Dakota Recreation Report: November 6, 2023

Outdoor notes:

*Please park out of the way of other vehicles and farm equipment on prairie roads and trails.

*Nov. 6: Fall crow season closes.

*Nov. 10: Deer gun season opens.

*Nov. 12: Sandhill crane season closes.

*Nov. 18: Ducks Unlimited and Pekin Rod & Gun Club wild game feed, Pekin Community Center, 5 p.m.

Fishing:

*Devils Lake elevation, Oct. 31: 1,499.35 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

*Stump Lake elevation: 1,449.34 MSL.

*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,840.06 MSL; 16,900 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

*N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: No new reports.

*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Small northern lakes icing over but do not attempt to access any lakes yet. Docks have been pulled.

*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: No activity.

*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: No activity with cold weather.

*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: No activity throughout area lakes.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: No activity on area lakes. Stay off any lakes that iced over with treacherous conditions yet.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No activity.

*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Weather conditions shut down any fishing activity.

*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: No new reports.

*Lakes Audubon and Sakakawea, Hwy. 83 Lawn & Leisure, Garrison: No activity on Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon.

*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Cold and snow shut down Missouri River tailrace and Lake Sakakawea activity

*Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: No new reports.

Hunting:

*Cranes: Lingering numbers of birds moved through portions of west-central N.D. last weekend with birds generally now out of the state.

*Deer: Look for more movement with colder weather.

*Upland: Pheasants starting to bunch up in heavy cover of cattails, shrubs and woody areas after bout of snow and cold.

*Waterfowl: Cold weather iced over many smaller lakes and wetlands across the state with remaining Canada geese on open water of larger lakes and the Missouri River System. Snow cover could be limiting factor on how long birds will stay around the midsection of Lake Sakakawea with the lake still open but lots of snow covering food sources. Some lingering snow geese along the east end of Lake Sakakawea early in the week. Fair numbers of ducks on the Missouri River around the Washburn area early in the week. Diving ducks still on the open water of Devils Lake.

Numbers to know:

*N.D. Game and Fish Department, main Bismarck office: (701) 328-6300, website: (http://gf.nd.gov).

*N.D. Game and Fish Department, Devils Lake office: (701) 662-3617.

*N.D. Game and Fish Department, Jamestown office: (701) 253-6480.

*Report All Poachers: (701) 328-9921.