ON THE RISE.  Temperatures will climb steadily for the next 36 hours before another arctic outbreak slams us back down as has been the trend in this whipsaw of a winter.  Grab some time on the ice later today and tomorrow (with your sweetie?) before things cool off. In the in between we talk about…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. It’s been interesting to watch and learn about the movement of moose within North Dakota. In the not so distant past, moose were mostly found in the wooded Turtle Mountains or Pembina Gorge of north central and northeastern North Dakota. In the last 12 years, moose numbers have declined in…

HANG ON.  One more cold day before a mid-week warm-up takes us into the low forties for highs!  After that we bob around in the 20s and 30s before dropping into the deep freeze once more.  We go around the horn, from turkey tags to pheasant forage to the long range forecast in today’s three…

SNIPS & CLIPS.  Whether it’s on the ice or openwater, having a good cutter helps keep things moving.  Besides tying a quicker knot with a clean cut, clippers snips and scissors in a variety of models are easy to store on a lanyard or in a tacklebox and can make short work of the worst…

COLD CONTINUES.  Moderate winds will keep windchills below zero all weekend, and near -30 at night.  Bundle up or fish the afternoons for the most accommodating conditions or finish up those tackle projects with some spare indoor time.  Meanwhile, we go conservation potpourri in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: Tying Time. This weekend may be…

By Nick Simonson While summer, with its bounty of boisterous bugs seems a long way off, the amount of time left to get ready for all sorts of fishing adventures on the long rod is growing shorter and shorter.  Imitating some of those classic summer sights on the side of a stream or lake is…

GOOD BOY.  While the southwest corner of the state saw snow, much of the rest of North Dakota was shut out yesterday, with just a trace hitting Bismarck.  A light fresh coating made for fun outdoors for the dogs, and nuisance sweeping for the rest of us.  We talk about how to best track our…

By Nick Simonson In the modern era of fishing tackle, lures are as much designed to catch the eye of anglers as they are fish.  How else are the 95 different models of Rapala crankbaits explained (and that’s just the ones found on the company’s “best sellers” portion of its website)?  Ultraviolet paint, reflective prisms,…

PACK IT IN! Snow over the Missouri River valley and its tributaries in Montana creeps into southwestern ND, helping to build the snowpack which will fuel the flow and its reservoirs this spring.  Staring down a possible five inches south of Dickinson, and heavier snows to the west, we talk about where those water stores…

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota’s spring light goose conservation order opens Feb. 17 and continues through May 13. Residents must have a valid current season 2017-18 (valid through March 31) or 2018-19 (required April 1) combination license; or a small game, and general game and habitat license. The 2018-19 license is available for purchase beginning March 15….

SNOW IS ON THE WAY.  While that may pertain to tomorrow’s forecast, it’s only a matter of weeks before snow geese show up on the southern horizon as well.  We talk about the approaching conservation season and more in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: Snow geese settle into a flooded spring cornfield. Simonson Photo) DAILY…

CRUSH IT!  Around the state, ND Clay Target League teams are signing up new shooters for the spring season at local high schools.  Expecting more than 1,200 participants, the program’s state tournament has expanded to two days.  We talk about opportunities near and far to take part in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo:  Like a…

TIES THAT BIND.  We were hoping for another overtime thriller and extra minutes last night, but glad it ended when it did. With football season over it’s time to look ahead to what the end of winter and the coming spring will bring.  Hopefully, something good you can share, which we discuss in today’s Three…

COLD AHEAD.  It’s a slow climb out of the single digits this week with a potential snowmaker Thursday into Friday.  Get out while things are stable early on and keep an eye on the radar late in the week.  We talk about the ever-increasing amount of sunlight and more in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo:The…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. The North Dakota spring turkey license application period is open right now, and for most hunters, the process will be business as usual. For spring turkey last year, and for all other lottery licenses in 2017, just about 90 percent of prospective hunters submitted their applications online. The other 10…

