Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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Readers of this column know I love wildlife as much as anyone. In person, on the phone and via email I've connected with many compassionate people regarding situations with young wildlife, and I understand it's not easy to step back from the urge to "help" an animal and let nature take its course. But in the big picture, that is the best choice. From seemingly abandoned deer fawns, to birds that fell from a nest, to a mother duck trying to lead her brood across a crowded city parking lot,...
Outdoor notes: *The lowest three-quarters mile of Channel A as it enters Devils Lake is closed to boats and shore-fishing, the area by U.S. Highway 2 and train bridges, due to road construction. *Remember to get current boat registrations, keep social distancing and boating safety requirements for life jackets, etc. *State parks are open with camping reservations available online at (parkrec.nd.gov). Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, June 9: 1,449.62 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake...
After two years of lower upland game populations, fewer hunters pursued these game birds last fall. With that said, North Dakota's 2019 pheasant and sharp-tailed grouse harvests were down from 2018, while the number of Hungarian partridge taken last year was similar to the year before, according to statistics compiled by the state Game and Fish Department. Upland game management supervisor Jesse Kolar said the overall harvest was down despite slight increases in most population survey estimates. “This was likely due to continued declines in hun...
This has been perhaps the windiest spring I can recall since I became a dedicated angler several decades ago. The scattered calm days seem to come at a rate of one in ten or so, but the balance of the spring has been dominated by gusty conditions and stretches where even when the wind shifts, it comes out of a new direction at an equally fevered pace, wasting little time in transition. Going through the motions of correcting a slow troll with the bow mount motor on the water, or bracing the...
At a meeting of the South Dakota Game Fish & Parks Commission (GFP) on June 4, the agency declared it would be discontinuing its summer pheasant brood surveys, suggesting that the numbers – which have trended significantly lower in recent years due to decreasing habitat on the landscape of the Rushmore State – were not as important as maintaining and marketing the state's title of "The World's Pheasant Capital" and its new "Hunt the Greatest" tagline. In an era where the value of science has...
A good number of movies about diseases – Outbreak, Contagion, Pandemic, even Dawn of the Dead - have made it into the top ten on Netflix in recent weeks as fear and curiosity, along with free time have spurred a desire to understand how diseases spread. And, like with Hollywood's tales, in real life, outbreaks often start with just a spark of infection in a single patient. It is just as possible that the spark smolders and dies out, taking with it only its host before it can be spread to any o...
If the recent pandemic and its social distancing requirements have taught us anything, it's the importance of having a place to go outside. Whether it's to blow off steam with a trail run, wet a line on a local river, or hike the hills with a good hunting dog, public places provide an opportunity unique to America and the country's long-standing traditions of hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation. Growing in recent years to more than 40,000 grassroots members, the group Backcountry Hunters &...
The path to a successful hunt involves a lot of planning. Whether it's hours of country cruising and scouting the local deer herd and their movements in August and September for November's glorious capstone to autumn or checking laces and boot leather and getting hundreds of rounds put in at the trap range to be set for that first flushing rooster in October, preparation for whatever game you pursue makes the season more successful. One thing many hunters overlook, however, is the physical...
Editor's Note: There have been two developments since press time Thursday. The online version of this article, posted below, has changed to reflect those updates. It just doesn't feel like summer until sports are well underway. Due to the current conditions, there will be numerous precautions taken to ensure the safety of players, coaches and fans. As of now, games are planned to begin the week of June 15. Scheduled practices will begin the week of June 1. Safety precautions will take place any...
There's a compromise reached in every relationship. My wife loves to cruise on the open water and I love to fish, so much so that the idea of being on a boat without a rod in hand is what I imagine hell must be like. So while I manned the helm of the party boat as we moved up and down the river under the warmth of the newly-minted summer sun over the holiday weekend, my eyes shifted from the bouncing rod tip that telegraphed the motion of the firetiger crankbait clicking along the bottom to the...
While it's the hope of every angler to catch a fish worthy of the wall, whether via a replica or skin mount, the opportunity may not come along very often. When it does, however, anglers should be prepared with a few easy steps and a couple of simple tools to make sure their trophy (or its actual dimensions and features) makes it to the taxidermist in the best possible shape. Jason Brunell of Jason's Taxidermy in Mapleton, N.D. has been working on fish and game mounts since he started under his...
Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, May 18: 1,449.8 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,449.64 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,840.5 MSL; 28,600 cubic ft. per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases. *Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Warmer weather bringing anglers out with a nice mix of boat and shore activity. Water temperatures remain cool yet, though, with generally slow success yet. Work shallow, warm water along the west side, including Howard’s or Ne...
The lowest three-quarters of a mile of Channel A as it enters Devils Lake is closed to fishing effective immediately due to safety concerns as U.S. Highway 2 is under construction west of Devils Lake. This area is closed to both shore and boat fishing, and includes where Channel A crosses Highway 2 and the train bridges. “Closed to Fishing” signs will be posted in this area. North Dakota Game and Fish Department director Terry Steinwand said the closure is not COVID-19 related. “There are legitimate concerns from local officials about publi...
