By John Bradley   While most of us have been more tuned in to big game hunting applications this spring or hitting the water for walleye, the recent stay-at-home order gave me a chance to organize some gear, too.   Picking my way through a year of fishing and hunting equipment, my thoughts swirled around…

FIRST!  It’s the first day of summer, as the solstice hits at 4:43pm today.  We celebrate the year’s astronomical midpoint and the height of daylight with a Double Edge Day for your morning and evening fishing trips.  Along with that we check out habitat with the NDG&F, get in-depth on the seasonal midpoint and check…

By Nick Simonson   I’m a firm believer that a quick trip to the water is better than no trip at all.  One jaunt in the uplands, even in the middle of the afternoon well ahead of the witching hour, can still produce plenty of excitement. Even a short sit on stand in the fall…

CONTINUED COOL.  Temperatures stall out in the 70s for the weekend before our young summer reverts to a more spring-like feel come next week.  We’ve got our eyes on what’s ahead, including a huge win for parks, public places and wildlife with the GAOA passing the Senate and an annual photo contest from the NDG&F…

COOL IT.  A shift in the winds and the weather won’t let highs get much above 70 today with some strong northwesterlies blowing in a bit of a chill. We’ve got the reads to get you to the warmer weekend with boat launch guidance, some balance for summer deer scouting and how to find the…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept.   This spring the COVID pandemic shut down businesses, shifted working conditions and locations and created new challenges for all.   That was certainly evident within the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s fisheries division, which after lengthy consideration and spur-of-the-moment innovation, moved ahead with, and successfully completed, spring fish…

NO WIND WEDNESDAY.  Things calm down after Tuesday’s blast furnace of heat and wind as we hit our midweek stride.  We’ve got some awesome news on waterfowl populations in ND, a push to keep non-motorized trails quiet, and a reminder to sign up for soil and habitat health programs with Pheasants Forever, all in today’s…

IT’S A TRAP! Our one somewhat calm day for the week has passed, as wind and warmth surge back into the region before things tail off toward the weekend.  While the wind can provide some challenges for trap shooters, there are some good basic tips to remember as you prepare to make dust, which we…

ANNNND…STOP!  Winds taper today, allowing time on the water and a little less grit in your teeth when walking the dog. We’ve got information on how light affects bass in their feeding forays, an update on the ND CTL and build the anticipation for deer season with a look back in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured…

ZOOM!  The winds will keep things moving today but will fade out for a bit by tomorrow night.  We’ve got a look at the rule changes that are up for discussion with the NDG&F Dept. this week, along with some research into an odd hunting season term and a look at what’s on tap for…

By Nick Simonson   A good number of movies about diseases – Outbreak, Contagion, Pandemic, even Dawn of the Dead – have made it into the top ten on Netflix in recent weeks as fear and curiosity, along with free time have spurred a desire to understand how diseases spread.  And, like with Hollywood’s tales,…

WARM GUSTS.  Southeast winds dominate the weekend as temps soar into the 80s.  We see how the state beat the heat this past week as drought conditions remained moderate and did not expand in the west.  Along with that we check out some great places to explore in Roughrider Territory and see what DU is…

By Nick Simonson   At a meeting of the South Dakota Game Fish & Parks Commission (GFP) on June 4, the agency declared it would be discontinuing its summer pheasant brood surveys, suggesting that the numbers  – which have trended significantly lower in recent years due to decreasing habitat on the landscape of the Rushmore…

BACK HALF BLAST!   Welcome to the end of the week! Warm and windy will be the tale for the weekend as temps head into the 80s and winds pick up over the next three days.  We’ve got updates on boating regulations for youth age 12-15, some great processing tips from QDMA and a look at…

By Nick Simonson   This has been perhaps the windiest spring I can recall since I became a dedicated angler several decades ago.  The scattered calm days seem to come at a rate of one in ten or so, but the balance of the spring has been dominated by gusty conditions and stretches where even…

