By Nick Simonson The turn of the calendar and the holidays that come this time of year often provide pauses to reflect on the 12 months that were and the next dozen to come and what we did and will do with that time.  This stretch also gives anglers a chance to look back on…

By Doug Leier  I can easily recall in the late 1980s seeing an endangered bald eagle feeding on a deer carcass off the road west of Napoleon in Logan County. Back in those days, if you saw a bald eagle and you could take a picture, you did. At the least you mentally marked the…

By Mike Peluso It is crazy to think we have both open water and frozen water fishing going on right now here in North Dakota at the end of December. It’s just one of those years, I guess. For me it’s been a fun first couple of weeks on the ice, especially being able to…

By Nick Simonson It’s been a strange year.  Much of the time after the middle of July was a blur in the wake of my mother’s unexpected death in August following a fall, with white and yellow lines on the interstate providing the limited bounds to the chaos of life and the required travel around…

By Nick Simonson Through the efforts of family and friends over the past several years, the legacy of a devout public land hunter was honored with the creation of the latest area open to sportsmen near Pierre, SD.As part of the Pheasants Forever (PF) Build a Wildlife Area Program, the creation of the 560-acre John…

By Doug Leier  As a kid in North Dakota, my dad took me everywhere outdoors. Hunting, fishing, trapping, NDSU football games, camping, fixing fences, picking rock and planting trees. Some of those outdoor activities are much more fun than the others and I think you can figure out which ones.  I knew a cubicle or…

By Austin Lang In the brisk embrace of autumn air, the kaleidoscope of fall colors set the stage for 2023 to be a season of firsts with my wide-eyed and eager kids. Beyond the pursuit of game, this fall held the promise of passing down cherished traditions and forging lasting memories that would bind us…

By Mike Peluso The start of the ice fishing season on Devils Lake has been up and down thus far. The ice has been slow to build, creating some tough situations for us as guides. Very limited would be a great way to describe things, in terms of access. Up here on Devils Lake we…

By Nick Simonson While traveling this weekend, I burned through a hand-me-down paperback of Stephen King short stories.  The sleepless wee hours of the morning in a hotel room two time zones over, afternoon lulls ahead of a nap before dinner and nightlife, and time spent at the gate awaiting connections made the read go…

By Nick Simonson With first ice settled in across much of North Dakota, only the big waters remain in terms of establishing fishable hard water for anglers.  One of the premier destinations for those seeking walleyes, perch and pike each winter in the state is the sprawling complex of Devils Lake, and this winter will…

By Doug Leier   The nasty late October snow and freezing temperatures created more than enough jokes about ice fishing before the deer season.   But then sun came out, temperatures warmed and deer season and November into December brought more open water fishing and pheasant hunting than ice fishing. For most of us still recovering from…

By Nick Simonson Like millions of other people, I discovered the online game Wordle during the pandemic and played it relentlessly during lockdown, amazed in part that someone would make a program you couldn’t binge and play over and over, and instead gave you only one shot each day to do it. That facet certainly…

By Mike Peluso It’s hard to believe that it is just now the ending to the 2023 open water season. Things started slow in spring, with snow and the river still being frozen and the Big Muddy holding up to her name, but the year ended on the highest of highs! I’ve never seen a…

By Doug Leier  The first weeks of pheasant hunting in North Dakota were about as good as it gets weatherwise. Farmers were putting crops in the bins and hunters were putting birds in the bag. Mix in some football and all the fields were buzzing.  Hunters were thankful the preseason brood survey numbers showing pheasant…

By Nick Simonson The first hardwater anglers are creeping out onto the ice, and good fishing is likely to meet those venturing out in southeastern North Dakota this winter, according to BJ Kratz, Southeastern Fisheries District Supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDG&F).  Following a challenging winter last year, where angler mobility…

By Mike Peluso Not much has changed in the way of walleye fishing on the open water on the Missouri River near Bismarck. It’s been a fall to remember, that’s for sure. If this autumn’s bite is any indication of what will happen this spring, it’s going to epic! I have never in my 45…

By Nick Simonson First ice is a fun, yet apprehensive time.  The excitement of getting out on a fast early bite for walleyes, perch or any other species under that initial layer of ice is often balanced against the nervousness of eyeing up that new three or four inches covering the water and its quality…

By Nick Simonson First ice brings with it the fever dream of fast fishing; walleyes and crappies riding high on a late fall feeding binge that doesn’t fade even though the first frozen layer may start obscuring the limited sunlight the region’s lakes do see this time of year.  On the ice, however, it might…

By Doug Leier  Two of the most popular species with hunting seasons include harvest numbers you can count on your hands or hands and toes. I’m talking about mountain lions and bighorn sheep.  These two unique species capture the interest of hunters and non-hunters alike. While over 20,000 applications were received for the half dozen…

By Nick Simonson With the conclusion of the firearms deer season in North Dakota on Sun. Nov. 26, the work in managing the herd begins anew for agents of the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F).  Through the assembly of public input, surveys of hunters detailing their efforts and observations, and the tallying of…

By Mike Peluso We are really in a bind right now with this weather and what comes next for walleye fishing in the state. It’s not cold enough to get the larger waters frozen and we definitely need some cold weather so we can kick off the ice fishing season. However, I do know of…

By Nick Simonson Cold, warm.  Gusty, calm.  Snow, rain.  Flip a coin during these days on the calendar and you’ll likely get the same randomized results in the weather, but in these northern climes as fall fades into winter, that’s a common occurrence.  Like the old saying goes, “if you don’t like the weather here,…

NDG&F Dept. Release Fisheries crews completed their annual salmon spawning operation on the Missouri River System, collecting 944,000 eggs. North Dakota Game and Fish Department Missouri River System fisheries supervisor Russ Kinzler said this year was more of a challenge to collect eggs. “The spawn started about a week later than normal and then the…

By Renee Tomala You don’t have to look any further than the dashboards of passing vehicles adorned with blaze orange caps to see signs that fall hunting season is in full swing here in North Dakota. I’m one of those people who savor every single fall day, except for the ones touting temperatures anywhere around…

By Doug Leier The window between Thanksgiving and Christmas has always been a reflective time for me. While we all have challenges in life, the truth is we need to intentionally look for points of thanks even in the storms of life. Down the list from your health, family and work would be hunting, fishing…

By Nick Simonson While the antlers on the deer I tagged this year for the firearms season weren’t the biggest in recent memory, there was one hallmark of the whitetail buck that stood out.  As I prepped the deer for field dressing, I noted a clean and vibrant white tail made of hairs with some…

By Mike Peluso When it comes to walleye fishing on the Missouri River, this extremely nice November weather over the last couple of weeks sure can change one’s attitude. I was optimistic after the first snowstorm that we would get to fish again, and fish we have! Ever since I was a young boy, I…

By Nick Simonson In the dim of pre-legal light, my eyes caught something out of place on the final morning of my deer hunting weekend.  With obligations and holiday travel set up for the back stretch of the firearms deer season, time was ticking away to fill a tag and I wasn’t in a place…

By Nick Simonson After a temperate opening weekend and a generally warm week making up the opening third of the North Dakota firearms deer season, hunters are finding a mixed bag when it comes to results, but the trend has generally reflected the notable decrease in herd size resulting from the harsh winter of 2022-23….

By Doug Leier My guess is that most deer hunters don’t tire of the “Turdy Point Buck” tune on the radio until the backside of deer season. For a change, though, I’d sure enjoy listening to a refrain about hunting antlerless deer in North Dakota. Then again, doe hunting doesn’t quite get the credit it…