By Nick Simonson   The trail camera season is upon us.  Sweaty afternoons of hopping from camera to camera now in the heat of midsummer can pay off with dozens, if not hundreds, of pictures of velvet antlered bucks that will get the heart pumping when autumn rolls around and their summer covering has been…

FREAKY FRIDAY.  We’ve got details on a genetically modified fish that’s a combination of two aquatic dinosaurs, along with the new record number of fingerlings stocked in ND this season.  Additionally, we eye a change in the weather in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  BACKLIT.  A doe forages in a maturing wheat field as the…

By Nick Simonson   There are few hunters that I envy.  Content with the options I have close to home for the limited species I pursue each fall with the time I can muster, I enjoy the success and adventures of my friends and relish hearing their stories from far off places or lucky tag…

CELEBRATE!  The Great American Outdoors Act passed congress and heads to the White House for signature into law, temperatures are warming up again into summerlike levels and some awesome shoots are set for this final weekend of July. We’ve got the info on those topics and more in today’s Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo:  CHICKED. …

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. While my college transcript might indicate otherwise, I’ve always enjoyed statistics. That’s about the most positive spin I can put on my appreciation for numbers while giving credit to the confusion some figures can portray. Case in point: If you took the 2019 pheasant hunting statistics at face value, you…

WARMING WEDNESDAY.  Temperatures tick up toward an influx of weekend warmth.  We’ve got the outlook, a deer lottery deadline and a look to the future of conservation, hunting and angling in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  PLAY THE FIELD.  A whitetail doe pauses on the edge of an alfalfa field. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck…

TOP THIS TUESDAY!  A full plate of fun awaits those who take advantage of today’s cooler, but sunny conditions before things heat up in the back half of the week.  We’ve got amazing walleye news from the G&F, tips to #RecreateResponsibly from the FWS and updates on the ND State Trap Shoot from NDTA in…

COOL IT.  Temperatures drop ahead of the mid-week warm up with a bit of rain today and continued cool conditions tomorrow.  In the meantime we’ve got news on ANS and changing licenses in neighboring states plus the great color debate rages on when it comes to tackle boxes.   Featured Photo:   Pick a Color, any…

SUNNY DAY.  Clear skies will greet the start of a new week today and conditions will be warm, but not too hot as much of the rest of the country bakes in a heatwave.  We’ve got more on what’s to come for your outdoor adventures this week, along with construction of safe passage for ND…

By John Bradley, NDWF Executive Director   In 1842, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the legal notion that America’s wildlife should be held in trust for the public and could not be owned, as wild game had been in Europe, by a ruler or any individual. This was in keeping with America’s fledgling experiment in…

By Nick Simonson   For hunters in North Dakota drawing one of the “Big Three” tags for a once-in-a-lifetime chance at an elk, bighorn sheep or moose, particularly one with some headgear, is hard enough.  For some it takes decades to receive a permit and some go without the opportunity their entire lives.  As luck…

EYES TO THE SKIES.  While we’re a month off from the first hunting season, you’ll want to watch the weather today, as the NWS has some warnings of severe storms likely for the afternoon and evening, particularly in the eastern two-thirds of North Dakota.  In the meantime we’ve got updates on archery events, good cooking…

By Nick Simonson   These days I drink bad coffee. Not bad, per se, but only half caffeinated, which according to the old me is bad, as in my younger years I spent much of the morning riding the lightning of a black oily brew so thick I could cut with a knife.  That dosage…

GETTING WARMER! Things heat up today and tomorrow, and you’ll feel it on the water!  We’re keeping our eye on Friday afternoon storms, but for now things are looking great headed into tomorrow for whatever you want to do outdoors.  We’ve got updates on archery classes, food plot options and some help for wetlands and…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. While there was no shortage of bad news during the uncertain times this spring, there was good news for ducks and hunters across the prairies of North Dakota. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department completed its 73rd annual spring breeding duck survey in May and results showed an index…

HALFWAY!  We’ve reached July’s midpoint and are looking to the future – both in the days to come and after November’s elections.  In today’s Outdoors Roundup we cover the second drawing for deer tags, plans for the future of hunting and conservation and the expanding world of kayak fishing tournaments. Featured Photo:  SUMMER GRIND.  Muskie…

BUSY MIDSUMMER. Good weather greets us in mid-July with stable highs and westerly flows.  Whether you’re working locally or thinking nationally, we’ve got the information to keep things moving in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  INTO THE SUNSET.  An angler cruises as the summer sun sets. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Tue 7/14 –…

CLICKING.  A slight shift in the weather will happen this morning as calm conditions give way to afternoon winds and a chance of rain comes with it.  Things should clear by evening to get you back on the water.  We take a look at crayfish and how they influence fishing in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured…

SUNDAY FUNDAY.  Warm temperatures and southern breezes will make Sunday a good one to get outdoors and enjoy a mid-July day as it was meant to be.  Whether on the water or on the range, conditions will be right.  We’ve got updates on the final day of the Masters Walleye Circuit, a limited run of…

By Nick Simonson   Imagine having to choose just one food to live off for half of your life.  While I’m certain fried walleye would be a good option, or pizza would work, or even wild rice brats fresh off the grill could sustain about anyone, the hedging exhibited just in this sentence alone shows…

MOTHER LODE!  Excitement continues across the state as a huge walleye tourney wraps today.  In addition to that, the state’s top shooters get recognized by the high school trap and skeet league for their efforts in a challenging spring season and the G&F relates a victory over invasives when protecting a prairie water. Featured Photo: …

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…