NDG&F Dept. Release Hunters and others enjoying the outdoors this fall should be aware of the daily fire index, take precaution and be prepared. Many parts of the state remain dry with ample fuel for wildfire.  Fall remains a risk period due to increased human activity outdoors in rural areas, drying ground vegetation and high…

By Nick Simonson Late summer brings with it warmer waters, and as temperatures go up, predator fish typically go down in the water column in pursuit of their prey seeking cooler environs until fall settles in.  As those gamefish like walleyes go after baitfish species like smelt, anglers follow suit and put their presentations in…

By Brad Durick When it comes to catfishing on the Red River, nothing has changed in terms of water river levels, but I believe I have pinpointed just about where these fish are hanging out. Going back to the really low water year of 2021, I noticed while imaging for hours that catfish were stacking…

By Doug Leier With fall fast approaching, North Dakota’s hunting seasons have already opened. The 2026 season officially kicked off Aug. 15 with the early Canada goose management season. Depending on the hunting zone, the first closure is Sept. 7 in the Missouri River zone, followed by Sept. 15 in the western zone and Sept….

By Mike Peluso What an interesting week of walleye fishing it has been on Lake Sakakawea.  There are lots of things happening all at the same time and in my line of work, it definitely keeps me on my toes.  The fish have decided to go deep! Or have they? I’ll get to this in a…

By Nick Simonson Your opener is coming up soon.  I don’t care if you’re a waterfowler, a pheasant hunter or have that coveted firearms deer tag for this autumn, opening day is approaching faster than a set of mallards with cupped wings descending on your decoy setup. Which is why now is the time to…

By Nick Simonson Continuing recent uptrends, the North Dakota Game & Fish Department’s (NDG&F) Private Lands Section added nearly 45,000 acres of public access to its Private Land Open to Sportsmen program (PLOTS) ahead of the fall 2026 hunting season.  With a goal set in 2023 of returning to 1 million or more PLOTS acres…

By Brad Durick The Red River is currently the second lowest level I have seen in my entire catfishing career on the water. That means some sections are unacceptable to bigger boats and others have no current. Right now, the pattern is more of a poke and hope strategy. With very little current you can’t…

By Nick Simonson Before you gear up to do your autumn blasting, don’t forget to add in a bit of fall casting as well.  One of the region’s best autumn targets in those warm afternoons after a cool morning of bow hunting, upland pursuits, or waterfowling are stocked trout that have weathered the warmth of…

By Mike Peluso I spent most of this week guiding on Devils Lake. I know Devils has gotten a bad rap as of late, but I do think it is a tad unfair to categorize it  this way.  I touched on it a bit in last week’s report, but I’ll touch on it again.  The…

By Nick Simonson The transition of summer into fall brings with it the first upland season of the year with mourning dove hunting beginning on Sept. 1. While I can recall endlessly entertaining afternoons walking shelterbelts to flush these fast-flying birds from their daytime roosts, the most memorable hunts came from around favorite water holes…

NDG&F Release The number of roosters heard during the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2026 spring pheasant crowing count survey was 23.2 crows per stop, up 9% statewide from last year. “Overwinter survival of adult pheasants has been outstanding. Typically, we lose up to 75% of our pheasant population each winter, but that has…

By Doug Leier Farmers, ranchers and all landowners should be aware of a key deadline: July 1, 2026. This date serves as the cutoff for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s electronic posting system. Electronic posting allows landowners to designate land as “posted” via a digital database. For these digital designations to be legal…

By Brad Durick We just can’t catch a break this season when it comes to conditions on the Red River for catfishing. All that heat got the spawn into full motion early – as we were about 10 to 14 days ahead of normal for that process – then Mother Nature decided to cool things…

By Nick Simonson The mallard is perhaps the most noted duck species among hunters and conservationists, known for its shimmering emerald head, large migratory flocks in fall that fuel legendary hunts, and the “quack” often associated with waterfowl in movies, TV shows and other media, including that cell phone ringtone tied to that one die-hard…

