By John Bradley, NDWF Executive Director   Any hunter who has walked the great plains and had a sage-grouse flush at their feet, knows the thrill. Even the most seasoned hunter gets a rush of adrenaline as the birds explode from cover.  I was fortunate enough to hunt sage grouse in Montana last fall, where…

MIX IT UP.  Rain later today won’t wash out a good weekend, as clearer conditions return tomorrow. The weather looks to stabilize into next week, with 80s returning in the back half.  Until then, there’s plenty going on out there from salmon tourneys to amphibian studies to deer fever.  Check it all out in our…

By Nick Simonson   The natural world, and often our daily lives, revolve around a pattern.  The sun rises, travels the sky and sets as we go about our business. Rains fall, things clear, the grasses grow and life flourishes. Winter fades to spring, spring warms into summer, summer slides into the blessed season of…

FULL UP.  The back half of August is always busy, and the fishing is often best around the full moon.  We’ve got the conditions, news and notes to get you back to school – schooling fish that is – in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Good Glow.  The August “Sturgeon Moon” rises with an ethereal…

By Nick Simonson   The dogs recoiled in unison from the movement of the dark, curly-que shaped creature standing out against the streetlight glow which illuminated the driveway cement near the garage door.  On our daily walk in the pre-dawn dark of five o’clock, they shook off their surprise at the small, elongated object suddenly…

DIG IN.   A full moon and better weather conditions will make fishing fine today. We cover more impacts from the changes to the Endangered Species Act along with some weird, wild stuff and an evening for the kids in our Outdoors Roundup today.   Featured Photo:  Drier Environs. Pheasant Chicks make their move from damp…

NDG&F Dept. Release North Dakota’s pronghorn lottery has been held and individual results are available online at the state Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. A total of 1,335 licenses were available in 12 units, and 12,929 applications, including 450 gratis, were received. All licenses were issued. Hunters who are drawn for a 2019 pronghorn…

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

RECOVERY DAY.  Following Monday’s rain and Tuesday’s wind, a near ideal day will combine with the August full moon to restart a stretch of awesome fishing headed into the weekend. There is lots of national news impacting wildlife species and a reminder on yet another fall application from the NDG&F in today’s Outdoors Roundup.  …

NDG&F Dept. Release Migratory bird hunters of all ages are reminded to register with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, coots, cranes, snipe, doves and woodcock. Hunters must register in each state for which they are licensed to hunt. Hunters can HIP certify when purchasing a license – or by clicking…

GUSTY.  The post-front wind will start out the drying process, even if there isn’t much sun.  We look ahead to improvements in the back half of the week, the back half of the tournament season on ND waters and some shots from Alaska in our Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo: FINCHY.  A goldfinch forages amidst…

NDG&F Dept. Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide for 2019 is now available online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, the free printed PLOTS guides will be available in mid-August at most license vendors and other locations throughout the state. The guide will feature about 791,000…

WET ONE.  Rains continue through the overnight and most of the day as a soggy system slides in from the west.  In the meantime, we’ve got some light reading on moon phase nomenclature, a slick new hunting page and a flashback to a dry summer in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Old Wet Hen.  A…

GOOD TO KNOW.  Storms build in later today under cooler and cloudy conditions.  While you duck the rain, we’ve got some ideas for summer safety from errant fish hooks to fire starters to a cord that works just about everywhere. Featured Photo:  An orange summer sun sets behind a slight haze. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER…

AUTUMN CRUSH.  We’re eyeing up the fall clay season where young shooters can get set up for a successful shooting career, along with furbearer changes and updates from the G&F.  Additionally, we cover shotgun patterning and the things you need to do in order to be ready for every autumn hunting season in today’s Outdoors…

HEY SUNSHINE!   While we may lose some of our rays today with clouds and storms rolling in on the breezes for the afternoon and evening, we take heart in the good stretch we’ve had and more to come after the upcoming bumpy ride.  We check out the weekend weather, deep fishing thoughts and amphibians in…

PENCIL IT IN.  As we work through August there are a number of important dates building up on the calendar.  We’ve got a few timing issues for you to take care of before your big game, waterfowl or morning dove hunt, along with an upcoming event to help conservation in today’s calendar-based Outdoors Roundup.  …

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Outreach Biologist I’ve fished a lot of rivers, lakes and reservoirs across North Dakota. From Lake Sakakawea, the Missouri River and Oahe to the smaller local ponds and sloughs.   It’s been a bad summer for a couple of my favorites. I’ve never kept a fishing diary, but I can say…

CHILLING OUT.  The back half of the week will take on a cooler feel for those looking for a break from the summer heat.  Things will still be nice with moderate winds and only slight chances for rain.  We cover all the bases in today’s Outdoors Roundup, including the temperature shift, more pre-season prep and…

SOUND THE HORN.  Don’t forget the deadline for Pronghorn season is fast approaching! We cover that topic and go national with some great conservation news and international with some seriously ugly fish in our Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo:  Staredown.  A pronghorn pauses along a field edge, just outside of Underwood, ND.   WEATHER (Bismarck…

NDG&F Press Release More than 3,000 antlerless deer gun licenses are still available in 12 units after the North Dakota Game and Fish Department recently completed its second lottery drawing. Antlerless licenses will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8 a.m. Central Time on Aug. 8. Residents and nonresidents who have not…

HOP TO IT.  Another great day is on tap to enjoy.  Fill your cup up and get to it!  In our Outdoors Roundup, we cover leg-related topics from kickin’ hoppers to field pants to lower-body exercises to get you ready for any portion of the field you plan to hit this fall. Featured Photo:  Jumpy. …

SHIFTY. A shot of rain enters the forecast this afternoon and evening before things stabilize for Monday and Tuesday.  We look ahead to next week and what’s happening in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Get Bent.  A pair of rods in a downrigger await final tightening as salmon season gets underway.  Simonson Photo.   WEATHER…

By Nick Simonson   Summer’s dense weedlines provide a veritable smorgasbord for crappies preying on minnows and other baitfish species.  Best of all, as these green walls become denser and denser while the dog days settle in, they become a barrier against which slabs can pin their prey and carry out a feeding frenzy in…

RRREV IT UP!  This weekend is going to be great!  With warm temperatures, light winds, and mostly dry conditions until tomorrow night, it’ll be one of those stretches you want to bottle up and save for January.  We go around the horn (and talk about horns) in today’s R-themed Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Run, little…

By Nick Simonson Flowing waters provide some of the best opportunities to find fish, whether it’s small creeks and streams or larger rivers, and oftentimes they do not require a boat to get on the best spots.  However, knowing where to look on a river for those classic areas that provide holding spots for hungry…

HUNGRY?  Eat your greens!  While you’re probably thinking barbecue for this awesome summer weekend setting up, we’ve got the inside scoop on all of the good stuff that comes from cattails, if you’re fond of foraging.  We take a look at an awesome weather weekend and the upcoming fall pronghorn season in our Outdoors Roundup…

HOT TOPICS.  The weather will be warm with the start of August as a stretch of 80 degree days settle in. We’ve got hot topics on tap with the warmth, including the sharp new ND hunting guide, what you can do to help with monarch knowledge and how exactly one finds his or her true…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. A common question I get is “what does it take to get a job with the Game and Fish Department?”   If we’re talking about just the wildlife or fisheries biologist side, the answer involves at minimum a four-year degree in some type of biology or wildlife management curriculum.  En route to…

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