By Nick Simonson   The sensations experienced and the understanding gained from a hunt or fishing trip are rewards all their own.  Whether the challenge of meeting the rising landscape or braving the heat, cold, wind, rain or snow ends with a punched tag, a missed shot, a landed fish or a lost lunker, there…

AND ROLLING!  As we bump around the downward slide to a very chilly and wet weekend, we’ve got lots to discuss including some website upgrades from the Feds, a great riparian project, and the buzzing of an alarm to get you set for major hunting openers in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  A pair of…

By Doug Leier Fresh walleye, grilled venison, a Christmas goose, these are just a few of the favorite foods that come from North Dakota’s outdoors, and not just for hunters and anglers. Most of us who enjoy dining on fish and game from the field also know a friend, neighbor or relative who may not…

FALLING FAST.  Things are taking on a fall feel after Sunday and Monday’s sun and mild temperatures.  Today moves Tuesday’s transition along toward a chilly weekend.  We’ve got that outlook, some updates on waterfowl hunting and find ourselves in the middle of two halves in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  A Lot Going On.  The…

A SHOT OF FALL.  We’re watching the cooling trend this week with the first full day of autumn under our belt.  Things get windy and chilly as we move toward a wet and cold weekend.  As we do, we take stock of the various shot sizes available to hunters for certain species of game in…

RED HOT.  A taste of warmth returns to the region and continues the drying process as warm southerlies bring highs in the mid-70s, perfect for whatever casting you’d like to get in before more fall-like conditions return later this week.  We’ve got some journal tips, meteor watches and a quick whip-finish video to keep all…

By Nick Simonson   In recent years, the upper Midwest has faced its challenges impacting the populations of upland game species such as Hungarian partridge, sharptailed grouse and ringneck pheasants.  From the drought of 2017 hitting both North Dakota and South Dakota hard, to a long, snowy winter and equally wet spring and summer for…

AIR DRIED.  Sunday will bring calm, sunny and warmer conditions to the area after a monster system moved through early yesterday morning dropping several inches of rain and bringing flash flooding to some parts of ND.  We look at what’s ahead for the week, some great past hunting and a picture-perfect opportunity in our Outdoors…

SOAKER OF A SATURDAY.  Rain will be the highlight again today, along with wind as much of the day ends up doused and gusty, particularly the afternoon – great if you’re a duck hunter kicking off the season.  We tackle that and concerning reports of bird declines throughout the continent over the last half century…

By John Bradley Although most hunters respect the land, property, and wildlife they are hunting, there are always a few bad actors who do not and in the process give all hunters a bad name. Fall is the ideal time to remind hunters and all outdoor recreationists to be good stewards of the land and…

FUNCTIONAL FRIDAY.  We’ve got all the great information to keep your gears greased and cranking through today’s rain, from good initial fisheries survey reports for young-of-the-year fish, money for duck conservation and some fun runs on the horizon in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  In the thick of it.  A pair of late-hatch pheasant chicks…

By Nick Simonson   There are only three episodes in the current season of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Typically, PBS releases five or six installments at a time, and most seasons have at least 10 shows in an entire run. However, right now there’s only three, which for those parents like me looking for some soft-glow,…

TRAIL TALES.  While summer patterns may be breaking up – both in the weather and among local deer – trail cameras can help tell the story and continue to pattern those big bucks into and beyond the heart of the fall hunting season.  We cover three tips for the use of in-season trail cameras in…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. North Dakota’s duck season has an official beginning and end date. The last day, while officially designated on the calendar, typically falls sometime after freeze-up when most North Dakota-raised ducks and migrants from Canada have headed south. The opener, on the other hand, always has reason for anticipation. This year,…

WE’RE JACKED!  With a slight cool down from the last three days of summery sun and warm winds, it’ll be back to the field for grouse and – if the winds die off tonight – maybe a sit on stand.  We’ve got the latest words of warning and why you should wear a life jacket…

