YOU MADE IT!  Welcome to the 2019 firearms deer season, starting at noon today (Fri. 11/8).  May all your shots be safe and on target, and may the season bring you the best memories along with the backstraps.  We do our final check in today’s Outdoors Roundup to get you set for the season! Featured…

By Nick Simonson   “Stop trying to hit me…and hit me.”   Morpheus’ command to Neo while sparring in a digitally generated kung-fu dojo in the genre-bending movie (and body-bending, as parodied in so many subsequent films) The Matrix, sums up my thoughts on shooting.  Morpheus’ encouragement for Neo to stop thinking about everything and…

DRINK IT IN.  A nice Thursday is on tap and we’ve got a lot of great news coming in from out there, including stable ND mule deer populations, tips for ruffies in late season and another cool sturgeon restoration program underway.  Those are up in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:   MOVEMBER.  Sporting a cool barbel…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept.   The 2019 North Dakota deer season opens Friday Nov. 8 and 12 noon Central time, and runs through Sunday Nov. 24. Legal shooting hours after opening day are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset each day.   Here’s a few of the more common questions that…

ANTICIPATION RISING.  We try to stay calm with an eye toward the weekend, the deer firearms opener and the approaching full moon, but the excitement is hard to overcome. In hopes of doing so, we focus on the important dates, some solidifying safety tips about the current state of ice in the region and a…

PRACTICALLY THERE.  We’re edging closer to the big firearms deer opener and have news on that front, waterfowl migrations and what way the wind will be blowing for the big day in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Attention!  A 5×5 whitetail perks up in front of a trail camera. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast):…

WEIGHTY MATTERS.  If you’re looking for ways to add some weight to flies, along with flash, we’ve got you covered in today’s Outdoors Roundup, as cooler and windier conditions blow into the region providing a good opportunity to experiment at the vise today. Featured Photo: ASSORTED. Beads, barbell eyes and cone heads help add to…

BRIGHT OUTLOOK.  The week is setting up nicely headed into Friday’s deer gun opener, we check out the early previews of what’s to come, and take  a look back at some 1930s history as part of our Outdoors Roundup and inspect some programs in play to the south. Featured Photo: Head’s Up!  A whitetail doe…

By Nick Simonson   While known for its work in securing, improving and gaining public access to elk habitat in the western United States, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is making an impact for its namesake and for new hunters in North Dakota.  In 2019, RMEF undertook a number of projects and grants investing…

COUNTING DOWN.  Less than a week remains until the deer firearms opener.  We’ve got the previews, tactics and tips for travel in today’s Outdoors Roundup, along with a great weekend setting up for those bow hunts and perhaps some upland adventures prior to “the break.” Featured Photo:  BRUNCH. A whitetail buck grazes the last of…

SUGAR RUSH.  How are your teeth this day after Halloween?  Skittle colored?  We shake off the sugar hangover and get focused on what’s coming up for the weekend and the month of November in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  BENDERS.  Dried sunflower stocks, likely hit hard by hail this summer, showcase an odd S-curve in…

By Nick Simonson   The roaring winds of Saturday dipped only slightly on Sunday morning as we made our way into the field to close out a weekend of pheasant hunting.  Along with the slight decrease in the northwest gusts came a drop in temperature and the dashboard readout on the truck posted 22 degrees….

ALL TREATS!  The most temperate day of the week will be today, Halloween, with lighter winds and a mix of precip holding off until likely after dark.    With the approaching firearms deer season, we’ve got tips today to get you geared up for next Friday well ahead of the season in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. Wild fish and game is a common, much anticipated course to many a North Dakota meal. But if you’ve ever tried a piece of freezer burned fish, or taken a bite of a sour piece of jerky you may hesitate the next time it’s offered your way.   This is…

CREATURE FEATURE.  As Halloween approaches, we check out some cool creatures. From bats, to birds to Bufo americanus, we cover them all in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Trick or Treat!  A Woodhouse’s toad pauses for a pic. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today:  Wed 10/30 – Calmer – Hi 32, Lo 18, Wind…