By Mike Peluso With the goofy weather throughout this spring, even in the late season with summer approaching,  the walleye fishing on Devils Lake has been a little up and down also.  I have been on the water pretty much every day since March 15and  I have never seen such tough weather – especially the…

By Nick Simonson When it comes to just about any species of fish, an element of structure is often key in catching them, especially in summer.  Even the roving schools of white bass on the waters that hosted my formative years of fishing related to nearby weed edges established in the summer months, against which…

NDG&F Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 79th annual spring breeding duck survey conducted in May showed an index of about 2.4 million birds, down 9.5% from 2.66 million birds in 2025 and 2.9 million in 2024. The 2026 breeding duck index dipped below the 1948-2025 average for the first time since 1993, according…

By Doug Leier In North Dakota, summer’s arrival has always been a bit of a tease. I was visiting with an old friend on the sidewalk the other evening and it didn’t take long before the conversation turned the way it usually does this time of year — toward the weather and then getting back…

By Brad Durick The spawn is on when it comes to the channel catfish on the Red River in and around the Grand Forks area, and likely much of the flow in North Dakota. As predicted, the hot temperatures we have had have pushed the catfish to the nest and they are spawning. Water temperature…

By Mike Peluso Since leaving the Missouri River last month, one thing hasn’t changed and that is the fact that the weather this spring and early summer has been about the worst I can remember with absolutely zero consistency from day to day.   With the lack of consistency in the weather, the fishing on…

By Nick Simonson “Jackson, where’s your bobber?” I asked, squinting against the gray surface of the evening water, knowing that my eyesight isn’t quite what it used to be but also expecting to easily see the electric red glow of the light up slip float thirty feet off the stern. From the back of my…

By Doug Leier On a chilly, rainy Friday night the police officer called and said a young girl had taken what she thought was an injured mother duck and rode off on her bike. The officer was unable to find the girl and the hen, while a dozen ducklings scurried around looking for mom. Maybe…

By Brad Durick As I predicted last week for catfish on the Red River, the fish had some temperature shock from the fast rise in temperatures following the warmth that came in starting Memorial Day weekend.  Ultimately, the water temperature has settled in on 74 degrees.  Numbers of catfish ended up really good actually, with…

By Nick Simonson Despite some progress in the mule deer populations in North Dakota, the state’s whitetail herd has struggled to recruit new animals into the herd over the past four years. As a result, hunters noticed yet another drop to modern lows for firearm deer tags this fall, with a reduction of 3,200 licenses…

By Mike Peluso This week’s walleye report will be more of a recap of my time spent over in Wisconsin fishing the AIM National Championship, but I will add a little local North Dakota report in here also.   For starters, the AIM Nationals was a loaded field of anglers competing for chance to win…

NDG&F Release North Dakota’s 2026 deer season is set, with 39,100 licenses available to hunters, down 3,200 from last year, the lowest total in over a half century. Muzzleloader licenses were also reduced, and antlerless deer gun licenses are not available in several units. A total of 240 nonresident any deer archery licenses are available,…

By Nick Simonson One of the greatest transformations in fishing over the past four decades in the upper Midwest has been the lakes in west central Minnesota, including those along the Pelican River watershed.  While positive efforts such as the installation of city sewers and riparian and shoreline vegetation conservation efforts have helped clean up…

By Brad Durick Oh, what a weather change can do for catfishing on the Red River. We went from highs in the 50s with water temperatures in the mid-50s waiting for some heat, to the 90s and as of this writing, water temperatures rocketing up to 70. This is a worst-case scenario for a prespawn…

By Doug Leier Every year about this time, questions start rolling in about the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s lottery system. Hunters wonder how bonus points work, whether they need to apply in the same unit each year, and how the drawing happens. The short answer is that the system rewards persistence while still…