By Nick Simonson When it comes to tiny tackle, no piece is more overlooked than the split ring.  Whether it’s used as a tie-in point on spoon to provide a little bit more wiggle or utilized in securing a pair of treble hooks to a favorite crankbait, the split ring is a small part of…

By Mike Peluso I’m on the 18th tee box for the ice fishing season, I just need to keep it in the fairway and get up and down to close it out. It is hard to believe it’s coming to an end already, but it goes fast and I’m already getting excited for the open…

By Nick Simonson As it sits now, I’d call it wonderfully uncomfortable because the soreness in my quadriceps on both legs – a bit higher on the right, more towards the knee on my left – is no less a sign of spring than the things I saw while running the tap for the lactic…

NDG&F Dept. Release Harvest statistics released by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department show overall hunter success during the 2023 season for bighorn sheep was 100%, 89% for moose and 71% for elk. The department issued five bighorn sheep licenses and auctioned one. All six hunters harvested a bighorn ram. The department issued 253…

By Doug Leier Winterkill of fish in lakes, reservoirs, ponds and sloughs is nothing new in North Dakota. In any given year there’s a potential for winterkill. Just like for pheasants and deer in North Dakota, long, cold, snowy winters exact a toll. Dead deer and pheasants are easier to spot with a white blanket…

By Nick Simonson I can recall the first instance of a smallmouth smashing a rusted-up firetiger Husky Jerk I weaseled out of my dad’s gold flip-sider tacklebox for a trip upriver one spring night after work.  After the rings from the lure’s splashdown along the shoreline at the spot where a small feeder creek met…

By Mike Peluso It seems crazy to think, but I have only two weeks left up here on Devils Lake for the winter. Time flies when you stay busy. The winter season has been an absolute roller coaster. We have had some great days and we have had sone tough days. There are lots of…

By Nick Simonson There’s an old terabyte drive I bought a decade ago to back up the hard drive on my old computer as things were getting a bit glitchy and the blue screen wake-ups of the machine suggested the loss of most of my information was highly inevitable.  Before synchronized back-ups through cloud storage…

By Nick Simonson The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) will be hosting its annual State Tournament on Mar. 15 and 16 at the Minot State Fair Center, bringing hundreds of top shooters from schools around the state to compete in four events to determine North Dakota’s top archers, according to Jeff Long, the…

By Doug Leier Around here we hope and pray March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. I’m not sure where this saying originated from, but last year it may have been more accurate to say March came in like a lion, stuck around until April and left a mess of…

By Seth Owens This winter has graced North Dakota with unusual kindness. The weather has been remarkably pleasant, boasting warmer temperatures than average and the snowfall has remained quite limited thus far. Such conditions bode well for our upland bird populations as they enjoy an abundance of cover and forage that harsh winter conditions of…

By Mike Peluso Are we on borrowed time up here on Devils Lake? It’s hard to say what this warm up will do. My guess is we will get about a week or so into March things will get dicey. As far as the bite goes, it comes down to one word: ratty. The past…

By Nick Simonson I’m a fan of old things and a fan of new things in the outdoors, as the former tells the non-fiction tale of what we’ve experienced, and the latter paints a science-fiction story of where we’ll go, all with a few good fisherman’s lies mixed in between them. I can recall vividly…

NDG&F Dept. Release While the deadline for removing permanent fish houses from North Dakota lakes is March 15, the state Game and Fish Department is urging anglers to consider removing their houses early in areas of the state where ice conditions are deteriorating. Given the current long-range weather forecast predicting temperatures well above normal, coupled…

By Nick Simonson There is no fish in the waters of the upper Midwest more voracious than the northern pike and when the ice begins to give way and meltwater begins to flow down gullies, creeks, and small rivers, catching them is a sure sign that spring is starting up.  Sometimes the weather is cold,…

By Doug Leier There’s a big difference between doing it and doing it well. I can take outdoor photographs but it’s more the equivalent of beating a drum than “playing” the drums. Everyone has a camera on their mobile device but taking a picture and true photography are not one in the same. Trust me….

