ICED UP. Freezing mist hit the southern stretch of ND yesterday, leaving roads a bit slick and trees and cover decorated with a solid glaze. Behind the front, we’ll cool down and clear up over the next couple of days, further pushing rutting activity in local deer populations. Gearing up for deer opener, it looks…
Author: dakotaedgeoutdoors
Dakota Edge Outdoors celebrates the joy of hunting and fishing while promoting conservation and stewardship of natural resources, open spaces and wildlife populations through the creation of seasonal and resonant media which shares the excitement of the outdoors in the upper Midwest.
Starting a CTL Team – Part 2, School Sponsorship
By Nick Simonson With the funding and conservation club support in place to start a Clay Target League (See Part 1 of this Series) team for youth in your area, the next task in our series can often seem to be the most challenging. Whether it’s concerns with public presentation, or not being able to…
Daily Edge for Sat. Nov. 4
WHITE WALKERS. We’ve got snow! About two inches fell in the Bismarck area between yesterday and last night, with more on the way. You may have to dig out in some areas of the state, but the white stuff will make tracking in the field easier. Whether you’re gearing up for deer season, or heading…
What Is Dead May Never Die
By Nick Simonson The chill of the near Halloween night had left a layer of ice on the small feeder creek which led down to the lake at the center of a small Wildlife Management Area. The cold, still air amplified the crackle and snap of each footstep of my young lab, Ole and I…
Daily Edge for Fri. Nov. 3
STICK AROUND! Today’s weather will bring with it the first accumulations of snow which may actually stick around for a few days. By mid-day, things may get dicey, so whatever early hunts you have planned, make sure you drive with care on the way back in. We talk deer, ducks and more in Today’s Three…
Our Outdoors: The Time We Have
By Nick Simonson I watched the gallon and price counters on the pump slowly tick up, up, up. I estimated that I’d need about 28 gallons, with the tank of my pickup sitting at just below a quarter and impatiently ticked off each one. Unwilling to test the limits on the back portion of the…
Daily Edge for Thu. Nov. 2
THE CAT’S MEOW. Take today by the horns, or antlers as it were, and get out on your bow stand. Cold temps and calm winds will have bucks on the move, particularly right before the big change coming in the weather on Friday. Watch for them moving between deep cover along their rut paths, where…
CWD Sampling Continues this Deer Season
NDG&F Press Release The state Game and Fish Department will continue its Hunter-Harvested Surveillance program during the 2017 deer hunting season, by sampling deer for chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis from 10 units in North Dakota. In addition, all moose and elk harvested in the state are eligible for testing. Samples from hunter-harvested deer taken in…
Daily Edge for Wed. Nov. 1
WELCOME TO NOVEMBER! The month of hard-core hunters, scraggly deer beards, and battling the elements has arrived! Forget what the Christmas carol says, this is the most wonderful time of the year! It looks like rut will be hitting hard in the next few days as a colder pattern takes hold just in front of…
ID Number Required on Equipment
NDG&F Dept. Press Release Hunters, trappers and anglers are reminded that an equipment registration number, or the individual’s name, address and telephone number, must be displayed on all equipment requiring identification. Identification must be attached to cable devices that are set on either private or public land, and on fish houses left unattended on the…
Daily Edge for Tue. Oct. 31
FROST ON THE PUMPKIN. Cool, calm conditions overnight will bring a layer of frost on the ground, but that should also trigger animal movement throughout the morning for deer hunters and others taking to the field on this Halloween day. We get seasonal with one of our favorite colors, tell ghost stories for Halloween, and…
Sakakawea Salmon Spawning Complete
NDG&F Dept. Press Release Fisheries crews have completed their annual salmon spawning operation on the Missouri River System after collecting more than 2.5 million eggs. Dave Fryda, North Dakota Game and Fish Department Missouri River System supervisor, said crews easily collected enough eggs to stock the 400,000 smolts planned for Lake Sakakawea in 2018. The…
Daily Edge for Mon. Oct. 30
MISS THIS? Ol’ Man Winter takes another swipe at cooling down North Dakota, as yesterday’s wind and chill persist throughout much of the day today. Things will calm down tonight, giving you an opportunity to get outdoors tomorrow. However, there’s plenty to catch up on and get ready for while you wait, as we talk…
Daily Edge for Sun. Oct. 29
GOBBLED UP. Back to the bluster today after Saturday’s near perfection as shifting conditions bring more gusts in the afternoon that will hang around until Halloween. Chilly conditions are settling in and thoughts are quickly turning to the back half of the hunting season, and maybe even ice fishing? We talk about all sorts of…
Safe Stand, Blind Use for Firearms Deer Season