TOUCH ‘EM ALL TUESDAY.  The boys of summer will get the nod today as temps stay elevated, but we’re making the turn toward fall.  Enjoy today on the water as cooler conditions facilitate field activities starting tomorrow. We cover the bases as we check in on turkey tags, regional pheasant numbers and some “ultimate” deer…

MONDAY MOVES.  Good news around the region as most upland numbers are up – including sharptailed grouse, which we link to as part of our Outdoors Roundup along with all the great autumn adventure on public lands.  It’ll be a tale of two halves as the heat continues today and tomorrow, but things cool toward…

THE WET THAT WAS.  A soaker of a week with a system that dropped more than 2 inches of rain across much of the state on Thursday capped off a wet stretch that is impacting hunters and harvesters in the field. While our drying out continues, we cover our recent rains and those impacts in…

By Nick Simonson   In the wake of zebra mussels being discovered in Lake Ashtabula earlier this summer, and presumably residing in the outflowing Sheyenne River beneath Baldhill Dam which forms the reservoir in southeastern North Dakota, serious efforts are being undertaken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to preserve the viability of…

WE’VE GOT IT ALL! With a warm-up and some drying out on tap for the weekend and waterfowl on the horizon (or maybe even today for you youngsters) along with another trap season, things are shaping up just in time for a great full moon weekend and the approaching week.  We cover those items and…

By Nick Simonson   The transition from summer to fall brings with it many changes and with those seasonal shifts comes a unique opportunity for anglers of all preferences – downriggers, trollers, spoon casters and even fly anglers – to partake in a unique experience on Lake Sakakawea by boat and from shore, and that…

CUE CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE!  Happy Friday the 13th everyone! May the improving weather bring you good luck tonight on stand and this weekend, wherever your adventures take you – youth waterfowl, grouse and partridge, or on the water – in North Dakota.  We’ve got the latest on free money for shooting ranges, spreading deer disease…

By Nick Simonson   From the rush of a buck moving under my perch in the low crook of a large tree along a vast slough, to a covey of sharptailed grouse rising on a grassy hillside, to the excitement of a flushing pheasant breaking its way out of the cane on a mid-December hunt,…

DOUSED.  While Wednesday’s rain held off some, today we’ll make up for being spared as heavy rains set up over North Dakota once again.  Watch those gravel roads and back trails which are certain to be muddy and easily rutted – especially with the tail end of wheat harvest going on and grouse, youth deer,…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. The new PLOTS Guide is out in print and on-screen and this year’s version features a nice bump in acres. PLOTS stands for Private Land Open to Sportsmen, which is a North Dakota Game and Fish Department program that provides incentives to cooperating private landowners who open tracts of their…

READ IT. The outdoors information is flowing, just like that big showerhead in the sky today, and we’ve got it all covered in today’s Outdoors Roundup – from bighorn sheep, to avoiding deer (when you’re NOT hunting), to river level monitoring.  Settle in – the rain has to end eventually! Featured Photo:    A monarch…

BIG RETURNS  Get everything you can out of today as it appears to be the only dry one until the weekend.  We go big with all of the events and happenings this weekend including season openers, the harvest moon and some huge mule deer to mull over in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:    BRIGHT…

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota’s roadside surveys conducted in late July and August indicate total pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse and gray partridge numbers are up from last year. State Game and Fish Department upland game biologist RJ Gross said the survey shows total pheasants observed per 100 miles are up 10% from last year. In addition,…

TRAP TIPS.  Another dousing has us looking to nicer days (maybe tomorrow?) and thinking about better shots.  When you’re on the trap range – or maybe a youngster firing up for the ND CTL fall league – we’ve got a few quick tips in our Outdoors Roundup to get you through the day and into…

DYK? It’s Did You Know Sunday.  We’ve got some insight into weird facts – bird aging, the size of our WPA system, and just how fish sleep without closing their eyes. We cover that and more in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:    At Rest.  How do fish sleep?  We take a peek at an…