NDG&F Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering 6,230 wild turkey licenses for the 2020 spring hunting season, 205 more than last year. Seven of the 22 hunting units have more spring licenses than in 2019, five have fewer and nine remain the same. Unit 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) is again…

SOME SATURDAY!  A nice start to your weekend is setting up with light winds, mild temps and a shot at getting outdoors in earnest.  We take a look at today’s conditions with yesterday’s new moon helping the bite and go around the horn and nation for wildlife news and a look at conditions in our…

By Nick Simonson   While the cold might be forcing kids to bundle up on the way to school, many of those same students are finding the archery scene heating up throughout the region.  In January and February alone as part of the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) more than two dozen shoots in…

IN A GROUP.  You’ll want to have your gear ready for this weekend as conditions are setting up for a good one with a strong moon phase, light winds and no blizzards in sight!  We take a tour of some highlights from the nation’s conservation groups in today’s Outdoors Roundup and get ready for a…

STILL, NOT BAD.  Light winds will be notable today and tomorrow and temps in the mid-20s area ideal for ice fishing, so get out there and find those fish under thicker ice and pleasant conditions.  Take a second to enjoy this recent improvement and get on the ice or in the field as we take…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Outreach Biologist While game bird and big game seasons are now closed, North Dakota hunters and trappers still have plenty of opportunities to pursue coyotes, fox and other furbearers throughout much of the winter. Stephanie Tucker, the State Game and Fish Department’s furbearer biologist, recently provided some status updates on the…

TWO IN A ROW!  Great conditions will again facilitate ice time today as light winds and melting temperatures favor the angler.  We go around the state with sights, stories and suggestions for the week, the winter and the tax year in our Outdoors Roundup! Featured Photo:  The sun sets over the snowy Missouri River valley….

WELCOME WARM-UP!  Conditions improve dramatically today and tomorrow as moderate winds and warming temperatures bubble up into the region helping to clean things up after this weekend’s chilly weather.  We’ve got the news on that, more from the BWCA and some sticky suggestions in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  HAND MADE SUNSHINE.  A stack of…

GET TREKKIN’  We go around the region for news you can use – from grabbing your hunting gear to snowmobile tips to more concerning CWD happenings in Montana.  Check all that out and more in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  ON ‘EM!  With improvements in the weather, you’ll have more opportunities to find the fish…

SETTLE. Things will be cold and calm today as we eye improvements in the weather that will facilitate more time outdoors this week.  In the meantime we’ve got waterfowl to watch and a battle for one of the region’s most pristine wild areas to cover in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Pines & Mines.  A…

By Nick Simonson The Crazy Charlie is a simple but well-known shrimp imitator that populates the fly boxes of die-hard flats anglers pursuing bonefish, permit and other saltwater species and is usually tied sparkly, light and translucent to match those warm-water crustaceans.  For northern anglers, it does double duty in smaller sizes for crappies, white…

WIDE WEEKEND.  We’ve got a wide array of topics to get your weekend loaded with news in today’s Outdoors Roundup.  From archery competitions to ice fishing tips to what the weather is about to bring, we’ve got it all on this shivery Saturday. Featured Photo:  A hen pheasant goes for a hillside stroll through the…

NDG&F Press Release Eight deer taken during the 2019 North Dakota deer gun season tested positive for chronic wasting disease, according to Dr. Charlie Bahnson, wildlife veterinarian for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. All were antlered deer taken from areas previously known to have CWD – six from unit 3F2 and two from…

By John Bradley, NDWF Executive Director   Each year hunters and anglers wait with anticipation for North Dakota’s hunting seasons to open and the ice to clear the lakes for fishing. People from across the country dream of timing the waterfowl migration just right or hooking into a trophy walleye in one of the state’s…

ONE-DAY WEEKEND.  Today’s temps will feel balmy as we threaten the thirty-degree mark.  You’ll have some wind to deal with but even with the gusts it will feel warm on the ice.  Things make a quick about-face for Saturday and Sunday as cold air returns into early next week.  We cover Ma Nature’s mood swings,…

