By Nick Simonson With the thirtieth animal taken, this year’s river otter trapping season has come to a close for resident trappers in North Dakota.  Many people aren’t aware of the riverine mammal’s presence in the state, and fewer still know of the trapping season which has been in effect since 2017. Nevertheless, these unique…

By Doug Leier As much as we look forward to it each year, early ice season always brings a mix of excitement and concern. The excitement is understandable. For many North Dakotans, there’s something about that first layer of ice stretching across a favorite slough or lake that gets the blood pumping. Anglers start texting…

By Nick Simonson Whether it’s hitting an icy road as the winter driving season gets underway or laying in bed after staying too long at the office holiday party the night before, the spins are never a good thing.  They’re even worse when you’re pursuing your favorite fish at first ice, as a twisting, turning…

NDG&F Release Any fish house left unoccupied on North Dakota waters must be made of materials that allow it to float. In addition, fish houses do not require a license. Other fish house regulations include: More information on ice fishing and ice house regulations can be found at: https://gf.nd.gov/regulations/fishing#manner-hook-line-ice-fishing Featured Photo: Rules regarding fish houses…

By Nick Simonson As early ice settles in across the region and anglers take their first tentative steps out onto their favorite waters, the excitement builds for a season full of fast action, especially at the outset when fish are most aggressive under the frozen surface.  From lakes teeming with walleyes to those prairie sloughs…

By Nick Simonson One of my favorite outdoor competitions – beyond the Bassmasters Classic, those old late night Lumberjack Games on ESPN Ocho, and any local ice fishing derby that boasts a good meal and warm social afterward – is the Fat Bear Week hosted online by the Katmai National Park and its supporters.  The…

By Doug Leier   What makes darkhouse spearfishing stand out from other types of fishing, especially in the winter?  Is it more challenging? Absolutely. Does it bring a unique kind of success and satisfaction? No doubt about it.   Fishing in winter already comes with its own set of challenges. Unlike summer, where your biggest travel issue…

By Nick Simonson With a year of record-level reproduction for walleyes on Devils Lake, and abundant year classes presenting fish from that young-of-the-year slot on up to those eater sized ‘eyes in the 15-to-20 inch range, the sprawling water is primed for a good ice fishing season, according to Bryan Sea, North Dakota Game &…

NDG&F Dept. Release HuntLink is a new, voluntary program designed to help North Dakota landowners easily connect with hunters and trappers. The program offers a simple way to allow managed access for antlerless deer, coyotes, turkeys, and other species. For landowners experiencing wildlife depredation or looking for additional management tools, HuntLink can help.     Landowners can enroll through…

By Nick Simonson With a sudden chill, first ice is fast upon us, but as local lakes and waters freeze up and anglers eagerly await the initial inches to form, now is an important time to take stock of those safety items that are as necessary at the beginning of the hardwater season as they…

By Nick Simonson When it comes to the late season for pheasant hunters – the start of which is unofficially marked by the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and this year’s timely first significant snow event in the region – it is sometimes difficult to figure out how birds have been impacted by the sudden change in…

By Doug Leier When most hunters think about prime time for pheasants, grouse or whitetails in North Dakota, early November usually comes to mind. Those crisp mornings, full stands of cover, and fields humming with activity. But there’s a quiet opening near the season’s back end – late November into early December – that’s too…

By Nick Simonson While water levels are slightly off from normal, the fisheries throughout southeastern North Dakota are in excellent shape heading into the winter of 2025-26.  With abundant options for perch and walleyes, along with some well-known waters now producing fantastic bluegill and crappie fishing, the region is primed for hard water with a…

By Mike Peluso What a month it has been!  After grinding it out through September and for half of October, these past 30 plus days have been something special when it comes to fishing walleyes on the Missouri River in Bismarck!  When I hear people say: “we must have caught a hundred,” for the most…

By Nick Simonson As we set foot into the stretch of private land the welcoming owner offered up to us on the abnormally warm November afternoon – nearly 60 degrees as we started our trek with two hours before sunset – it wasn’t long until I could hear the squish-squash of each of my lab…

