By Nick Simonson Even into the colder months of winter, the outdoors remains a place for people to seek relief from pandemic-related stress and to reconnect with hunting, fishing, and enjoying time away from the confines of four walls.  The physical and psychological benefits of wild places, public lands and open waters have served as…

By John Bradley From an early age, my family could tell I would be a hunter. When I learned to read, I poured over my grandpa’s old Fur Fish and Game magazines. When I was able to tag along with my dad and relatives, I was hooked for life. Your spouse, a friend, family member…

By Nick Simonson It isn’t fair to compare hunting dogs, not among friends or fellow hunters, or even among the different ones owned throughout a person’s lifetime. It isn’t fair, but we do it anyway.   I was spoiled with my first lab, Gunnar, who lived for 15 and a half years and hunted for 13…

By Doug Leier Robert Timian, enforcement division chief, retired after 35 years with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. October 1, Scott Winkelman assumed his new role as head of enforcement. Winkelmann’s career began as a conservation officer in South Dakota in 2002. He then moved to North Dakota in 2003 and was the…

By Nick Simonson In the first installment of this two-part series celebrating the start of the ice season, it was pointed out that the last half century has been an amazing ice age for hardwater anglers.  From tackle to tech and the advanced tactics both allow for on the ice, these options have opened a…

By Nick Simonson It might seem like pheasant numbers are down in certain areas as the season approaches its end, and people may be inclined to assume that by not hunting roosters in these final weeks that they are helping preserve populations for next season.  That’s likely not the case, however, and to the contrary,…

By Nick Simonson While much of pheasant country remains free and clear of snow cover at the moment, it’s likely that at some point in the back stretch of the season we’ll be looking at a white Christmas and a frosty finish to the upland hunting calendar.  Even when there isn’t snow on the ground,…

By Nick Simonson In the blink of an eye which has been human existence, we’ve gone from living in caves to designing skyscrapers that touch the heavens.  Where travel by horse and carriage brought messages from east to west over a period of weeks, electronic impulses now carry them in seconds.  In the fraction of…

By Nick Simonson Even as one of the last waters in the state to totally freeze up, Devils Lake remains one of the first places people think of when it comes to ice fishing in North Dakota.  With abundant walleye, perch and pike populations, even in off years, mni wakan or “spirit water” as it…

By Nick Simonson The first morning of muzzleloader season arrived clear, cold, and calm.  With just the faintest bit of dawn edging over the eastern hills, I ventured down to the southernmost stretch of a favorite piece of public access land and followed the flags along the hillside break to the final mark on my…

By Doug Leier It’s not written in any expert ice safety advice column, but I’ll always remind hard-water anglers how valuable experience can be. If you’ve never tried ice fishing before this pandemic impacted year, with all the cancellations of activities and events, now might be the time to pick up a new hobby or…

NDWF Release Bismarck, ND – MTN DEW is awarding the North Dakota Wildlife Federation (NDWF) a $5,000 grant in support of the organization’s ongoing commitment to R3 (Recruitment, Retention, Reactivation of hunters and anglers). NDWF is one of twenty nonprofits in the country to receive a grant through MTN DEW Outdoor Grants program. To receive…

By Nick Simonson There was nothing subtle about the way the buck came into the cut bean field where the growing herd of does and fawns were working diligently, heads down, to scrape up the remnants of a harvest from two months ago.  He charged the nearest one like the intoxicated BMOC hitting on a…

By Nick Simonson In post-to-post fashion, the Bismarck State College Clay Target League (BSC CTL) team took the USA College Clay Target League’s (USA CCTL) Conference 1A-1 Fall National Trap Title with dominant shooting performances from its team members competing in just their first season for the Mystics. “I am tickled to death with the…

By Nick Simonson I can still hear the whisper from my left and sense Gene leaning in as the deer emerged in the first tree line below our position on the top of the hillside along the Sheyenne River valley one temperate November evening in 2007.  It’s a moment I relive each time I’m in…