Hunters looking for a bit of good news got some recently, when the North Dakota Game and Fish Department announced a license increase for the 2020 deer gun season. The actual numbers are 69,050 deer gun licenses available to hunters, 3,550 more than last year. As a closer look inside the numbers shows that any-antlered licenses increased by 1,500 from last year, any-antlerless by 1,600, antlered whitetail by 250, antlerless whitetail by 200, and antlered and antlerless mule deer licenses...
Outdoor notes: *Deer gun and muzzleloader applications now available on the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov). Application deadline is June 3. *Go to the N.D. Parks & Recreation Dept. website, (parkrec.nd.gov) for updated information on state parks openings and regulations pending COVID-19 precautions. Day and annual passes available online. Please remember to implement social distancing. *N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Wildlife Mgmt. Areas also open to public use, although specific use...
Spring brings with it the first trips out into a greening countryside. Whether sneaking off to a favorite shore fishing spot or hanging up some trail cameras to catch the first glimpses of a buck caught on a memory card, spring adventures often set anglers and hunters up against flora and fauna that can be challenging. While we're not exactly talking murder hornets in this neck of the woods (yet), a sampling of pesky plant and insect species should be examined and avoided, or at least warded...
Numerous vulnerabilities in our economic and healthcare systems have come to light the last few months during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the crisis has also highlighted just how much Americans love-and need-to connect with nature on our public lands. Across the country, people have been flocking to local, state, and national parks – so much so that many parks had to be closed because social distancing could not be practiced. North Dakotans are lucky that we can responsibly find peace outdoors o...
In the era of catch-and-release a number of tools have come to the forefront in ensuring the successful turn back of big fish to be caught again: rubberized nets, mesh cradles, and elongated needle nose pliers help make short work of landing, caring for and releasing fish while limiting damage to the slime coat, gills and gullets of many species. One of the smallest but most effective ways of aiding a fast release with minimal injury, particularly when engaged in bait fishing, is through the use...
Criminal charges are expected to be filed against six Barnes County men for their involvement in the illegal taking of big game and other wildlife-related violations in recent months throughout the county, which allegedly includes the poaching of a number of whitetail deer. Combined, the complaints against the individuals are anticipated to allege 41 criminal charges in North Dakota’s Southeast Judicial District Court. At the center of the group of six alleged poachers and abettors is Jakob A...
North Dakota’s 2020 deer season is set, with 69,050 licenses available to hunters— 3,550 more than last year. In total, any-antlered licenses increased by 1,500 from last year, any-antlerless by 1,600, antlered whitetail by 250, antlerless whitetail by 200, and antlered and antlerless mule deer licenses remained the same. In addition, muzzleloader licenses increased by 70, and restricted youth antlered mule deer licenses remained the same. As stated in the 2020-21 chronic wasting disease proclamation, hunters harvesting a deer in units 3A1...
This week marks an important point of return. I don't know if that's a real term, but it's far less ominous than "the point of no return," which has had its share of dramas, dark songs and thriller type novels written about it. The point of return, however, is that point in time where we're now closer to the start of a hunting season than we are to the end of the previous one, and it should be celebrated. With New Year's Eve typically the last day of bow hunting in most northern tier states, tho...
Pheasants Forever (PF) and pet food producer Purina have partnered on an ambitious three-year, 30,000-acre incentive program directed at landowners in the prairie pothole region of southwestern Minnesota, north-central Iowa, and those parts of North Dakota and South Dakota located east of the Missouri River. With the ultimate goal of adding more than 7,200 acres of wildlife habitat in the region known for rearing a large portion of the nation's waterfowl populations, the program will analyze the...
The winter of 2019-20 was a split personality to say the least. East of the Missouri River, the state was plagued with heavy snow, colder temperatures and a prolonged season. West of the flow, it was a virtual banana belt with light snow events and minimal ground cover from December to March. As a result, North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDG&F) Upland Game Biologist RJ Gross and members of the agency know where the areas of concern lie for the state's population of ringneck pheasants and w...
Outdoor notes: *Remember that new boat registrations are now due and stickers need to be placed on the boat. *North Dakota state park facilities, including vault toilets, restrooms, and visitor centers, remain closed to public use, although hiking trails are open for day use only. Please remember to implement social distancing. Day and annual passes available through park self-registration or online (www.parkrec.nd.gov). *N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Wildlife Mgmt. Areas also open to public use,...
I've been on both sides of the wind in many of my outdoor adventures but none more notable than last week, when the well-worn mooring rope on the cleat of my boat broke and my boys and I had the stunning experience of heading down from the parking lot to the launch dock to see the old Lund about 40 yards out in the bay, with a portion of the red tether dangling off the side and the other part still attached to the dock. (Yet one more thing to throw in my hole in the water, as discussed at...
