WHERE ARE WE? The summer-like warm-up continues today as temps soar into the mid and upper 70s around the Peace Garden State on strong southwest winds. Rising with it is the power of the new moon, making for a superb week of fishing, particularly this evening as a small cool front rolls in overnight, but…
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.
A View From The Outdoors
By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. By the time North Dakota’s deer gun season ends late next month, somewhere near 100,000 state residents will have hung a “Gone Hunting” sign on their front door at least once during the fall season. That’s enough to fill up the Fargodome nearly five times, but all of us hunters are fortunate…
Fall Fish Surveys Provide Insight
NDG&F Press Release North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries biologists have completed fall reproduction surveys, which evaluate natural reproduction, stocking success and forage abundance in many waters across the state. Scott Gangl, Department fisheries management section leader, said there is good news from the survey efforts. “We are seeing really good numbers of walleye…
Daily Edge for Mon. Oct. 16
A SHOT OF HOT! Warm winds are blowing into the region, as southwesterlies take hold over the next couple of days, bringing a summerlike feel to this mid-autumn week! Watch for a fast bite to form this week, as fish warm up and strap on the feedbag in the relatively hot weather. We talk about…
Daily Edge for Sun. Oct. 15
BIRD IN THE HAND. Each pheasant, grouse or partridge is a trophy, and making sure it makes it from the air to your game pouch is important and pays proper respect to the quarry. Finding downed birds can sometimes be challenging, so use the advantages you have and tips in today’s Three Things to get…
Daily Edge for Sat. Oct. 14
SPITTING SATURDAY. We’ll get a taste of cool today, with light, intermittent rain and possibly a few flakes falling in the first half of the day, before winds on the backside blow down from the northwest, keeping things chilly throughout the afternoon. You should start to see more waterfowl migrating in the coming days, and…
ND Deer Herd Fared Well, Habitat Concerns Loom
By Nick Simonson North Dakota hunters will find more opportunities to pursue deer in the approaching 16 ½-day firearms hunting season set to begin at noon on Fri. Nov. 10, as populations fared somewhat well in the challenging winter conditions, and were not impacted by this summer’s drought conditions as much as other wildlife. What…
Daily Edge for Fri. Oct. 13
OH LUCKY DAY! For a Friday the 13th, things are looking spookily good, as you’ll have options for all forms of hunting. Light breezes pick up throughout the day giving your dogs a good chance to get on scent, but if you’re fishing the chop will be ideal for those hungry late season walleyes with…
Our Outdoors: Inflection
By Nick Simonson “To put it in perspective, we’ve harvested ten birds in the first two days of the season,” I said in response to the truck-cab recap of the first weekend of pheasant hunting, “last year, in our only walk on day four, we bagged eleven.” Our group’s total was indicative of what the…
Daily Edge for Thu. Oct 12
WATCH YOUR STEP! Especially that first one out the door this morning – it’s going to be gusty from the other direction, as northwest winds take over and cool us off. With your head down against the gales, you might happen upon our star for the day – the prickly pear cactus. It’s one of…
One Way to Skin a Pheasant
By Nick Simonson The reports from around North Dakota following this past weekend’s pheasant opener were of a missing crop of young birds, and wily, old carryover roosters from last season that gave dogs the run-around. Certainly, the challenge of bagging one of these remaining birds made the start to the season memorable for many….
