By Austin Lang Whether fin, feather, or fur, habitat is a key aspect in having healthy sustainable wildlife populations. Pheasants Forever is known as “The Habitat Organization.” With the moniker comes the recognition of how important habitat is for healthy wildlife populations. But buyer (or hunter) beware, not all habitat is created equal. Habitat is…

By Nick Simonson Perhaps the most amazing number included in the North Dakota Game & Fish Department’s (NDG&F) recent release of upland tallies from the fall of 2020 was the jump of more than 52,000 estimated sharptailed grouse harvested over the previous season.  Coming on improved nesting and recruitment of broods into the population, last…

By Nick Simonson So many big dates are on the horizon this time of year as we make the turn from summer into fall.  The start of the school year, football kickoff, and of course, opening days across a wide variety of hunting seasons are among the big dates to consider.  There are so many…

By Doug Leier August is no longer just about winding down the fishing season and planning and preparing for upcoming hunting seasons. While North Dakota has long had a crow season that got its start in mid-August, it wasn’t until changes several years ago put the early Canada goose opener into the middle of the…

By Brad Durick Flows on the Red River in Grand Forks as of this writing are at 204 cfs. I figure it’s a matter of days before they go below the lows observed 1988.  Despite the conditions catfish are biting if you are patient, while most of them are smaller with the occasional bigger fish…

By Andrew Slette This past week has been one of the best weeks of the season so far, with lots of active muskies moving to the inside weed edge. The fish have been active all day long. Detroit Lake has been one of the best local lakes producing quality fish. It has been giving everyone…

By Mike Peluso One thing is for sure, we are spoiled here in North Dakota when it comes to walleye fishing and so far, the dog days of summer are pretty dog gone good! I’ll start with Lake Sakakawea since that is where I have been mostly. Lots and lots of fish are still being…

By Nick Simonson In a summer which showcased brood survey numbers for ducks at their lowest point since 1994 and drought conditions which impacted breeding and recruitment, North Dakota’s population of Canada geese on the other hand, may provide the best waterfowling opportunity of the autumn.  With the season to hunt these birds opening on…

By Nick Simonson The northwestern quarter of North Dakota has sustained a good population of both whitetailed deer and mule deer into 2021 thanks to a mild winter.  But those warm and dry conditions that carried them through the region’s typically toughest months have also left conditions on the ground a bit ragged heading into…

By Brad Durick Flows on the Red River in Grand Forks are down more, even after the inch of rain a few days ago, and are currently sitting at 240 cfs. But if you’re patient, the catfish are biting.  Most of them are smaller with the occasional bigger fish mixed in. The key to catching…

By Nick Simonson As I waded through the recently cut wheat fields and grassy stretches around them on the way to check my trail camera this weekend, I watched the grasshoppers flee before my boots in waves like those made by the wakeboarders back at the cabin. As they did, I recalled just how fun…

NDG&F Release North Dakota’s 2020 pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge harvests were up from 2019, according to statistics compiled by the state Game and Fish Departm Upland game biologist RJ Gross said the overall harvest was likely because of increased production of upland birds and favorable weather conditions for hunters. “The increases are largely…

By Doug Leier Sipping coffee early in the morning and talking fishing is about as close as it gets to enjoying fishing without wetting a line. Truth is, I spend more time talking about fishing than actually casting, but I’ve gotten used to it. I say it’s like the plumber whose faucet is always leaking,…

By Mike Peluso I’m back on the travel wagon this week getting a chance to fish both Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake. I know I mentioned this in my last report, but with both a drought and pumping operations ongoing, my anxiety of what will happen to both of these systems concerns me. Reports are…

By Nick Simonson Dry conditions which began last fall and persisted through the winter and spring left less cover on the landscape for North Dakota’s recovering pronghorn populations heading into summer.  As a result, agents from the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) saw fewer young pronghorns with adult does as part of their…

