A BUSY STATE.  There’s a ton of outdoors action in North Dakota this weekend, from conditions improving for hatching birds and hopes for a good harvest to a major walleye tourney on Lake Sakakawea.  Get your fix of news to get set for the weekend in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  WARY.  Walleyes will be…

By Nick Simonson   Throughout its run, my weekly column, Our Outdoors, has chronicled the recent history of hunting, angling and my experiences, myriad misadventures and the sometimes-successful outings in the wild for the past two decades.  It’s my hope that it continues to entertain and educate for the next two decades and maybe a…

Winds come up out of the northwest today, but we’ll touch 80 as things stay seasonal.  We’ve got bad news on the ANS front as another ND lake is discovered to have zebra mussels.  We cover that, swim jig secrets and a leap forward for an endangered amphibian in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  DEO’s…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. Fisheries managers often hear from anglers who fish in, say, Minnesota and elsewhere, and wonder why specific regulations are applied in those states, but not North Dakota. One of the more frequent conversations involves slot limits. North Dakota doesn’t currently have any slot-limit regulations, and most fisheries managers will tell you…

SHARPEN UP.  Now is the time to get your shot in shape for the fall, whether it’s shotgun, archery or rifle.  Get out to the range or to one of the many events set for the back half of summer to get on target for the upcoming season, as detailed in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured…

KEEPING WARM.  Conditions will facilitate summer angling patterns as things stay stable today and tomorrow with a chance for rain overnight.  The trend continues along with a slew of new baits hitting the market and a notice on fishing deep from the NDG&F, all in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  POOR PADS. Lilly Pads show…

GET TO IT!  A new week follows up an exciting holiday weekend and we get into the heart of summer.  We’ve got a summer recipe, some top bass lakes and where we’re at with water following recent rains, all of that and more in today’s Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo:  MAKE IT RAIN. Thunderheads were…

ROUND WE GO. As we close out the holiday weekend with some nice conditions, we take a tour of what’s happening around the region in the outdoors.  From the closure of walleye fishing on Lake Mille Lacs in Minnesota, to some cavern learnings in Montana, we see what states are up to heading around summer’s…

WITH A BANG!  We’re celebrating independence and a great summer stretch in today’s Outdoors Roundup from more on the Big Buck Book, the Buck Moon and some hot temperatures, things are looking great! Featured Photo:  Watch the skies tonight for not only fireworks, but for the ghostly buck moon. Simonson Photo. WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Sat…

By Nick Simonson   For many, the Independence Day holiday weekend represents a great time to get on the water.  Whether it’s cruising in the warmth of the afternoon or anchoring up and watching the fireworks display reflecting off the surface of a favorite lake in the evening, the water goes hand-in-hand with the mid-summer…

OBSERVED.  Welcome to your three day weekend (hopefully) and a warm one is setting up at that!  We’ve got news on non-fireworks sky shows, a boat conversion and the drought as it stood before this week’s rains. Featured Photo:  GLASSY. The sun rises over calm southern shore waters on Big Detroit Lake in Minnesota. Simonson…

By Nick Simonson   Growing up in the upper Midwest taught me to relish the warmth of summer.  Sometimes those stretches of 90-degree days spanned just a week or two in August.  Other summers, the warmth seemed to highlight the entire 12 weeks we were out of school. In between backyard kickball games, neighborhood-wide all-day…

By Doug Leier,  NDG&F Dept. Pretty much everyone who hunts and fishes in North Dakota knows they have to buy a license first, and most of those people understand that license dollars go to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.   What is less understood, despite decades of promotion by state and federal agencies…

THREE DAY EVE.  We’re just a few short hours away from a three day weekend and the air will be charged with warm, unsettled conditions along with fireworks.  We eye up where we’re sitting for your best fishing hours along with Featured Photo:  SUMMER KING. A pumpkinseed takes a prince nymph. Simonson Photo. WEATHER (Bismarck…

OVER THE HUMP.  In your holiday-shortened week, we’ve made it to the middle after a stormy and rainy Tuesday which may have broken the drought which was settling into the western half of the state.  While the impact of some gully-washing storms is yet to be seen on young pheasants, deer and other wildlife, the…