Daily Edge for Wed. Oct. 11
GOLDEN DAYS. We’re in the final throes of fall color, and with many places dipping below freezing for a few hours last night, the first frost has set in for a good portion of North Dakota. Check out the reds, oranges, and yellows while you can and take advantage of one more warm autumn day…
Daily Edge for Tue. Oct. 10
ON THE TAIL TRAIL. Despite lower numbers, good hunting can still be found. Whether it’s pre-migration for ducks, or the midst of pheasant season, you never know what you’ll find. So get out there, get after it and give it your best on all of the great opportunities ND has to offer! We talk hunting…
Locate & Confirm Deer Tags Now
NDG&F Press Release Now is the time to locate your deer license and check it for accuracy. Every year the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s licensing section receives last-minute inquiries from hunters who can’t find their license. When that happens, it’s difficult to try to get a replacement license in time for the season…
Daily Edge for Mon. Oct. 9
WINDY WEEKEND. The second day of pheasant season brought with it more winds and cooler temps, along with wiser birds. All signs are pointing to lower numbers as reports from across the state are of mostly carry-over roosters from last season making up the majority of the take. In northwestern ND, that was the case. …
Daily Edge for Sun. Oct. 8
DAY TWO! Here’s hoping you found some birds out there yesterday. Anecdotal reports are already showing that pheasants can be found throughout ND with a little legwork, and opener (despite the wind) was successful. Today should be better in terms of wind, so knock a few more down and take advantage of all the great…
Past Year Puts People, Programs in Place for ND PF
By Nick Simonson Pheasant opener serves as a chance to look back on the year for many hunters, and for North Dakota’s Pheasants Forever (PF) staff even more so. It’s a moment on the calendar to assess the progress made in the name of conservation, and review the relationships built across North Dakota between PF,…
Daily Edge for Sat. Oct. 7
GETTING BAD. Okay, even with the wind, it’s still pheasant opener so we know you’re headed out this morning. Remember, quiet, calm and catch them before they catch the wind! We get totally bad in today’s Three Things, and we’re not talking about Michael Jackson. (THEM’S THE BREAKS. The badlands near Teddy Roosevelt National Park…
Survival of Wildlife is Amazing
By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. After the winter of 1996-97 – arguably the worst winter for resident wildlife in the last half century – I remember hearing upland game biologist Lowell Tripp, and wildlife division chief Randy Kreil, now both retired, repeat over and over again the basic fact that North Dakota was on the northern…
Daily Edge for Fri. Oct. 6
WE’RE ABOUT TO BLOW! Relatively calm conditions persist through tonight, but a huge shift in the wind is coming for tomorrow’s Pheasant Opener as forecasts now add an extra 10 mph to the maximum gusts. Hold on to your blaze orange hats! We go potpourri in today’s Three Things. (WAITING ON WIND. Seeds hanging from…
Our Outdoors: Early Season Pheasant Tips
By Nick Simonson Since the cold end of last year’s pheasant season, hunters have eagerly awaited opening day, and now, mere hours away from it, we’re so close we can almost hear the crackling of the dry autumn grasses underfoot and the cackling of a flushing rooster in front of a hard-charging dog. The start…
Daily Edge for Thu. Oct. 5
HUSKS IN THE WIND. Okay, so that’s not the title of a Kansas song, but it will most likely be one for North Dakota this weekend, as Pheasant Opener is expected to be a breezy one. We toast to the breezes that blow through the treezes, and factor gusts into your hunting strategy. (CORNY. Chaff…
Dakota Uplander: Pheasant Hunter’s Checklist
By Nick Simonson The minutes are winding down to the start of a new pheasant season, and whatever the destination for Saturday’s opener might be, odds are that a good deal of gear, guns and pet equipment will be headed along for the trip. It has been said that success is where preparation and opportunity…
Daily Edge for Wed. Oct. 4
DAILY LIMIT! Just three days remain until Pheasant Opener. We’re convinced it’s not a coincidence that’s the same number of birds in your daily ND limit. We talk more about pheasant biology, rooster harvest and how it does little to nothing to the population in today’s Three Things. Even in years where numbers are low,…
Daily Edge for Tue. Oct. 3
FORE! Watch out, only four days between you and that first flushing rooster of the pheasant season. Today we sneak a little fishing fun into Three Things before we get back in pheasant focus with the latest from Dakota Edge. (Opener Memory. The author with his lab, Gunnar, and a pair of roosters on the…
Pheasants in a Pinch
By Nick Simonson Leading up to this weekend’s North Dakota Pheasant Opener, targeting classic areas will be key to bagging birds and producing a memorable hunt. The winding creek bottoms common throughout the state provide repeated and alternating pinch points that concentrate birds, and with the right pressure, force them into the air. Knowing how…
Daily Edge for Mon. Oct. 2
ALL CHOKED UP! We’re that excited for Pheasant Opener! Just five days until North Dakota’s pheasant season kicks off on Sat. Oct. 7. Here’s hoping you’re getting your gear together, your dog’s final exercises in and your shot in order, if you haven’t already. Speaking of the latter, we talk about primary pheasant hunting chokes…
Daily Edge for Sun. Oct. 1
PLEASANT SUNDAY SURPRISE! So much for yesterday’s one-day forecast! Temps will be higher than expected today, but not too hot, and rain chances slim down some as well. Take advantage of these better conditions on the final day of Youth Pheasant Weekend and get someone new out in the field. We take a quick look…
Part of the Ritual
By Nick Simonson In wrapping up a ruffed grouse trip in Northeastern Minnesota, I walked an old familiar trail in the woods north of Virginia. Known more to me for the scenery and less for the number of birds I had seen in the past, the trek always produced at least one opportunity, particularly in…
Daily Edge for Sat. Sep. 30
GUSTS & MUSTS. While it will be a windy day, for hundreds of youth it will be a must-hunt day, as ND’s Youth Pheasant weekend kicks off. While conditions won’t be ideal, there are still a lot of great opportunities out there to find roosters and there will definitely be some wind for dogs to…
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