far cry from those cold s...
Growing up hunting in Minnesota with my family, we’d avoid bowhunting for deer in September in fear of the occasional 80-degree day that could spoil meat quickly. It wasn’t until I moved out west that I started hunting the early season, when deer are often more predictable. During early season hunts like North Dakota’s archery season, it’s critical to be cautious with meat spoilage. After all, you’ve likely spent far more money on your hunting trip than a trip to the grocery store after you...
August is no longer just about winding down the fishing season and starting the planning and preparation for upcoming hunting seasons. While North Dakota has long had a crow season that got its start in mid-August, it wasn’t until changes several years ago put the early Canada goose opener in 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 n...
Outdoor notes: *Remaining deer licenses are now available on a first-come-first-served basis. Go to the N.D. Game & Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for details and application. *Aug. 22: Fall crow season opens. *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality blue-green algae warning for Stump Lake and advisories for Jamestown Reservoir and Buffalo and Coal Mine lakes. *Watchable Wildlife photo contest underway with Oct. 2 deadline. Contact N.D. Game & Fish Dept. conservation biologist, Patrick Isakson,...
PLOTS Guide Online The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide for 2020 is now available online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, the free printed PLOTS guides will be available in mid-August at most license vendors and other locations throughout the state. The guide will feature about 800,000 PLOTS acres. Because the guide is printed in mid-August, some PLOTS tracts highlighted in the guide may have been removed from the program since the time of printing. There will also be some P...
The recruitment, retainment and reactivation (R3) efforts underway across the hunting and fishing world are notable, monumental and ultimately important to the future of the outdoors and conservation. States across the map have created special youth hunting weekends ahead of the general openers and agencies sponsor dedicated programs for facilitating time in the field for young and inexperienced hunters in conjunction with non-profits like Pheasants Forever, the Ruffed Grouse Society and local...
Where once Canada geese were a rarity in North Dakota, populations now continue to climb, leading to liberalized bag limits and more opportunities for hunters to start after these popular waterfowl. With the August Management Take/Early September Season kicking off on Sat. Aug. 15, hunters will have an even greater chance to harvest their share of Canada geese this year, as numbers in the state have increased over 2019, thanks to an abundance of water and habitat and good recruitment this...
The North Dakota Game & Fish Department's (NDG&F) Private Land Open to Sportsmen (PLOTS) program has regained an important benchmark in its efforts to open access to high-quality habitat for hunters each fall, as this year, according to Keving Kading, NDG&F Private Lands Section Leader, the program has topped 800,000 acres for the first time in many seasons. Kading also stresses that the quality of those acres enrolled in PLOTS is also up, and many of the additions in 2020 sport brand new...
This stretch from late July into late August is known as the dog days of summer, so named in ancient times for the rising of Sirius, or the dog star, during this time of the year. Though it faithfully follows the constellation of Orion around the night sky, Sirius was often recognized for the negatives that came with it in the form of hot temperatures and generally bad luck. While luck has something to do with every hunting trip, preparation usually pans out with better success, which is why w...
Outdoor notes: *Aug. 12: Tundra swan applications due. Go to the N.D. Game & Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) to apply. *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality blue-green algae advisories for Buffalo, and Coal Mine lakes and Jamestown Reservoir. *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. 2 deadline. Contact N.D. Game & Fish Dept. c...
State Game and Fish Department biologists expect a fall duck flight from North Dakota that is up 9% from last year, based on observations from the annual duck production survey. This year’s duck brood index was comparable to last year’s estimate and showed 4.5 broods per square mile, 52% above the long-term average (1965-2019). Average brood size was also similar at 6.8 ducklings per brood. Migratory game bird management supervisor Mike Szymanski said observation conditions were better this year among most wetland types, but observers sti...
Pronghorn hunting season set, apply online North Dakota's 2020 pronghorn hunting season is set, with 1,790 licenses available in 15 open units. Bruce Stillings, big game management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said license numbers and open units are up from last year, when the department allocated 1,330 licenses and had 12 open units. The recently completed aerial survey indicated the pronghorn population is up 6% from last year. Stillings said three new hunting...
