EAT UP! After a summer of growing, there are a lot of large baitfish out there serving up the protein and vital nutrients that big predators need to make it through the cold water season. Upsize your seasonal offerings this time of year to catch those hungry lunkers. Featured Photo:  MINNOW MIMIC.  A large white…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Biologist For the past couple of years, North Dakota Game and Fish Department biologists have put forth a concerted effort to inform state anglers about a condition called “barotrauma,” which can occur in fish caught from water depths of more than 25 feet.   It’s particularly a concern in North Dakota this time of year…

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY! A near perfect day for on the water adventure highlights your mid-week as winds fade, temps reach the upper 70s and things get ship shape for some fishing.  We check out nationwide duck numbers, sovereign lands and the continuation of what’s left of SB 2315 from this spring (the “everything’s posted” committee) in…

LOOKIN’ GOOD.  Stable weather into the weekend sets up a good stretch for anything outdoors – from sighting in the bow to getting in those last casts of summer.  We cover what’s to come, what’s needed for waterfowlers and what exactly an eagle pulled out of the St. Croix river in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured…

NDG&F Dept. Release North Dakota’s deer archery season opens Friday, Aug. 30 at noon, and continues through Jan. 5, 2020. Bowhunters can buy a license online at the state Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov; by calling 800-406-6409; or at vendors linked to the Game and Fish Department’s online licensing system. Hunters who purchase bow licenses at a…

KNOCK-KNOCK.  Warm weather returns to the region with a solid spike into the upper 80s today.  The last stretch of August puts largemouth bass up shallow and under docks.  We’ve got the tips to start your week off and help you find more bucketmouths. Featured Photo:  Posted. A nice largemouth bass caught and released along…

BOUNCEBACK.  We recover nicely from yesterday’s rain with a jump back into the seventies and sunny conditions.  Make the most of it as many eye up the first week of school and other signs that summer’s coming to an end.  We cover fall leagues, warden work and where we’re at with precip headed into autumn…

By John Bradley, NDWF Executive Director   Any hunter who has walked the great plains and had a sage-grouse flush at their feet, knows the thrill. Even the most seasoned hunter gets a rush of adrenaline as the birds explode from cover.  I was fortunate enough to hunt sage grouse in Montana last fall, where…

MIX IT UP.  Rain later today won’t wash out a good weekend, as clearer conditions return tomorrow. The weather looks to stabilize into next week, with 80s returning in the back half.  Until then, there’s plenty going on out there from salmon tourneys to amphibian studies to deer fever.  Check it all out in our…

By Nick Simonson   The natural world, and often our daily lives, revolve around a pattern.  The sun rises, travels the sky and sets as we go about our business. Rains fall, things clear, the grasses grow and life flourishes. Winter fades to spring, spring warms into summer, summer slides into the blessed season of…

FULL UP.  The back half of August is always busy, and the fishing is often best around the full moon.  We’ve got the conditions, news and notes to get you back to school – schooling fish that is – in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Good Glow.  The August “Sturgeon Moon” rises with an ethereal…

By Nick Simonson   The dogs recoiled in unison from the movement of the dark, curly-que shaped creature standing out against the streetlight glow which illuminated the driveway cement near the garage door.  On our daily walk in the pre-dawn dark of five o’clock, they shook off their surprise at the small, elongated object suddenly…