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…

By Doug Leier  The 2020 North Dakota deer season opens Nov. 6 at 12 noon Central time and runs through Sunday Nov. 22. Legal shooting hours after opening day are a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset each day.  Here’s a few of the more common questions that seem to come up each…

By Nick Simonson Throughout late summer and early fall, the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) had received reports of dead and sick deer on the landscape throughout southwestern North Dakota.  As September progressed into October, the reports remained steady and expanded throughout the western half of the state. Charlie Bahnson, NDG&F Veterinarian, confirmed…

By Nick Simonson Some hunting seasons bring snow, cold, winds and inhospitable conditions which we as hunters prepare for in order to pursue an oft-anticipated portion of our year, and in the end find success in the field through our efforts.  These efforts may start way back in spring or summer, getting into shape through…

 By Doug Leier Most hunters, and nonhunters for that matter, are shocked, surprised and maybe a little bewildered, when they learn that just 35 game wardens safeguard North Dakota’s vast hunting and fishing resources across the state.    Certainly, no one has led me to believe those warden numbers are too high. Just think of…

By John Bradley, NDWF Executive Director My dad recently told me a story about his little brother who, on his first gun season in Southern Minnesota, was dropped off in a tree grove before sunrise, given a couple slugs for his shotgun, and was strictly told to sit here and wait until someone came to…

By Nick Simonson While many other fall sports saw participation decline or be cancelled outright due to concerns over the resurgent pandemic, the activities of trap and skeet shooting have grown by more than 25 percent in this unique time of returning to school in a hybrid or completely online setting.  Able to conduct regular…

NDG&F Press Release Based on continuing reports of white-tailed deer mortality in western North Dakota caused by epizootic hemorrhagic disease, the state Game and Fish Department is allowing hunters with whitetail licenses in units 3D1, 3D2, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1, 3F2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F the option of turning those licenses in for…

By Nick Simonson Beyond the usual celebration of dog and bird and of field boots and swinging shotguns, this year’s pheasant opener was highlighted by another frequent autumn occurrence in the upper Midwest: gusty conditions.  In the gales that topped forty miles per hour on one stretch of my first weekend walks, the pines around…

By Nick Simonson For most anglers, a walleye of 30 inches or better is the fish of a lifetime.  That magic number signals a true trophy and is often the threshold at which many would consider zipping back to the launch and off to the taxidermist to get the fish mounted.  However, for Jamie Risovi,…

By Doug Leier What are the most important reminders as fall hunting seasons are in full stride? Knowing the limits? Having the right license? Taking a kid hunting? These are all good, but the list below should occupy the top spot: 1. Treat every firearm with the same respect due a loaded firearm. 2. Control…