By Doug Leier I’ll interrupt the usual “migration” of hunting information this time of year with an interesting update on the future of fishing in North Dakota where fisheries biologists continue to mix the standard tried and true fish stocking with innovation and experimentation.    North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries biologists have for years stocked millions…

By Nick Simonson In the fall of 2019, the southeast corner of North Dakota received significant rain which not only complicated the hunting efforts of many in the region, but also filled up sloughs, lakes and wetlands to the highest point seen in recent years.  This occurrence resulted in the creation of unstable ice which…

By John Bradley Hunters and anglers are the primary funders of wildlife conservation through license fees and excise taxes on equipment like fishing tackle, guns, and ammunition.  These taxes, resulting from the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts, were advocated by hunters and anglers to restore game and fish properties across the country.  Take a moment to…

By Nick Simonson With the anchor-like weight of a deer tag becoming more and more tangible in the right leg pocket of my camouflage hunting pants and that heft spurring much of my recent outdoor activity, I catch myself thinking ahead, beyond the quiet morning sits and windy sneaks through the countryside as I wait…

By Doug Leier I grew up in an era when wild game cooking involved a can of cream of mushroom soup and a roaster. The wild game – grouse, duck, partridge or a rare pheasant – was simmering beneath the greyish gravy base. It was the way Mom did it, the way Grandma did it…

By Nick Simonson When it comes to trophies following a successful hunt, most people’s minds turn to the antlers on the buck they just shot, or the tenderloins in the doe they just tagged; but there’s one part of a whitetail deer that stands out to those hunters who also create their own lures in…

By Nick Simonson In North Dakota, the unit in which a sportsman hunts deer is almost analogous to one’s hometown in the grand sense of things, and particularly in November for the state’s firearms deer season.  The response of “4B” or “2F2” to the question of “where’d you draw your tag” conjures up rugged hillsides…

By Nick Simonson Those days when overcast conditions settle in well before dawn provide a unique time to be outdoors, particularly during deer season.  The lack of the pinks and oranges streaking overhead from the eastern horizon and lighting up the sky early makes the anticipation of first legal light even more excruciating, despite the…

By Doug Leier North Dakota had its first confirmed case of chronic wasting disease in deer detected in 2009.   Since then, CWD has become a familiar term to most North Dakota deer hunters. Dr. Charlie Bahnson, North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife veterinarian explains, “We first started finding deer with CWD in Grant and Sioux counties, hunting…

By Nick Simonson While election night and its aftermath continue to underscore the deep divide that runs through the middle of this country’s populace, one tradition exists and is growing and improving in a manner that unites all hunters from the west coast to the great plains to the southeast.  According to Kip Adams, Director…

By Doug Leier While some hunters have already notched their 2020 archery tag the regular deer gun  season runs from Friday November 6 at noon through  Nov. 22. Here’s a few more answers to questions and situations hunters may find useful. Can I transport someone else’s deer? Yes, but you will need a transportation permit…

By Nick Simonson Don your blaze orange, secure your tag, check your scope one more time and stuff a package of handwarmers in your vest pocket because the big day is just about here.  Firearms deer season starts this weekend and you don’t want to miss out on the excitement that comes with “the grandaddy…

By Nick Simonson With the rapid approach of the deer firearms season opener, more hunters are gearing up for another November afield.  Whether in pursuit of that monster buck or a doe to provide enough sausage to last the winter, being prepared for the hunt and checking off those things needed to make it safe…

By Nick Simonson While recently waxing philosophical about the power of my dog’s nose, I got to wondering, and then worrying, about another well-developed sense of smell in the outdoors.  As I drew to the end on my column which detailed how victory often comes in the form of trusting the nose of my dog…

By Nick Simonson I often wonder what it’s like, to smell a million times more than what is humanly possible.  When my lab lifts his nose to the northwest gusts and cocks his head ever so slightly before upping his pace into the breezes, I try to box the experience into something my limited senses…