Daily Edge for Sun. 6/7 – Beat the Heat

A SHOT OF SUMMER.  The humidity will hang heavy today, winds will decrease and temperatures will spike to near 90 by the afternoon as things take on a dog days sort of feel for a 24-hour span following yesterday’s rain.  It’ll be a good time to get on the water to cool down some and…

Daily Edge for Sat. 6/6 – Upheaval

STIRRING IT UP.  Strong southeast winds will develop overnight and stay gusty for your Saturday as things may get a little dicey closer to evening with a high chance for thunderstorms.  Today we’ve got a look at big bucks, breeding ducks and habitat needs of a supporting cast of small game in our Outdoors Roundup….

Daily Edge for Fri. 6/5 – Double Down!

FINEST OF FRIDAYS.  The full moon, light winds and great conditions will set up your Friday perfectly for any angling outing, whether early, late or all day, it’s one you won’t want to miss! We’ve got more on the double edge day along with fawn impact on deer herd populations, tips for trailers on bass…

Our Outdoors: The Ecstasy of Gold

By Nick Simonson   It was one of those spring days we’ve had an abundance of: warm but not quite hot and just windy enough to make it feel cool.  As a result, the river was quiet.  The fact that it was midday left only me, following a long morning run that ate up most…

Daily Edge for Thu. 6/4 – Feelin’ Blessed!

NIIIIIIIICE!  Your fishing efforts will be supported with great conditions and a growing gibbous moon which is nearing full today, so maximize your time on the water!  We’ve got info on ANS awareness in and around the state for traveling boaters, calculations important for pheasant recruitment from the smallest of habitat spaces and a look…

G&F’s Power Adds Angling to Quality of Life Equation

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Department Few people better understand the quality of life aspect that fishing provides in North Dakota than longtime State Game and Fish Department fisheries division chief Greg Power. He recently shared some insights in the March-April 2020 North Dakota OUTDOORS magazine. Here’s a condensed version of Power’s essay. “While ‘quality of…

Daily Edge for Wed. 6/3 – Tackle Tips

ANOTHER DANDY.  Warm conditions continue, sparking a chance for pop-up showers and storms this afternoon, but likely leaving your morning and evening quite usable in the outdoors. We’ve got reminders from the G&F, a look at a drier-than-average May and its impact on wildlife and some tips for building a beginner’s bass box in today’s…

Daily Edge for Tue. 6/2 – Shining

KEEP ROLLING!  Warm weather settles in and the water is your playground.  Get out there and on some fish, but keep an eye on your fall hunting plans with ducks, archery and one last reminder (we promise) to get your deer application in – all in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  DUCKS ON THE POND. …

Daily Edge for Mon. 6/1 – Moving Monday

SOMETHING LIKE SUMMER.  Warm temperatures roll in today and take hold throughout the week, making the start of June truly feel like summer.  We’ve got a preview of your week and habitat efforts at the forefront of the news in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  SUMMER SPRINT.  A jackrabbit in his summer grays runs a…

Daily Edge for Sun. 5/31 – Windy Weekend

GETTING GUSTY.  Winds will be strong out of the southeast all day, putting some bump in your ride to and from the boat ramp, unless you stay on the south side of the lake!  While you duck the wind we’ve got updates from area wildlife agencies to keep you in the know as we say…

The Big Pause

By Nick Simonson   A raised eyebrow, a nod, a frown, a crossing of the arms; these silent cues often speak volumes more than any run-on sentence or flamboyant pounding-of-the-table speech ever could and deliver a message with an efficiency that connects with people on a primal level.  Silence often is golden and stillness many…

Daily Edge for Sat. 5/30 – All Around Awesome

SUPERB SATURDAY.  Great conditions will set up today and a light walleye chop will develop by afternoon under mostly sunny skies.  We’ve got more on next weekend’s free fishing, a new head for Ducks Unlimited and a celebration at RMEF, all in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  BLUE FLASH.  Sunny days mean sparkle baits.  Try…

Taxidermy Tips for Big Fish

By Nick Simonson   While it’s the hope of every angler to catch a fish worthy of the wall, whether via a replica or skin mount, the opportunity may not come along very often.  When it does, however, anglers should be prepared with a few easy steps and a couple of simple tools to make…

Daily Edge for Thu. 5/28 – Free AC

WAITING FOR WARMTH.  We struggle to hit 70 through the next couple of days, with hopes of a warm-up on Sunday afternoon, though conditions will remain generally calm and pleasant.  In addition to your weekend fishing forecast we’ve got views from a new hunter and a trap event for young shooters coming up in our…

Our Outdoors: Seeing Spots

By Nick Simonson   There’s a compromise reached in every relationship. My wife loves to cruise on the open water and I love to fish, so much so that the idea of being on a boat without a rod in hand is what I imagine hell must be like.  So while I manned the helm…