By Nick Simonson Whether spring comes late like last year, or is looking to arrive a bit early like this year, targeting some key areas for walleyes whenever things open up on a favorite river will help increase your odds of success at the chilly start to the openwater season.  Utilizing dams and other obstructions,…

By Mike Peluso Things have gotten a little better up here on Devils Lake. We got some cold weather and firmed the ice back up. Now the big question is this next warm spell. With the forecasted sun, what will it do to our current ice conditions? I’m hoping it holds out until at least…

By Nick Simonson As a fan of science fiction, and more accurately now, science fact, my RSS feeds and inboxes are often inundated with technology stories I can barely wrap my brain around.  From quantum physics and computing, to teleportation of sub-atomic particles to nano-technology, the blur of updates provides entertaining and amazing reading which…

NDG&F Release The 2024 spring wild turkey lottery has been held and more than 1,000 licenses remain in 11 units. Remaining licenses are issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8 a.m. Central time on Feb. 21. Hunters are allowed two licenses for the spring season. Licenses remain in unit 03, Benson and Ramsey counties and…

By Doug Leier Dean Hildebrand, former Game and Fish director, had a flair for telling stories. Dr. Seuss could’ve taken notes. “When I lived in Kulm, it was so dry the ducks carried canteens … I played cops and robbers with a young girl that always won. Turns out, it was Angie Dickinson.” (If you…

By Nick Simonson The rush of first ice is in the rearview mirror and that stretch of more challenging mid-winter angling is underway.  While February marks the traditional seasonal slowdown in on-ice action in the upper Midwest, the midseason doldrums rarely prevent anglers from making their way out after their favorite species.  Heightened technology specifically…

By Mike Peluso Thank goodness for this colder weather to help heal up the ice a bit on Devils Lake. At least we have that going for us. The consistency of the bite however is way off. I’m not sure what is happening below the ice with the goofy weather, but I’m here to tell…

By Nick Simonson If you look back at the last 20 years, you’ll see some pretty incredible turnarounds in the wild and across the globe that humanity has engineered.  While some of these one-eighties have been caused by our own short-sightedness, greed, and lack of care for the planet and creatures we share the world…

By Nick Simonson While angling on Lake Sakakawea has been excellent the past several years, one trend that has fishery warning lights flashing is a noted decrease in the overall size of smelt found in the water.  A primary forage, rainbow smelt have gone boom and bust on the lake in the past due to…

By Doug Leier Every hunter, angler and trapper can assess their own past seasons and look forward to the challenges and opportunities of 2024. The director of North Dakota Game and Fish and division chiefs are tasked with understanding and guiding the vested interests of all from Cavalier to Carson, from Crosby to Cayuga. It’s…

By Nick Simonson On winter’s hard water, presentation is one of the key factors for consistently catching fish and the nature of angling through the ice doesn’t leave a whole lot of horizontal options.  For that reason, knowing why fish take to a vertical presentation, how to draw them up to a lure and what…

By Mike Peluso Mother Nature you need to go home, you’ve had a couple too many. With these abnormal temperatures at the end of January and February you are giving us ice fishing guides extreme stress and anxiety. Yes, we have ice. Yes, we have safe ice. However, you need to really be on your…

By Nick Simonson The middle of winter brings with it funky fish and some changes in your presentation and efforts are required in the doldrums of February to not only find them but also to convert lookers into takers under the ice.  With a few simple hacks at mid-ice, the action can stay white hot,…

NDG&F Release North Dakotans interested in supporting wildlife conservation programs should look for the Watchable Wildlife checkoff on the state tax form. The state income tax form gives wildlife enthusiasts an opportunity to support nongame wildlife like songbirds and birds of prey, while at the same time contributing to programs that help everyone enjoy all…