By Nick Simonson While the numbers of mule deer are down in North Dakota, with the western third of the state representing the edge of the species’ northeastern boundary, the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) has been hard at work to help improve habitat conditions and increase access for hunters in the Peace Garden State over…

By Nick Simonson In the first quarter mile of our walk into the grassy tree claim that my dog and I like to frequent when a weekday morning opens up in our schedule, he had put three roosters in the air in front of me, the bookends presenting very makeable shots and the middle bird…

NDG&F Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDG&F) is monitoring sick and dead birds across the state in response to increasing reports from the public. Dr. Logan Weyand, Department wildlife veterinarian, said Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is likely the cause and has been confirmed through testing this fall.  Understandably, most of the…

By Doug Leier When someone tells me they shot a limit of pheasants, reeled in a 15-pound northern pike or missed the biggest buck they ever saw, I can’t help but picture my own moments – past hunts, good and not so good. It’s only natural. A reference point forms from my own outdoor success…

By Mike Peluso The fall walleye bite is definitely going strong on the Missouri River near Bismarck right now.  I spent a lot of time and effort on the river in September and October looking for a steady bite, even though I know from my past experience that deer openers are typically the benchmark for…

By Nick Simonson The final weekend of the firearms deer season is often referred to as “Desperation Weekend” as hunters who’ve held out for that trophy buck they’ve been watching on trail camera all summer or perhaps just imagining in their minds this fall, get antsy as the paper tag in their pocket weighs them…

By Nick Simonson It’s deer season, and that means along with time on the stand, tenderloins on the grill and racks on the wall, as a result of your hunt you can also get more great materials on your fly desk to work with.  Saving a sampling of deer hide from your quarry is a…

By Doug Leier No deer is worth risking your life or someone else’s. Each year, firearm incidents can be prevented by following a few essential safety rules. First and foremost, always treat every firearm as if it’s loaded. Never point a gun at anything you do not intend to shoot. Muzzle control is one of…

By Nick Simonson Based on surveys and analysis conducted by the National Deer Association (NDA), more mature deer are being harvested by hunters than in the last century’s worth of seasons. Coming from a compilation of data analyzed and assembled by the NDA in its annual Deer Report from various wildlife agencies throughout the country,…

By Mike Peluso The fall walleye fishing has really changed in the past couple of weeks on the Missouri River near Bismarck.  We are seeing a push of fish moving up from Lake Oahe.  Along with this push there are even a few unicorns that have shown themselves.  The fish are extremely healthy looking even…

By Nick Simonson So many of the lessons and learnings and sayings we have in and take from the outdoors translate over to life in ways both metaphoric and tangible.  “Don’t step on what you can step over,” means that unstable log you’re thinking about balancing a footstep on as you proceed on your way…

By Nick Simonson North Dakota’s deer herds are in a rebuilding phase as they come off two easy winters in 2023 and 2024 which have worked to their benefit.  Habitat however remains the larger concern on the landscape of the Peace Garden State and will likely drive how rapidly that population recovery happens following a…

By Doug Leier North Dakota’s first 2025 deer season opened on Aug. 29 at noon and runs through Jan. 4, 2026. For many hunters the “real deer season” is the gun/rifle season which runs from Nov. 7 Nov. 23.This year 42,300 licenses were available to hunters, down 7,800 from last year. In addition, muzzleloader licenses…

By Nick Simonson The firearms deer season brings with it renewed demands of hunters in the field.  From the physically challenging hikes in the badlands with a coveted mule deer tag in the back pocket, to time spent on stand in the eastern farmland reaches of North Dakota waiting out a rut-crazed buck, hunts this…

By Mike Peluso The fall walleye fishing is improving slowly but surely out here on the Missouri River and Lake Oahe just south of Bismarck. The migrating fish coming out of Oahe are slowly trickling up the river right now; not in huge numbers, but they are definitely moving.  I think we are almost on…