Daily Edge for Thu 5/27 – A Bit Jumpy

GET IT STARTED.  We’re already eyeing up the weekend and thinking fishing as temperatures dip down a bit.  Speaking of eyes, the National Walleye Trail kicks off today in South Dakota.  We’ve got more on that, how not to lose a jumping fish and another friendly deer reminder in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  GO…

ANS Rules Help Control Risk to ND Waters

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept.   I wasn’t surprised when health officials reported recently that North Dakota residents were mostly complying with social distancing guidelines. We’ve got a pretty good track record when it comes to doing what we can to protect ourselves.   The same could be said for anglers and boaters complying with…

Daily Edge for Wed. 5/27 –

HEATING UP.  We maintain highs in the 70s this week with good conditions heading into a weekend warm-up. Along with a more stable scenario we’ve got word on how all those great platforms get made to help you launch your boat on ND waters, a look at drought conditions sneaking back into the state’s southwestern…

Daily Edge for Tue. 5/26 – Movin’ On

BACK ON TRACK.  We’ll warm up today after Sunday’s front and Monday’s struggle to break out of the sixties, setting us up for a week in the 70s with a predicted warm spike for the weekend! We’ve got the forecast for today and the future along with upcoming archery excitement and a friendly reminder to…

Daily Edge for Mon. 5/25 – In Memoriam

HEADED BACK UP.  While things will be post frontal for the end of your beginning of summer, we’ll see improvement throughout the week for time on the water.  We take a look at what you can do to prevent the spread of ANS, North Dakota-based studies on waterfowl nesting and grazing, and a view of…

Daily Edge for Sun. 5/24 – Better Backhalf

RAINY ROUND THE REGION.  While rain will be the story for the top half of your Sunday, we’ve got the moves from the regional wildlife agencies that are making headlines in regard to walleyes, elk and turkeys in the tri-state area.  So pour that cup of coffee, click a link and get up to speed…

Bridge the Gap to Better Fishing

By Nick Simonson   Bridges provide the many things that a variety of fish species need throughout the openwater season: shade from the sun, structure that attracts food items, holding places in varying depths, and current breaks to help them expend less energy.  For these reasons, any bridge can provide fast fishing and learning to…

Our Outdoors: Close to Home

By Nick Simonson   I’m not much for travel, even in the outdoors.  Though it’s the safest way of getting from point A to point B, I sweat profusely while aboard just about any airplane, regardless of whether there’s fishing or hunting on the other side of the trip and often start dreading the flight…

Daily Edge for Fri. 5/22 – Alignment

DOUBLE UP!  A great start to your holiday weekend is on tap for this Friday, with sun and moon times along with great conditions lining up to kick off the four-day stretch.  We’ve got more on our Double Edge Day plus concern for ND’s bats, a fun look at how hunters see things and what’s…

Daily Edge for Thu. 5/21 – Wind Weakens

WEEKEND WATCH!  Excitement is building for the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend and conditions on either end of it should be great for the outdoors.  We’ll duck some rain and thunder on Saturday and Sunday, but opportunities on those days will exist, just keep an eye to the sky. We’ve got updates on fishing closures from…

Eastern ND Poaching Ring to be Charged with 41 Counts

By Nick Simonson Criminal charges are expected to be filed against six Barnes County men for their involvement in the illegal taking of big game and other wildlife-related violations in recent months throughout the county, which allegedly includes the poaching of a number of whitetail deer.  Combined, the complaints against the individuals are anticipated to…

Daily Edge for Wed. 5/20 – Gusts Still Going

BROKEN RECORD?  We’re not talking walleyes or pike either. It seems like the southerly gusts have been with us forever, and they’re going to stick with us into the weekend, but things will stay mostly warm into the long holiday stretch.  We’ve got more on that, an update on hunters ed and changes to youth…

Some Good News for Deer Hunters

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept.   Looking for anything that qualifies as good news has become a new pastime for some. Given the daily continued pandemic news, it’s no wonder my phone, email and casual conversations have spiked from people asking about how the deer and pheasants fared this winter.   Well, hunters looking for…

Daily Edge for Tue 5/19 – Deja Vu

GROWING GUSTS.  The wind continues with sustained gusts through tomorrow, but calmer days are ahead; in the meantime enjoy the warm temperatures that come with it.  We’ve got some deer updates from the NDG&F and QDMA along with a look at a modified season underway for the ND CTL as part of our Outdoors Roundup….

Daily Edge for Mon 5.18 – Soaring

WOOSH!  We’re off and running with a warmer and windy start to the week! In addition to a look at the strong, sustained gusts we’ve got a reminder that new hunters can still get in on the deer lottery drawing with the NDG&F online hunter ed course and some great work by PF for prairie…