By Nick Simonson I’m a Christmas carol guy through and through, which generally makes coming out of the holidays a little hard on my psyche. The satellite radio stations that I’ve been listening to since the day after Halloween are all returning to their regularly scheduled programming for the next ten months, and the last…

By Doug Leier Most people think of fish and wildlife surveys in terms of test-netting to determine stocking success or pheasant rooster crowing counts as an indication for prehunt bird populations, but this fall a couple of important Game and Fish Department survey results were assessed. With so many different species and populations, space doesn’t…

By Mike Peluso Ice fishing remains pretty good all over the state of North Dakota. Many of the northern and eastern sloughs continue to produce. Some of these bodies of water are well known, while others are not. In order to keep all my friends, I will not name the ones I know or have…

By Nick Simonson Each year brings with it a number of stories that capture the excitement of hunters and anglers, detail challenges for those hitting the water and the field, and ultimately lift our spirits that opportunities will continue to be available for future generations, despite the demands on our landscape, a shifting populace and…

By John Bradley It starts with countless hours of scouting, days sitting in the stand or miles of boot leather burned. It is late nights and cold early mornings with family and friends.  It is moments when, if everything goes to plan, a shot rings out and the deer dies quickly. And it then is…

By Nick Simonson If you’ve ever watched the top of a tip-up spin after a pike has taken the offering below, be it frozen smelt, herring or perhaps even a hot dog, you often wonder when the metal circular blur is going to stop. Sometimes the process takes well over thirty seconds before the whirring…

By Doug Leier Every year, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department certifies between 4,500 and 5,500 hunter education students. This is the time of year when many of those students begin looking for classes so they can legally hunt when their chosen season comes around. It’s particularly important for youngsters who will turn 12…

By Mike Peluso The cold snap has finally hit the north portion of North Dakota and it has allowed us to finally start venturing around. While it’s still not safe thickness for truck traffic yet, ATVs are starting to get around many of the lakes in the upper half of the state. I still tell…

By Renee Tomala Unbeknownst to many, Pheasants Forever (PF) operates under a unique local model that allows for an even bigger impact to be made for our wildlife and lands. That model puts our grassroots efforts on a pedestal, and by “grassroots” I am referring to our local chapters in small and large towns alike…

By Nick Simonson Strings of streetlights, even stoplights, blink a bright red and green, as the shoppers rush home with their treasures.  – Silver Bells It’s tough to deny the holiday spirit this time of year, and when preparing gifts for friends and family at the fly tying vise ahead of Santa’s big scene, those…

By Nick Simonson Give me an expanse of cattails in December with a little snow on the ground and a lot of pheasants scattered throughout it, and that’s about the best gift the outdoors can provide.  Even in those years where I did not yet have a dog, I can recall serving as my own…

By Doug Leier North Dakota’s fish and wildlife diversity is impressive. From paddlefish and pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River to trophy catfish and lake sturgeon in the Red River. We’re home to mountain lions, moose and elk. Otters, fishers, bobcats and pine martens. While few outside of the state would recognize the variety, North…

By Mike Peluso Ice Ice Baby was the famous song by Vanilla Ice. As the lyrics go here, we are making ice in the northern tier of the state. I would say we are a bit behind on the ice development, but in areas it’s happening. I spent much of the latter portion of last…

By Nick Simonson Bluegills, perch and crappies can provide fast action on ice, but like any species this terrific trio can also provide a challenge, as there’s nothing more frustrating on hardwater than watching a red line rise quickly on a sonar only to fade away without offering a bite.  What follows is a quick…

By Nick Simonson While water levels are down about two feet after a dry spring and summer across southeastern North Dakota’s prairie lakes country, the opportunities to find fast ice fishing for perch and walleyes are up, as record opportunities to catch both species exist this winter.  Record rains from the fall of 2019 have…