By Nick Simonson Despite last year showcasing one of the worst outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) – a midge-borne illness that impacts primarily whitetailed deer, but did infect and kill mule deer, a few pronghorn and even an elk in southwestern North Dakota late last summer and fall – the region’s deer herds remain…

By Brad Durick Things are looking up this week after continued dropping flows on the Red River. After attending the Cats Incredible tournament over the weekend, I am encouraged that we still have lots of fish to catch. There were many reports of good numbers of fish and a few big fish mixed in to…

By Doug Leier Hints of North Dakota’s fall duck and pheasant populations were revealed in spring. Upland Stable in Spring For starters, the pheasant population index was about the same as last year, according to the state Game and Fish Department’s 2021 spring crowing count survey. Pheasant crowing counts are conducted each spring throughout North…

By Nick Simonson Rocked by the waves generated from the wake board boats closing out their weekends on the water, my brother and I drifted around the patches of weeds on the long point extending into the lake.  Here and there, loons would cluster and then spread out as jet skis and pontoons wove their…

NDG&F Release State Game and Fish Department biologists expect a fall flight of ducks in North Dakota this fall that will be unfamiliar to many hunters. Mike Szymanski, Department migratory game bird management supervisor, said based on observations from the annual mid-July duck production survey, the 2021 fall flight is anticipated to be down 36%…

By Mike Peluso When I grew up in Bismarck, we had a weather beacon that would change colors to tell you what weather was coming. If it was white as snow, down the temperature will go. If it was green, there was no change foreseen, and if it was red as fire, the temperature will…

NDG&F Release North Dakota’s early Canada goose season dates are set, with bag limits and licensing requirements the same as last year. Opening day is Aug. 15 in all three zones. Closing dates are Sept. 7 in the Missouri River zone, Sept. 15 in the western zone and Sept. 22 in the eastern zone. Early…

By Nick Simonson With a mild winter, dry spring and a warm summer, whitetail deer populations in southeastern North Dakota are doing well.  More than that, according to Jason Smith, Big Game Biologist with the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) office in Jamestown, the relatively easy conditions have also helped improve the age…

By Nick Simonson Early last fall, as I rolled up over the hill with my buddy behind me closing out the two-truck caravan in our grouse hunt, I was a bit dismayed to see the stretch of public-access grass from yellow sign to yellow sign completely hayed.  While it wasn’t a big blow to our…

By Brad Durick I wish one week I could write this report and say something like “WOW, we got rain!” Unfortunately, low water continues to get lower with the Red River in Grand Forks now at 430 cfs and Drayton just over 500 cfs. Again, the lowest I have ever fished the Red River at…

By Andrew Slette With water temperatures now in the low 80s, I have had to reschedule all my fishing trips until early August to avoid harm or even possibly killing the fish that we catch.  You can still go fishing when the weather and water temps are this warm, but there should be a few…

NDG&F Release North Dakota’s 2021 pronghorn hunting season is set, with 1,720 licenses available in 15 open units. Applicants can apply online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for submitting applications is Aug. 11. Bruce Stillings, big game management supervisor for the Game and Fish Department, said license numbers are down slightly…

By Doug Leier Food waste is a hot topic with an effort to raise awareness of the changing mindset from allowing food to rot, spoil or in some cases even just taking more than you need or will eat. For many here in the Midwest, it’s hard to understand a heritage dating back to our…

By Mike Peluso Fishing on Lake Sakakawea from a guide’s perspective is absolutely unreal! From a tournament angler’s point of view, maybe not so much. What do I mean when I say this? Well, fish 14 to 18 inches are extremely abundant and fairly easy to catch right now, making the lake great for guides,…

By Nick Simonson High waters in southeastern North Dakota from the fall of 2019 have receded some during this summer’s hot and dry conditions, but lakes remain in good fishing shape throughout the district, and the bite has been solid on many, according to BJ Kratz, Southeast District Fisheries Supervisor for the North Dakota Game…