SUNDAY SURGE.  Here on this final day of firearms deer season, things make their way into the low 50s with stronger west winds moving things around, and with the warm-up and a tag-out may come a longing for ice fishing. We focus on that and the future forecast in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  From…

By Nick Simonson   On the north side of the walk, my dog was birdy as soon as the northwest breeze curled around the middle of the hillside on which we walked and carried scent to his nose that didn’t stop until we reached the end of the grass.  We flushed singles and pairs of…

SIMMERING SATURDAY.  Things warm up and westerly breezes settle in for your Saturday and the weekend with highs in the mid-40s straight through Sunday before a bit of a cold front chills things into Thanksgiving.  We’ve got a look at that and more in our Outdoors Roundup for today. Featured Photo:  The November sun sinks…

By John Bradley, NDWF Executive Director It started as a light-hearted joke from my neighbor as I was unpacking my car from a hunting trip.  “You seem to be spending a lot of gas money just to come home empty handed, you know the grocery store is only a couple blocks away, right?”  Not having…

A fine Friday is setting up and you’re about to have more land to explore in your upland adventures next week.  We cover those refuges opening up again to late-season hunts along with some great Thanksgiving runs and what to watch for next week on Black Friday. Featured Photo:  The Rock.  Ole the lab sits…

By Nick Simonson   “How did this happen,” my panicked brain thought as I sat speared to the ground by the deep-welled eyes staring back at me from 20 yards away, their blackness lightened only by the twinkle of the last rays of the late afternoon sun shining down from over the bluff behind me….

AW SNAP!  Today’s cooler temperatures along with yesterday’s wintry mix will help set hunters up for an exciting finish to the 2019 firearms deer season this weekend as the cool snap should make for more deer movement. We cover that, some ND charity tag news, and great photos from the Feds in today’s Outdoors Roundup….

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. I met a new friend recently who had moved to back North Dakota from California.   When the afternoon discussion turned to the many options for restaurants now available in North Dakota that weren’t here when he left for the military, we both recalled fond memories of growing up in…

SLEETY.  It’ll be a mix of rain, snow and sleet today as things shift in the weather. We cover that and what’s on the other side, along with some more ice discussion from the G&F and in general in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  CHILL.  Ice coats some field vegetation.  Expect a mix of precip…

EYEING ICE.  While much of the ice remains unstable throughout the region right now, it’s the perfect time to get your gear set up for when hardwater sets in.  From augers to reels to bait, we’ve got the preseason prep covered in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Reel Ready.  Go over your ice gear now…

REGION WRAP.  As a gusty but warm Monday sets up for the state, we cover outdoor news from around the region and check into one of the nation’s premier bird artists as part of our Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo:  B&W.  A young whitetail buck is caught on camera in black and white as the…

BATTLE OF MIDWAY.  Welcome to the halfway point of your firearms deer season!  Conditions will be ideal for a sit or a stroll today, or for something else outdoors if you’ve tagged out.  We check out the week ahead and a fight for Sunday hunting out east in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:   BARKING. A…

By Nick Simonson   The firearms deer season serves as the often spectacle-filled halftime show for the upland season in which wingshooters trade in their shotguns for rifles or exchange their #5 shot for slug ammunition.  Like the midpoint of a football game, the switch to deer season also gives those in the know a…

SAY SATURDAY! Get ready for another good weekend as conditions align to help finish off your deer hunts and gear you up for the rest of the fall seasons.  We connect with the NDG&F deer plan going into 2020 along with some bad news for Montana’s moose and some meteor shower updates in today’s Outdoors…

By Nick Simonson   With gains of nearly 30,000 acres in the Private Land Open to Sportsmen (PLOTS) program from 2018 to 2019, the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) is eyeing a continued increase of quality hunting lands for sportsmen across the state heading into 2020.  Now at about 791,000 acres of private…

FRIDAY FUN FINDS. We learn more about our winged quarry in today’s Outdoors Roundup, checking out the life of a wild turkey, a new stunning movie on ducks in the Prairie Pothole region and the results of West Nile studies on ruffed grouse. Featured Photo:  GOBBLERS. A trio of turkeys work the edge of a…

By Nick Simonson   It’s almost like a switch turns off in my brain the second I settle in for a still hunt for deer, as was the case this opening weekend of the firearms season.  The rammy, caffeine-fueled fidgeter checks out and some zen-like observer of the world settles down in place of my…

PACKED IN!  Hunters will be at it during this nice stretch, looking for deer on the move as the rut reaches its peak.  We’ve got the latest on that and more from around the region in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  A flock of sharptailed grouse lounge in a roadside bush near Bowman. Photo by…

By Doug Leier As the North Dakota deer season continues through Sunday, Nov. 24 some hunters have finished up while others continue to work hard at filling their tag. 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…

Following the cold snap, conditions will align on the backside of the full moon to make hunting magical again this weekend.  We cover that, some tips for working with CWD and taking good samples, along with a unique deer herd in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  PRIMED.  A set of cartridges sits at the ready…

CATCHING UP.   A busy deer season can’t distract us from all the good outdoor news going on in our region, and some helpful tips as those who’ve punched their tags eye early ice.  We cover those things and more in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  MOON FILLED. TAG FILLED?  November’s full moon signifies that rut…

A CUT ABOVE.  We take a look at the good conditions this firearms deer season is fielding along with where we’re at with the harvest – one scenario that is making hunts a bit more challenging in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  CORNY.  A rooster pheasant forages along the edge of a cornfield. Simonson Photo….

TRACKING SNOW.  Light snow will fall this morning, providing some tracking help for those still on the hunt in today’s breezes and cooler temps.  We hit the web and share some of our own tracking tips to bring you the deer info you need and a look at the next few days of the hunting…

By Nick Simonson   For many hunters, firearms deer season is the end-all-be-all outdoor experience; a two week span so rich in tradition that many would rather miss Christmas than their time in the deer blind or the treestand.  It would make sense then, that for the International Hunters Education Association (IHEA) the deer opener,…

UNDERWAY.  The first full day of the deer season continues the mild conditions from Friday, giving you another great chance to get out there, especially with the building full moon.  We should see more movement ahead of the cold snap which starts Sunday. Featured Photo:  A rooster and hen take flight down a small draw….

By Nick Simonson   With the opening of the firearm deer season at noon on Fri. Nov. 8, more than 60,000 hunters will take to the field, pursuing a rebounding population of both whitetail and mule deer across the state which are bouncing back from a difficult stretch at the turn of the decade.  Buoyed…

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…