BUCK THE TREND.  Bucktail is a favorite streamer material when tying up flies for everything from trout to bass to pike.  Its hollow hairs keep it just under the surface when unweighted and its subtle shimmy in the water gives a life-like appearance.  We lay out at trio of our favorite bucktail streamer patterns in…

By Nick Simonson For a break from drab nymphs and complex dry flies, no set of simple, fun and brightly colored fly compares to egg patterns.  Usually in bright pinks, oranges or yellows, these spawn-imitating flies are quick and enjoyable ties that brighten up any fly box. What follows are three favorite egg flies that…

GOOD MORNING CAMPERS!  Another Groundhog Day dawns and spring is just around the corner, regardless of the conditions. But, for sport, we’ll see what the good rodent has to say today.  Phil isn’t the only animal that predicts spring (and other things) and we talk about those other inclined wildlife in today’s Three Things. (Featured…

By Nick Simonson In the heart of winter, while all of Hollywood’s brightest stars make their way down the red carpet in an endless array of award shows, dressed in the latest fashions from the world’s top designers, it’s not unusual to find a die-hard lure maker deep into the night dressing up his or…

HALFWAY HOME.  With the turn of the calendar to February, we’re not out of the woods, but we’re partly there in a winter which has spared much of its wrath in the first half.  Now we wait for tomorrow and old Punxsutawney Phil and his prognosticating pals to let us know what’s coming for the…

UP EARLY.  We’re watching the Lunar Eclipse this morning, as the “super blue blood moon” makes its way toward the western horizon under mostly clear skies.  Beyond lunar lore, we talk about some crazy turnouts for CTL and a CWD update in today’s three things. (Featured Photo: The earth’s shadow begins to creep across the…

NDG&F Press Release A whitetail buck and a mule deer doe, taken during the 2017 deer gun season from unit 3F2 in southwestern North Dakota, have tested positive for chronic wasting disease, according to Dr. Dan Grove, wildlife veterinarian for the state Game and Fish Department. Since 2009, the total now stands at 11 deer…

READY, SET, MOON!  We’re jazzed up for tonight as the blue moon rises and hits full just before sunrise tomorrow, falling into earth’s shadow for a lunar eclipse.  We talk about that and more, in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: A group of pheasants forage in the clear areas of a hillside in north Bismarck….

By Nick Simonson With the increase in both the size and popularity of the North Dakota State High School Clay Target League (ND CTL) in the last two years, a new grant program through the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) is helping communities connect with and accommodate the increased number of high school…

UP & DOWN AGAIN.  The rollercoaster of winter continues as we warm to near 40 tomorrow night, and drop off hard at the end of the work week.  In the meantime, we talk about the system driving that pattern, shed antlers and what used to dominate the plains of North Dakota in today’s Three Things….

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. While I’m no longer a game warden, that’s how I started my career with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Though my career transitioned from warden to biologist, the experience and background work is invaluable in my current position. Over the years…

HOLE IN ONE.  Looking ahead, midweek brings a warm spike and a hole in an otherwise cool stretch. In the meantime, we’re filling the gaps in our fly boxes and lures by tying up a bunch of new offerings during the still-chilly evenings.  We talk about blade options on spinners in today’s Three Things. (Featured…

SPLASH OF SUMMER.  We know you need a shot of color, especially as white gives way to…beige. Just think, six months from now it’ll be the dog days of summer; deep in July with heat, humidity and mosquitoes.  Admit it, you miss it! We look at the past warm weather season and how it impacted…

By Nick Simonson   The beauty of the Teeny leech is in its simplicity.  Designed by renowned fly angler Jim Teeny for trout, panfish and everything in between, this two-material fly, which is about 90 percent pheasant tail (PT) fibers, pulses with each twitch of the rod and falls slowly through the water column like…

NDG&F Press Release The North Dakota National Archery in the Schools Program state tournament is scheduled for March 23-24 at the State Fair Center in Minot. The tournament will feature team and individual categories in elementary, middle school and high school, including awards and prizes, and up to $20,000 in college scholarships available to the…