Outdoor notes: *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. 2 deadline. Contact N.D. Game & Fish Dept. conservation biologist, Patrick Isakson, [email protected]) for details. *Remember to bring insect repellent when outdoors. *N.D. Dept. of Environmental Quality issued blue-green algae advisories: Spiritwood and Coal Mine lakes and J...
The passage of the Great American Outdoors Act – a bill which would provide permanent funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) through royalties generated by offshore drilling in federal waters around the United States – represents a bright, optimistic light in a time of challenge and a future full of opportunities. In a moment in history when nearly everything seems to be dividing American society, from continued racial injustice issues overflowing into the streets, to online fla...
The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) and the North Dakota State Seed Department have received several reports of state residents receiving unsolicited packages containing seeds from China. Officials in other states have also reported similar instances. “We’re not sure why these seeds are being sent or what the motives are behind this,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “Unsolicited seeds may be invasive and introduce diseases harmful to plants or livestock.” “Individuals who receive unsolicited seeds should be concerne...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDG&F) announced last week that 1,790 tags would be available for the pronghorn hunting lottery in 2020. While this number was up significantly from the 1,330 licenses made available in 2019, it's the expansion of the units open to hunters that better evidences the improving size of the pronghorn herds found in the state's western half. Most notable was the reopening of Unit 13-A, located in northwestern North Dakota, bounded by the Canadian and...
August brings with it high anticipation for the hunting seasons that follow. Oftentimes, the month is hallmarked by dog training, target shooting and physical preparation for what's to come in the autumn. But in the heat of summer's sweet spot, many sportsmen of a different stripe know that action is picking up for a unique fishing opportunity in North Dakota along the face of Garrison Dam and the southern stretches of Lake Sakakawea. The search for chinook salmon fills the gap between the end o...
There are few hunters that I envy. Content with the options I have close to home for the limited species I pursue each fall with the time I can muster, I enjoy the success and adventures of my friends and relish hearing their stories from far off places or lucky tag draws when we meet up for a reunion around a summer campfire or when hunched over a set of ice holes in the winter following the season. Even complete strangers who email me out of the blue with their tales light up my screen with te...
Outdoor notes: *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. 2 deadline. Contact N.D. Game & Fish Dept. conservation biologist, Patrick Isakson, [email protected]) for details. *Remember to bring insect repellent when outdoors. *Blue-green algae advisory listed for Jamestown Reservoir and Spiritwood, Coal Mine, and Buffalo lakes. P...
While my college transcript might indicate otherwise, I've always enjoyed statistics. That's about the most positive spin I can put on my appreciation for numbers while giving credit to the confusion some figures can portray. Case in point: If you took the 2019 pheasant hunting statistics at face value, you might think the pheasant numbers were down. Our post-season survey showed about 50,000 pheasant hunters harvested 256,800 roosters (down 25%) in 2019, compared to 59,400 hunters and 342,600...
Governor Doug Burgum has proclaimed July as Lakes Appreciation Month in North Dakota. When thinking of North Dakota, images of the Badlands, wheat and cornfields, and even oil wells will most likely pop into your mind before lakes. However, you may be surprised to learn that North Dakota has about 4,500 lakes. Of that number, 450 lakes have public access and some degree of oversight. North Dakota lakes are desirable destinations for boating, fishing, camping and swimming. Lake festivities in the summer and fishing derbies in both summer and...
The trail camera season is upon us. Sweaty afternoons of hopping from camera to camera now in the heat of midsummer can pay off with dozens, if not hundreds, of pictures of velvet antlered bucks that will get the heart pumping when autumn rolls around and their summer covering has been shed. Utilizing attractants, such as mineral licks, where legal and prudent, are a great way of getting deer to pause for a time in front of the lens and help provide better photos for judging rack size and...
While better reserved for a time closer to Halloween, with recent reports of successful cross-breeding between paddlefish and sturgeon meant to sustain a European caviar industry in decline due to the overharvest of the source sturgeon species, the "sturddlefish" as it's known, is just one aquatic oddball in a list of man-made mixes of two fish species. What follows are the tales – perhaps cautionary ones – of recent history's strange hybrids and genetic tweaks made by man, some of which hav...