NO COMPLAINTS!  Things warm up, but stay pleasant with breezes today and tomorrow, giving you some wind to work with on your walleye adventures. We take a look at the rule making process at NDG&F, a slew of summer events for NDBA and how much help the state received from recent rains; all as part…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. Readers of this column will know that I love wildlife and the outdoors as much as anyone. In person, on the phone and via email I’ve connected with many compassionate people regarding situations with young wildlife, and I understand it’s not easy to step back from the urge to “help”…

OVER THE HUMP.  Your Wednesday starts a back-of-the-week warming trend and we take a look at that along with spring animal encounters and tips for Carolina rigging in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  BUGGED OUT.  A May Beetle (aka June Bug) makes its way across the ground. Simonson Photo. WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Wed 6/10 –…

NDG&F Dept. Release After two years of lower upland game populations, fewer hunters pursued these game birds last fall. With that said, North Dakota’s 2019 pheasant and sharp-tailed grouse harvests were down from 2018, while the number of Hungarian partridge taken last year was similar to the year before, according to statistics compiled by the…

BUSY TUESDAY.  From largemouth lengths in ND to some vital missing data in SDE to habitat helpers in MT, we go around the region for the latest in outdoors news in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  I TOAD YA SO!  A Woodhouse’s toad digs into the dirt on the Missouri River shoreline. Simonson Photo. WEATHER…

MOVING MONDAY.  Things will shift from Sunday’s heat, following some overnight storms across the state, particularly in the east.  West winds will develop and highs will stay in the mid-70s for some comfortable outdoor excursions.  We’ve got a review of the increase drought conditions in ND, a big buck raffle and a DEO-affiliated podcast in…

By Nick Simonson   The path to a successful hunt involves a lot of planning.  Whether it’s hours of country cruising and scouting the local deer herd and their movements in August and September for November’s glorious capstone to autumn or checking laces and boot leather and getting hundreds of rounds put in at the…

By Nick Simonson   If the recent pandemic and its social distancing requirements have taught us anything, it’s the importance of having a place to go outside.  Whether it’s to blow off steam with a trail run, wet a line on a local river, or hike the hills with a good hunting dog, public places…

A SHOT OF SUMMER.  The humidity will hang heavy today, winds will decrease and temperatures will spike to near 90 by the afternoon as things take on a dog days sort of feel for a 24-hour span following yesterday’s rain.  It’ll be a good time to get on the water to cool down some and…

STIRRING IT UP.  Strong southeast winds will develop overnight and stay gusty for your Saturday as things may get a little dicey closer to evening with a high chance for thunderstorms.  Today we’ve got a look at big bucks, breeding ducks and habitat needs of a supporting cast of small game in our Outdoors Roundup….

FINEST OF FRIDAYS.  The full moon, light winds and great conditions will set up your Friday perfectly for any angling outing, whether early, late or all day, it’s one you won’t want to miss! We’ve got more on the double edge day along with fawn impact on deer herd populations, tips for trailers on bass…

By Nick Simonson   It was one of those spring days we’ve had an abundance of: warm but not quite hot and just windy enough to make it feel cool.  As a result, the river was quiet.  The fact that it was midday left only me, following a long morning run that ate up most…

NIIIIIIIICE!  Your fishing efforts will be supported with great conditions and a growing gibbous moon which is nearing full today, so maximize your time on the water!  We’ve got info on ANS awareness in and around the state for traveling boaters, calculations important for pheasant recruitment from the smallest of habitat spaces and a look…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Department Few people better understand the quality of life aspect that fishing provides in North Dakota than longtime State Game and Fish Department fisheries division chief Greg Power. He recently shared some insights in the March-April 2020 North Dakota OUTDOORS magazine. Here’s a condensed version of Power’s essay. “While ‘quality of…

ANOTHER DANDY.  Warm conditions continue, sparking a chance for pop-up showers and storms this afternoon, but likely leaving your morning and evening quite usable in the outdoors. We’ve got reminders from the G&F, a look at a drier-than-average May and its impact on wildlife and some tips for building a beginner’s bass box in today’s…