North Dakota Game & Fish Department News

Smartphone Apps for Ice Fishing

Advancements in technology, easily retrieved on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, allow ice anglers access to more than 200 lake contour maps, providing yet another tool in the angler’s tackle box.

“Back when we first started mapping in the early 2000s, anglers pretty much had to print a paper lake contour map at home and take it with them to help navigate and find the underwater features,” said Jerry Weigel, Department fisheries production and development section supervisor.

Times have changed.

Anglers now have access to two free smartphone mobile apps on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov, both of which provide interactive functionality and work with a phone’s GPS.

One option, Weigel said, is ESRI ArcGIS Explorer, which requires cellular service to work in the field.

“When you’re out on the lake and you have the app running, it literally has the lake contour lines and everything,” he said. “It’d be the exact same thing you would do with your Lowrance GPS or young Hummingbird GPS when you’re navigating open water in the summer.”

Considering cellular service is iffy, at best, on about 30% of North Dakota’s fishing waters, there are benefits to downloading maps to your mobile device before leaving home using the Avenza Geospatial PDF app.

“With this electronic fishing map information and you see there’s a sunken island out there, you can literally drive right to it on the ice using either of the two technologies,” Weigel said.

Weigel added that there is something anglers need to keep in mind when using this GPS technology on their favorites fishing waters.

“They imply they’re absolute,” he said. “In other words, when it says it’s 15 feet deep, we say that there’s 15-foot depth in that general area. But folks need to keep in mind that their GPS’s are plus or minus 10 feet at the best.”

What’s more certain, if Mother Nature allows, are the opportunities afforded ice anglers this winter across North Dakota’s landscape.

“There have never been stronger populations of fish than there is now,” Weigel said. “It’s amazing. And we literally have twice the number of fishing lakes as there once was.”

Ice Awareness for Anglers

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department urges winter anglers to use extreme caution when venturing on the ice.

Jackie Lundstrom, operations supervisor for the enforcement division, said ice conditions are some of the worst she has seen for this time of the year.

“Especially thickness varying over a short distance,” she said. “Ice thickness is never consistent and can vary significantly on the same body of water.”

And now with the recent snowfall, Lundstrom said it can be difficult to find cracks and weak ice.

“Snow insulates ice, which inhibits solid ice formation,” she added. “With warmer temperatures in the forecast, a layer of crust could build which wouldn’t allow the snow to blow clear.”

A few reminders include:

• Edges firm up faster than farther out from shore.

• Avoid cracks, pressure ridges, slushy or darker areas that signal thinner ice. The same goes for ice that forms around partially submerged trees, brush, embankments or other structures.

• Ice thickness is not consistent and can vary significantly even in a small area. Ice shouldn’t be judged by appearance alone. Anglers should drill test holes as they make their way out on the lake, and an ice chisel should be used to check ice thickness while moving around.

• Daily temperature changes cause ice to expand and contract, affecting its strength.

• The following minimums are recommended for travel on clear-blue lake ice formed under ideal conditions. However, early in the winter it’s a good idea to double these figures to be safe: 4 inches for a group walking single file; 6 inches for a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle; 8-12 inches for an automobile; and 12-15 inches for a pickup/truck.

These tips could help save a life:

• Wear a personal flotation device and carry a cell phone.

• Carry ice picks or a set of screwdrivers to pull yourself back on the ice if you fall through.

• If someone breaks through the ice, call 911 immediately. Rescue attempts should employ a long pole, board, rope, blanket or snowmobile suit. If that’s not possible, throw the victim a life jacket, empty water jug or other buoyant object. Go to the victim as a last resort, but do this by forming a human chain where rescuers lie on the ice with each person holding the feet of the person in front.

• To treat hypothermia, replace wet clothing with dry clothing and immediately transport victim to a hospital.

NDGF, USDA Partner to Help Landowners with CRP Offers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for its voluntary Conservation Reserve Program. Private landowners can sign up at their local USDA Farm Service Agency office through Feb. 12.

This popular USDA program provides options for environmentally sensitive land by reducing soil erosion and improving water quality, but it also provides significant benefits to wildlife populations through the habitat it creates. The habitat created by CRP makes it a great fit for the Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen program.

“Game and Fish has partnered with the USDA Farm Service Agency to help producers learn more about CRP and options available to them,” said North Dakota Game and Fish private land section supervisor Kevin Kading.

Landowners are encouraged to visit https://gf.nd.gov/landowner/2021-crp-contact-request to answer a few questions that will direct them to their local FSA county office for more detailed information and to apply for CRP. Landowners can also request to be contacted by a Game and Fish private land biologist to learn more about additional incentives and cost-share for allowing walk-in hunting access to their CRP through PLOTS.

Pronghorn Hunting Season Statistics

Hunter success during last fall’s pronghorn hunting season was 76%, according to statistics provided by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

Game and Fish issued 1,782 licenses (1,108 lottery and 674 gratis), and 1,572 hunters took 1,199 pronghorn, consisting of 1,044 bucks, 137 does and 18 fawns. Each hunter spent an average of three days afield.

The 2021 pronghorn hunting season will be determined in July.

Hunting and Fishing Legislation

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will once again track hunting and fishing issues during the 2021 legislative session.

Interested outdoor enthusiasts can follow proposed outdoors-related bills by visiting the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

A brief description of each bill will be included. To view the bill in its entirety, click on the linked bill number.