NDG&F Dept. Release North Dakota’s spring pheasant population index is up 15% from the same time last year, according to the state Game and Fish Department’s 2020 spring crowing count survey. R.J. Gross, upland game management biologist, said the number of roosters heard crowing this spring was up statewide, with increases ranging from 1% to…

GOOD NEWS TUES!  Pheasant crowing counts are up, starting your week off with some great outdoor news.  In addition to that, we’ve got more on Operation Dry Water for a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July on area lakes and rivers, a local start to a national TV program and a good looking forecast headed…

WHAT’S HATCHING?  As summer hits full swing, we’re eying up what fish are eating.  From insects, to minnows to young-of-the-year panfish, it’s important to know forage for lure and bait selection. More on how big hatches – like mayflies – impact angling in our Outdoors Roundup below along with habitat news and ANS awareness. Featured…

DOG DAYS.  The warmth of summer settles in early as temperatures spike into the mid-to-upper 90s the next couple of days.  We celebrate the new-found season and catch up on events and information for pheasants, deer and camping across America in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  On the Move.  A hen leads her brood of…

By Nick Simonson   Gaudy.  Ugly.  Fish-Catching.  These terms for one of the foremost smallmouth flies may seem divergent, but they all hit the spot for the Tequeely, a combination of kindergarten art project and scrapped experimental woolly bugger borne from a night of drunk tying along with a little bit of rubber thrown in…

NUKE IT!  We’ll feel the heat today as Ma Nature rolls in with some nineties into the start of next week.  As you enjoy some sun and fun this weekend, we’ve got updates on awesome happenings, including the Big Buck Book gaining steam, Summer Shootout registration for high school clay target shooters and more on…

NDG&F Release North Dakota’s deer gun lottery has been held and individual results are available online at the state Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. Chief of administrative services Kim Kary said moving to an online lottery has resulted in reducing the time between the application deadline and the lottery run date. “It’s a major benefit…

TAG TEAM!  The results of the 2020 Firearms Deer Lottery have been posted at gf.nd.gov, making late June feel more like late December in terms of gifts!  Here’s hoping you pulled you tag or are able to get one of the more than 6,000 remaining in the state.  We’ve got more on that and a…

NOW WE’RE TALKING SUMMER!  Things get warm again as we check out the plan for this season’s food plots, look into the excitement of pollinator week and address some upcoming changes for WMAs in ND for the holiday stretch.  That’s all in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  CRUNCHY.  A doe chews on a tender corn…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. No matter the outdoor activity, there’s always a safety checklist, and I’ll never lose sight of the importance of keeping everyone safe from start to finish. These safety reminders aren’t just for the other boaters or anglers. They are for all of us. One of the struggles in preaching about…

LOCKED IN.  We’re hitting our summer stride in North Dakota as temperatures warm throughout the next few days and calmer conditions are settling in over the region.  We’ve got more on that plus the pronghorn count firing up in the next week along with a planned state shoot getting the go-ahead, with some social distancing…

By Nick Simonson   As agencies sample the waters throughout the upper Midwest this summer, the reports they generate show that not only is the government in action for the betterment of the angling public, but it is also helping to provide vital clues which assist anglers in their efforts after the fish that can…

SO SMOOTH.  The water will be flat before you today and tomorrow as unusually calm conditions for the spring we’ve had settle into the start of summer.  We’ve got updates from the NDG&F on keeping things clean, a reminder to get ready to buy your duck stamp and big funding news from RMEF in today’s…

STRAIGHTEN OUT.  Things take a bit of a turn for the better from previous forecasts as temperatures rise slightly and things calm down some headed into our mid-week warmup. We’ve got news on a PLOTS promotion, infrastructure for fish and wildlife and a notable shift in daylight which starts today in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured…

CALM & CLOUDY Clouds roll in today, but it will be calmer to celebrate time with dad on the water or at the range.  We cover photography, get cranky and take a look at what’s to come in our Outdoors Roundup for this father’s day. Featured Photo:  For All the Dads.  Happy father’s day! Simonson…