By Nick Simonson The ice fishing market has exploded in the last twenty years.  Where once only a couple of companies dominated the auger, fish house, and sonar categories when I started this column detailing the annual advancements in on-ice technology, now hundreds are present, creating better competition across all hardwater product classes and a…

By Doug Leier Even with extreme drought, North Dakota continues to enjoy “the good old days” of fishing, no matter the time of year. A historical comparison from as recently as the mid-1980s when there were 150 or so managed lakes on the landscape to 400-plus now, North Dakota anglers have many fishing opportunities that…

By Mike Peluso It’s a broken record, I know, and I can’t argue this at all. I said probably three fishing reports ago I was going make the switch over to ice fishing. Well, that hasn’t happened quite yet, but looking out my window this morning it’s definitely ice fishing season. I was supposed to…

By Nick Simonson There’s a theory out there on how the world will end, and it’s called “grey goo.”  The idea is that sometime in the far distant future, the planet is overrun by self-replicating microscopic robots that humanity created for one benevolent purpose or another, which ultimately get out of our control.  In the…

By Nick Simonson While many hunters were gearing up for the 2021 firearms deer season, agents of the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) were completing aerial surveys of the state’s mule deer populations in the western portion of the state and compiling the data tracking the numbers and health of the state’s popular…

By Nick Simonson The lure of that first ice fishing opportunity has lost some of its pull on me.  Where in the past I’d be one of the first anglers sliding out onto the newly-formed ice, these days I’m more comfortable taking my time getting out there.  In part due to my cautious nature, having…

NDG&F Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department announces a new statewide strategy that will team landowners, conservation groups, scientists, and others to enhance, restore and sustain native grasslands in North Dakota. The vision of the Meadowlark Initiative, named after the state’s iconic, yet declining Western meadowlark, is to promote and create healthy, thriving grasslands…

By Doug Leier We are a hearty bunch. When temperatures drop and the ice begins to form, it doesn’t signal the end to spending time hunting and fishing. It’s just a transition. One of those transitions taking place now is the wait for darkhouse spearfishing. When the first spearing season opened there was a set…

By Mike Peluso It’s a little bit of a repeat from last week’s fishing report. For you diehard ice fishermen, things are starting to happen. For you diehard open water fishermen, things are still happening. This week I found myself checking a few smaller bodies of water up and around the Devils Lake area. Things…

By Nick Simonson The internet coming along was one of the best things to happen to me, and not just for looking up Simpsons quotes and confirming my hunches with Wikipedia.  Going to bed at a standard 8:30 or 9:00 pm each night, even on the weekends, precluded me from seeing some of the funniest…

NDG&F Dept. Release Outdoor enthusiasts are reminded to be aware of early ice conditions before traveling onto and across North Dakota waters. A few reminders include: Edges firm up faster than farther out from shore. Snow insulates ice, which in turn inhibits solid ice formation, hiding cracks, weak and open water areas. Ice can form…

By Doug Leier Night hunting of coyote and fox has been an often-discussed topic the last several years. Some hunters have embraced new technologies, such as night vision and thermal imaging equipment, that give hunters an advantage over the nocturnal predators they enjoy pursuing.  Other coyote and fox hunting enthusiasts believe those technologies go beyond fair  chase and…

By Mike Peluso We have had a decent week of weather. A few guys have been out probing both the open and frozen waters. I’m not quite ready to venture out on the ice. I do so much ice fishing starting mid-December and running into mid-March, that I’ll wait until it’s thick enough for the…

By John Bradley I decided to slip out of work early Friday and hunt the opener. I knew that there would be a fair number of hunters who had the same idea, but I thought the little tract of PLOTS where I had hunted last year would be unoccupied, boy was I wrong. When I…

By Nick Simonson While referred to in some crowds as “desperation weekend,” the final three-day stretch of the North Dakota firearms deer season can often be the very best as changing environmental conditions, increased rut activity and decreased pressure on the landscape can align to provide some excellent hunting.  Don’t give up hope or fall…