NDG&F Dept. Press Release Waterfowl hunters are reminded to do their part in preventing the spread of aquatic nuisance species into or within North Dakota. Waterfowl hunters must remove plants and plant fragments from decoys, strings and anchors; remove plants seeds and plant fragments from waders and other equipment before leaving hunting areas; remove all…

LAST CALL.  Today will be the last taste of summer, at least for a while, as temperatures return to more seasonal highs in the low 70s and upper 60s tomorrow.   Things cool off behind a cold front tonight, and a slight chance of rain rolls in for the end of the work week and Saturday….

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has proclaimed Saturday, Sept. 23 as National Hunting and Fishing Day in North Dakota. The North Dakota designation coincides with the annual National Hunting and Fishing Day, celebrated on the fourth Saturday of every September, as an effort to spotlight the conservation accomplishments of hunters and anglers nationwide. Gov….

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota’s roadside pheasant survey conducted in late July and August indicates total birds and number of broods are down statewide from 2016. R.J. Gross, upland game management biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the survey shows total pheasants observed per 100 miles are down 61 percent from…

FLUTTER BACK.  A taste of mid-summer is brewing after today’s shift in the wind, and we put it all on paper for you in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: A painted lady butterfly rests on a dogwood leaf.  The butterflies are frequently seen this time of year in North Dakota, and even more so this…

FALL HIGHLIGHTS.  Red sunsets, pink horizons, yellow and orange leaves.  It’s tough to miss the colors of fall which are cropping up all around us.  We talk more about fall hunting seasons, forecasts for the rest of the year and where to find fish in today’s Three Things. DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Sun…

NDG&F Dept. Release Friday, Sept. 15 at noon signals the start of a nine-and-a-half-day deer hunting season for youth ages 12-15. Licensed residents ages 11, 12 and 13, and 10-year-olds who turn age 11 in 2017, are allowed to hunt statewide, but only for antlerless white-tailed deer. Resident deer gun hunters age 14 or 15,…

AREN’T YOU GLAD YOU LIVE UP HERE?  Sure, it’s a little dry – but massive wildfires and storms the size of Texas don’t disrupt your fishing or hunting adventures.  We track the conditions that remind us – “hey, six months of winter isn’t that bad” – in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: An angler works…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. The good news for North Dakota hunters is that the 2017 waterfowl season is similar to last year as far as regulations and bag limits. Continental duck numbers are about the same as last year as well, and goose populations that frequent North Dakota remain high. There is, however, a…

NORTHERN COMFORT.  Our fall-like feelings will fade as temperatures for the weekend build into the 90s through Tuesday.  So take it easy on those grouse dogs this weekend for the big opener!  We look north in today’s Three Things and celebrate yet another great early September day which will facilitate good hunting and fishing. (Featured…

NDG&F Press Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is once again asking grouse hunters for help with future bird management by simply collecting some feathers from harvested birds and sending in wing envelopes this fall. Wing data allows biologists to monitor production, reconcile bird counts and get a better understanding of the harvest…

NDG&F Press Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is currently working with landowners in eight hunting units across the state who would like to host hunters with antlerless deer licenses in 2017. Participating landowners are located in hunting units 2I, 2J2, 2K2, 3A4, 3B3, 3D2, 3F2 and 4E. The program is not intended…

NOCKED & LOADED.  If you’re up reading this, you’re probably headed out at first light for a sit on stand.  Good choice!  This morning will be the calmest, coolest portion of the weekend. Heat returns for Sunday on shifting winds in front of a Labor Day cooldown and sustained northerlies.  We load you up on…

Friend of the Edge and Watford City native Doug Okland shares a shot from along the Kenai River in Alaska, where both salmon, like the one pictured, and large rainbow trout were on the bite earlier this week.  Okland’s return adventures will take him through the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta and on into Montana.  (Photo…

NDG&F Press Release Big game hunters are reminded of requirements for transporting deer, elk and moose carcasses and carcass parts into and within North Dakota as a precaution against the possible spread of chronic wasting disease. Hunters harvesting a big game animal this fall in North Dakota deer unit 3F2 cannot transport a carcass containing…

NDG&F Dept. Press Release With elk season opening Sept. 1 and grouse and partridge seasons to follow starting Sept. 9, the State Game and Fish Department and U.S. Forest Service remind hunters that use of firearms is allowed on the Little Missouri National Grasslands by legally licensed hunters. Earlier this summer the USFS, which manages…

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota’s popular hunting seasons for grouse and partridge will open Saturday, Sept. 9. State Game and Fish Department upland game biologist R.J. Gross says hunters will likely see fewer sharptails and Huns compared to last year, while ruffed grouse numbers are up from 2016. Gross said that hot, dry early summer…

NDG&F Press Release Hunters are reminded that hunting big game over bait is prohibited on all state owned or managed wildlife management areas, all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, U.S. Forest Service national grasslands, and all North Dakota state school, state park and state forest service lands. The…

NDG&F Press 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 410 licenses were available in units 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A and 4C. More than 8,700 applications, including 155 gratis, were received. All licenses were issued. Unsuccessful applicants who submitted their…

SUMMER’S BACK! Soak in this steamy Saturday before things slip south on a cool front later in the day, leading into a mid-70s Sunday.  Grab an innertube and your five weight fly rod and we all float on, as we talk buoyancy in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: This bluegill engulfed a foam beetle on…

STOP BEING CRANKY…and get cranking!  It’s Friday afterall, and things are warming back up for the downward slide out of August, so a crankbait bite just might be in order for the next couple of weeks.  We’re looking forward to a warm start to the weekend, with a slight dip on Saturday. DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER…

NDG&F Press Release Gov. Doug Burgum and Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that directs state and tribal authorities on regulating an elk hunting season within the Standing Rock Reservation. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department and Standing Rock Game, Fish and Wildlife Department developed the MOU…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. Growing up in the Midwest, I always thought August was more about fishing, baseball and the last stretch of summer vacation, rather than a prelude to fall accompanied by football, school and hunting, but times have changed and the transition to fall now seems to start in August rather than…

MR CTL Press Release Registration for the fall season of the Missouri River Clay Target League (MR CTL) for all Bismarck-Mandan area students in grades 6-12 with Firearms Safety Certificates (or CTL SAFE Program completion which can be completed after registration) will open on Tue. Aug. 22 and run through Fri. Sept. 1.  Sign up…

NDG&F Dept. Release The harvest of pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge last year in North Dakota was down from 2015, according to statistics compiled by the State Game and Fish Department. Last year, more than 76,600 pheasant hunters (down 10 percent) harvested 501,100 roosters (down 15 percent), compared to 85,500 hunters and 590,700 roosters…