By Nick Simonson With the changing of the seasons evident in the recent onset of chilly conditions, hunters look ahead to the North Dakota Firearm Deer Season Opener set for noon on Fri. Nov. 10. With that shift, many deer hunters will trade their bows for their favorite rifles but still occupy the same stands…
Daily Edge for Sat. Oct. 28
SUPER SATURDAY. How about that? The calmest day of the week falls on a Saturday. If you aren’t out there getting some sort of hunting in (or maybe some fishing later in the day when it warms up) you probably don’t have a pulse! If that is the case, Halloween is only a few days…
By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. Chances are, just about anyone who has hunted in North Dakota for more than a year or two has received a post-season survey from the State Game and Fish Department. It doesn’t happen every year, but perhaps every handful of years or so your name will come up in the…
Daily Edge for Fri. Oct 27
HOLD STILL. Following 50 mph wind gusts yesterday across the region and the first smattering of snow, Friday will seem downright pleasant despite colder, post-frontal temperatures taking hold in the rising pressure. Get out, take a look around, and maybe grab some time on the bow stand tonight, as winds die off and things get…
Starting a CTL Team – Part 1, Funding
By Nick Simonson As the fall season of the North Dakota State High School Clay Target League (ND CTL) draws to a close, the excitement for the sport is only beginning to ramp up. Over the past four years, participation in the neighboring Minnesota league has nearly tripled, from 3,600 shooters in 2013 to 11,400…
Our Outdoors: Ways of the Wind
By Nick Simonson Every autumn has a week where the winds of change blow through the upper Midwest, and this one is it for the current season. With gusts in some places touching 50 miles per hour at the start of the week, the shift toward cooler weather was obvious, as hat-removing gales were a…
Daily Edge for Thu. Oct. 26
GET A GRIP. We’ve had it far too nice for far too long! Wednesday evening bid a fond farewell to our Indian summer, as gusty winds and colder temperatures swept over the region early this morning. Today will be more of the same – blustery with temps dropping into the 20s (our high will be…
USA Clay Target Announces First National Championship
USA High School Clay Target League Press Release The USA High School Clay Target League, the nation’s largest high school clay target shooting sport program, is very pleased to announce that 2018 will be the inaugural year for the USAHSCTL National Championship! The exciting event will take place July 12th-15th, and will feature a trap…
Daily Edge for Wed. Oct. 25
ENJOY IT! Today is a gem in the middle of a coal patch in terms of weather, so take advantage before tomorrow’s big shift. With relatively light southerlies and wonderful fall temps and lots of sunshine, you might even be able to sneak a few casts in today! We talk the benefit of wind and…
Deer Season Q&A
NDG&F Press Release Every year the North Dakota Game and Fish Department receives questions from deer hunters who want to clarify rules and regulations. Some common questions are listed below. Hunters with further questions are encouraged to call the Game and Fish Department at 701-328-6300, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. weekdays, or access the…
Daily Edge for Tue. Oct. 24
DOE TAGS UP, WINDS DOWN. Today’s winds will rival yesterday’s, and for the first time in a while, we’ll be happy that tough conditions dominate the work week, and not the weekend. Surprisingly, some 200 deer tags remain for the upcoming gun season in the southern tier of the state. We talk about those opportunities…
Daily Edge for Mon. Oct. 23
ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE. This morning’s gusts will peak at over 50 mph, and will stay sustained in the 30 mph-range all day. The rest of the week’s weather remains breezy, but not nearly as fast as today’s winds will be; a couple models hint at some flakes later this week as well. Autumn has…
Daily Edge for Sun. Oct. 22
ABOVE AVERAGE GUSTS. The average top wind gusts for the next four days will be 29 mph, so hold on to your hats and batten down your blinds in the field! After a calm start today, those winds will fire up and blow through the week, making it a perfect one to winterize your boat,…
Dakota Uplander: Public Land Pointers
By Nick Simonson In the fading light of the second day of Minnesota’s pheasant season, I peeled gravel from behind the red truck full of hunters that slowed my caravan’s way out from the large block of public lands just east of Ivanhoe, Minn. Impatient, I grabbed the blacktop and sped away from the setting…
Daily Edge for Sat. Oct. 21
FLUSHING AWAY SUMMER. It had to end sometime, but lucky for us we can get back to more autumn-like activities this weekend. Winds will dominate today and drop off overnight, before it gets breezy again tomorrow. There are windows of opportunity everywhere for birds, deer and yes, even fishing, in the coming week. Be ready…
Bighorn Hunters Beat the Odds
By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. Thousands of North Dakota big game hunters are starting to count the days until their season opens in the coming weeks. Most have their sights set on the annual unofficial holiday that is opening day of deer gun season on Nov. 10, but a handful have perhaps a bit more…
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