By Nick Simonson   January in the upper Midwest is the sportsman’s most challenging month. Major hunting seasons have ended, the flash of fins from early ice begins to slow down as the winter doldrums set in, and typically the temperatures are the lowest of the year and the conditions are the most challenging.  Add…

GOOD GRASS.  We cover CRP-related news as we hit the midpoint in the program’s sign-up period. From the impact of surrounding habitat to the mixes for sale and advice on the ground for landowners, there’s lots to digest in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:   TALL STUFF.  Good grass mixes on CRP acres make great habitat. …

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Outreach Biologist   Now is the time to start thinking about hunter education, not next fall.   If you’re planning to hunt out of state, check if you may need certification. If you have a child, friend or relative who will need a hunter education certificate in order to purchase a North Dakota hunting…

BRRRRRR!  We’re in the trough of this week’s cold weather as temps struggle to get near 0 and wind chills are notably harsh.  We’ve got the news you can use to get your fish up and your spirits as we check in on issues at home and abroad with barotrauma, Sunday hunting and fishy process…

THE COOLDOWN.  While not as brutal as last week’s forecast had it, today’s dip into sub-zero territory will be notable.  We take a look at the week to come and perhaps some relief toward the end of the month along with some ice fishing and shooting sports news in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  A…

TACKLE IT!  We’re in full-on tackle crafting mode.  From dry flies and streamers to crappie jigs and smallie bucktails, we’re putting things together this month to get ready for spring.  While it might seem a ways off, the days blur together quickly.  We’ve got hook-related tips to get your efforts off the ground in today’s…

JANUARY JABS.   Oofda!  January’s hallmark cold is taking hold over the region as we look ahead to a bitter week and what appears to be a chilly back half of the month on the horizon.  Luckily we have hunting memories to review and lure-making projects to put up during this time as part of our…

By Nick Simonson With a mission to preserve, enhance, restore, and manage wetlands, associated wildlife habitat, grasslands, and riparian areas in the state, the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust (NRT) is tackling those lofty goals with precision programs that help not only create and improve those wild spaces, but also assist farmers and energy producers…

MODERATING?  The weekend won’t be as cold as previously predicted, but our harsh stretch still looks to be setting up for next week.  We’ve got news from cold to hot in today’s Outdoors Roundup and check out some awesome photos taken around the state. Featured Photo:  HOT FLY.  Add some color to your cold-weather stretch…

By Nick Simonson   With the end of fall hunting seasons and significant snow on the ground, many sportsmen are looking to cure an itchy index finger that can’t be satisfied with the snap of an ice rod.  Luckily, throughout the northern plains, plentiful opportunities for coyote hunting exist through the cold weather months, and…

FRIDAY FREEZE.  Today begins the preface to a very cold stretch headed our way after the weekend, and while temps will be chilly over the next 72 hours, they’ll pale in comparison to what’s coming next week.  We’ve got more on the dip into the deep freeze, some migratory bird protections and a missed eclipse…

By Nick Simosnon   Give or take, it’s about 250 days until upland seasons open again.  It’s really 253, but at this stage in the beginning of the long wait until that semi-warm, dew-covered morning in mid-September brings the first chuckling grouse flushing from some CRP along an alfalfa field, rounding down is the best…

C WHAT I MEAN?  You’ll get the theme today as we check out conservation options, a chilly spell headed our way and some serious penalties for cactus poachers via the FWS in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  COLORFUL CREATIONS.  A page of woolly buggers are ready to roll as part of a just-filled fly box….

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Outreach Biologist Anyone who has hunted in North Dakota for any length of time might receive a post-season survey in the mail from time to time. And right now is one of those times to watch for a survey, as pheasant and archery deer seasons, among others, closed on Jan. 5….

WEDNESDAY WINDS.  We’ll see a shift in the wind as we catch the edge of a little snow system to the north of us, but amounts are not expected to be significant.  We cover the lifting of glasses, the picking up of garbage, and just a little postseason observation in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo: …