TOTALLY TUESDAY.  While it remains cool this final Tuesday of October, we’re doing a double take on important CWD info, seeing that a little cold by itself isn’t so bad, and figuring out what to expect for deer opener in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo: SO FLY.  A Goddard Caddis is ready to float high…

FEELING COLDER.  The chill continues this week as below-average temperatures and strong winds bring cold conditions to the region.  We cover that, some lake exploration and tips for adjusting to more layers in today’s Outdoors Roundup Featured Photo: ON THE LOOKOUT. Ole the lab pauses while exploring a ridge in the cold and windy weekend…

CATCHING UP.  There’s more than enough news relating to recent conditions to go around, so we pepper it with improvements to ND’s habitat in today’s Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo:   ROLLING IN.  Clouds speed through on the northwest wind on Saturday as a hunter works a tree claim for pheasants. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck…

By Nick Simonson   Hunting upland birds behind a pointing dog can provide some of the biggest thrills in the outdoors.  Few moments stand out in the fall like a quivering tail on a rock-solid dog holding just inches from an unseen bird buried in the grass.  The tension and anticipation coming from those memorable…

SATURDAY STOMP.  Don’t let the winds blow you down today, get out there and stomp away!  Look for pheasants along cover and find ways to work with the wind on the weekend you’re given.  We’ve got tips for that and more in today’s Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo:   BLOWING! Debris from a harvested corn field…

By Nick Simonson   With the final week of the North Dakota State High School Clay Target League’s (ND CTL) fall season wrapping up, the hundreds of participating students will rest their guns for the winter ahead of the 2020 spring competition.  While they’re taking a break from the trap houses which will likely go…

FINELY TOOLED.  You’ll feel the warmth today if you’re out on a hunt, but it will be short lived, so enjoy it!  In addition to the forecast, we’ve got the insight into some small additions to your hunting pack that can make all the difference in the field, which we cover in today’s Outdoors Roundup….

By Nick Simonson   The beginning of fall and the start of archery hunting for deer is an interesting time.  It’s great to be out, sitting in the stand watching the last of summer (and the mosquitoes) fade away while deer begin to make their moves as the mornings and evenings cool off and patterns…

LET’S ROLL!  Things are looking good for today and tomorrow, with warmer temps and tolerable winds.  Plan your sneak out accordingly!  We’ve got some field tips and a few cool turtles to talk about in today’s Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo:   Six Pack.  A group of roosters works a ditch along a cattail slough. Simonson…

By Doug Leier Following discovery of zebra mussels in North Dakota’s Lake Ashtabula in May, the good news is that over the course of the summer and early fall, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s searches for additional new zebra mussel infestations all came back negative.   On the other hand, recent assessments of these invasive aquatic…

LOOKING GOOD!  After rains and wind, things will be shaping up in the back half of the week for whatever outdoor activity you’re pursuing.  We’ve got that and a first look at fall’s precipitation totals along with a new Minnesota C&R muskie record in today’s Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo:   Get Back To It!  Ole…

MIX IT UP.  We’ve got a bad mix of light precip for your Tuesday night into Wednesday – rain and possibly snow – along with good mix of fish, game and snakes(!?) in our Outdoors Roundup, while we lament the spread of CWD into a new hunting area of the state. Featured Photo:   The sun…

NDG&F Release Two mule deer taken in September have tested positive for chronic wasting disease, including one taken during the archery season from deer gun unit 4B in McKenzie County, where CWD had not previously been found. The other deer was harvested during the youth season in unit 3A1 in Divide County where CWD was…

GUSTY.  A windy Monday sets up across the region behind Sunday’s rain.  With that new precipitation comes increased concerns over water levels in North Dakota.  We take a look at those along with the shifting influence of the moon in this stage of the fall and the end of the CTL season in our Outdoors…