NDG&F Press Release Extensive vegetation growth along docks and boat ramps serves as a good reminder for anglers and boaters to follow aquatic nuisance species regulations. North Dakota Game and Fish Department ANS coordinator Jessica Howell said the Department has received reports of increased vegetation in local waters. “Aquatic plants can be the most abundant in…

NDG&F Dept. Press Release North Dakota’s spring pheasant population index is down 14 percent from last year, according to the State Game and Fish Department’s 2017 spring crowing count survey. R.J. Gross, upland game management biologist, said the number of roosters heard crowing this spring was down statewide, with decreases ranging from 6 to 10…

Friend of the Edge, Adam Sersha of Eveleth, Minn., shares this 36-inch king salmon he caught on a river near Sitka, AK this morning.  With lower flows and clear water, it was easy to see the running fish in the water and made for exciting fights with the kings his group hooked into.  The fish…

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota boaters who are traveling to other states or Canadian provinces should check the aquatic nuisance species regulations of their destination to make sure they are in compliance. While many of North Dakota’s ANS prevention regulations are similar to surrounding states and provinces, state Game and Fish Department ANS coordinator Jessica…

NDG&F Press Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 70th annual spring breeding duck survey conducted in May showed an index of 2.95 million birds, down 15 percent from last year. Migratory game bird supervisor Mike Szymanski said even though the index is below 3 million for the first time since 1994, it still…

Andrew Mulso of Marshall, Minn. started the Minnesota muskie season off with a bang with this 54-inch muskie out of Lobster Lake near Alexandria, Minn.  With warm weather settling in after a small front, reports of a good start to the season are coming in from across the border with a number of fish seen…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. In the past couple of months, many media outlets in North Dakota, especially in the eastern part of the state, published or broadcast stories related to the 20th anniversary of the 1997 Red River flood. With all those historical accounts taking place, it seemed more appropriate to wait a few…

NDG&F Press Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department tracked 28 outdoors-related bills during the 2017 legislative session, 11 of which were passed by both chambers and signed into law. The following bills take effect Aug. 1, unless the bill includes an emergency clause which indicates it is already in effect. HB 1017 – Appropriates…

NDG&F Dept. Press Release North Dakota’s moose and elk lottery results are available online at the state Game and Fish Department’s website.  Applicants can find individual results by clicking “my account” under the buy and apply link. Successful applicants will receive a letter the week of May 15, stating the license will be mailed after the successful…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. The rise and fall of acreage enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program is well documented. The CRP got its start in the mid-1980s as a program designed primarily to reduce nationwide crop production in an effort to turn around low commodity prices, and also to reduce…

By Nick Simonson Like colored currents of air through a wind tunnel in an aerodynamics lab, the gray smoke wound its way up and out of the bottom barrel of my over-under shotgun. I watched as the wafting darkness gave way to the shimmering green and yellow colors of the first dandelions of the season…

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s spring bighorn sheep survey revealed a minimum of 296 bighorn sheep in western North Dakota, up slightly from last year and 3 percent above the five-year average. Altogether, biologists counted 104 rams, 170 ewes and 22 lambs. Not included are approximately 20 bighorns in the North Unit of…

NDG&F Dept. Press Release A total of 44,140 North Dakota deer hunters took approximately 29,300 deer during the 2016 deer gun hunting season, according to a post-season survey conducted by the state Game and Fish Department. Game and Fish made available 49,000 deer gun licenses last year. Overall hunter success was 66 percent, with each…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. I don’t remember the year, but I do remember the scenario when I bought my first fishing license online. It was one of those spring days that wasn’t supposed to be spring. Early April and the sun was shining, the snow was all but gone and my buddy said the…

NDG&F Press Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is partnering with the U.S Department of Agriculture to provide landowners with options to enroll acreage into two new programs designed to develop wildlife habitat. A new Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, and State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement, are companion programs to the popular Conservation Reserve…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept.  After writing recently about the whooping crane, an endangered bird species that migrates through North Dakota in spring and fall, I got a text message from a friend who was reporting the spring sighting of dozens of bald eagles in one spot. While the area of interest was from northeastern…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. I grew up in an era in North Dakota when special seasons for young hunters did not yet exist. Looking back, I surely would have enjoyed the extra days afield the special youth deer, waterfowl and pheasant seasons now offer. But I was fortunate to have spent a lot of…

By Nick Simonson This year, my chapter of Pheasants Forever eclipsed the $7 Million mark in habitat acquisitions and restoration projects.  Through funds leveraged through a state grant program, partnerships with the state and national PF organizations along with the much-appreciated assistance of nearby PF chapters and local conservation clubs, our alliances have opened nearly…