By Doug Leier Through continued news cycles we hear more and more about chronic wasting disease today. Even so, there are likely people still not familiar with the disease and others who haven’t taken the time to stay current and may have some questions. What is chronic wasting disease? Chronic wasting disease is a progressive,…

By Mike Peluso If you are watching the weather closely, it is looking like we may have a major setback to fishing on the Missouri River starting this Tuesday. Reports are early, but Bismarck seems to be in the storm’s bullseye at the moment. Anywhere from 12 to 25 inches of snow is being tossed…

By Nick Simonson Aquatic nuisance species (ANS) have become one of the biggest concerns facing the health of recreational fisheries throughout the country and throughout North Dakota.  Whether it’s the spread of zebra mussels introduced from far away waters in Europe and Asia into lakes throughout the upper Midwest, including those in the Roughrider state,…

By Nick Simonson Springtime is crappie time, and for fly anglers it is perhaps one of the best windows of the year to get on some serious slabs as they stage for the spawn or make their moves up into the shallows.  Five flies shine in getting the job done as waters warm and those…

By Nick Simonson In the depths of the cold channel, I felt my line slowly pull away from the bottom and gave a steady tug back on the jig below.  The end of my rod bowed in a long arch as the heavy fish moved along as if it hadn’t realized it had been hooked…

By Doug Leier In the past couple weeks, many media outlets in North Dakota, especially in the eastern part of the state, published or broadcast stories related to the 25th anniversary of the 1997 Red River flood.   With all those historical accounts taking place, it seemed more appropriate to wait a few weeks before relating…

By Mike Peluso Finally! I’m back into full open water guide mode here on the Missouri River near Bismarck. Spring is kind of here, if you look outside my window today, it would be easy to argue that it’s winter, but we definitely need the moisture. I have lots to talk about in this week’s…

By Nick Simonson On a morning drive to school, my oldest son and I filled the commute with a discussion about the nature of cold-blooded animals, such as snakes and lizards and fish, versus warm-blooded animals like mammals and, of course in that category, people like him and his little brother.  From the falling iguanas…

By Nick Simonson “It’d be a great day…if it wasn’t for the wind.” If I had a nickel for every time I heard this, I’d have enough for a season’s worth of bait, but such is spring in the upper Midwest.  The jet stream yaws and the days oscillate in turn: gusts from the south,…

NDG&F Dept. Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2021 bighorn sheep survey, completed by recounting lambs in March, revealed a record 335 bighorn sheep in western North Dakota, up 4% from 2020 and 15% above the five-year average. The count surpassed the previous record of 322 bighorns in 2020. Altogether, biologists counted 99…

By Mike Peluso Open water is here in Bismarck and it is here to stay! Ramps on the Missouri River are pushed, the ice is gone, and hopefully the walleyes will begin to filter north. I’ve only been out twice since returning to Bismarck after guiding on the ice all winter on Devils Lake. There…

By Nick Simonson The release of the 2022 National Deer Association (NDA, online at deerassociation.com) Deer Report confirmed that on the heels of the pandemic in the fall of 2020, more hunters participated in the pursuit of whitetailed deer and other deer species than at any time in recent history.  With that increase in hunters…

By Hannah Hayes Falconry by definition is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. The most important word in this definition is “hunting.” There are several avenues a person can take to legally acquire a bird of prey such as education or rehabilitation….

By Nick Simonson Spring is in the air, and if you get a whiff of it in the coming days, it likely will bear with it the scent of gunpowder.  Across the country and the region, USA High School Clay Target Leagues are kicking off their spring season, bringing tens of thousands of student-athletes in…

By Nick Simonson As winter gives way to spring and we see what the snow and wind left behind, it’s easy to pick out the places that need a little TLC, or to refocus our efforts with organizations that share our mindset for the conservation of wild places and clean waters and the wildlife that…

By Doug Leier Many people are a little surprised and often enlightened when they visit with a North Dakota game warden and learn more about the people behind the badge. A hunter may not realize the time and resources spent in service training and administrative/safety requirements. Anglers know wardens are checking for over limits and…

By John Bradley As winter slowly starts to melt into spring, hunters will take to the fields for turkey, farmers will start planting their crops, and ranchers will turn out their cattle on fresh grass. It’s a cycle that happens every year and one that plays a critical role in the economy and quality of…

By Nick Simonson I’ve never been much for coincidences, believing that all things are connected, particularly those in the natural world.  While luck, chance and odd occurrences do exist, everything happens for a reason.  Preparing for a long weekend trip to see friends in northern California and the redwood trees near the state’s northern border,…

By Doug Leier It’s hard to believe that the first spring light goose conservation order in North Dakota arrived more than 20 some years ago when I was working as a game warden. Time flies. The purpose then — and remains today — is to reduce light goose (snow goose) populations during spring as the…

By Mike Peluso I took my hand off the electric fence for a couple days’ break. I’m back down in Bismarck and the weather is showing signs of spring! I know it’s going to be difficult to return to the frozen tundra after feeling a little spring. I had my hand on the fence earlier…

By Nick Simonson In the blur of March and April when missions at the lure-crafting table and forays on the water begin to meld together, in addition to now wondering where my cheaters are (often on top of my head) I find myself flipping back and forth in the pages of my memory to locate…

By Nick Simonson A bag of collarless jigs presents an overwhelming array of possibilities headed into the spring fishing season, and with a simple selection of materials, it’s easy for anyone to craft fish catching lures, even those of us who once believed we were all thumbs.  From use on crappies and smallies to walleyes…

By Nick Simonson I put the final turn of my whip finish on the black thread of the small jig, and closely trimmed the hackle wound behind the silver-plated lead of the lure destined for a small tacklebox on my desk.  It would be a gift for a close family friend; a young angler who…

By Doug Leier Starting in late December, one of the most common inquiries, other than where the fish are biting, has been about the wildlife in winter and if there’s anything people can do to help them out. As a biologist, we want what’s best for fish and wildlife. Yet, at the same time we…

By Mike Peluso Things have really turned around on Devils Lake in the last week or so! The fish are definitely a lot more eager to feed and that makes my job as a guide a heck of a lot more enjoyable. The weather still hasn’t been the greatest, but even that seems to be…

By Nick Simonson There are far better things to be doing this time of year than just watching the weather and waiting for the ice to break off that favorite openwater run for springtime pike.  With the time available between now and whenever that comes, crafting those big bites that toothy critters slam in the…

By Nick Simonson With the detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in sampled deer from three units where the disease had not been found before the 2021 firearms season, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum executed the most recent installment of the state’s CWD proclamation on Mar. 1, relating to the prion-based disease and restrictions designed…

By Nick Simonson In the dreamsicle light of dusk on the backwater bay, I led a line of young anglers out onto the snow-covered water in hopes that a few willing crappies would fill the couple of hours between our afternoon of sledding and a planned pizza dinner back at the cabin.  The line, however,…

NDG&F Release Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications are available online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for applying is March 23. A total of 563 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, an increase of 40 from last year. A total of 404 moose licenses are available, a decrease…

By Doug Leier My duties as an outreach biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department are varied. One day I’m helping a hunter better understand the deer lottery, the next I may be checking on possible zebra mussels, urban wildlife and the invariable inquiry about where the hot fish bite is. I also…