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…

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…

MONSOONISH.  Saturday’s rain totals promise to fill up the gauges – and the pocket sloughs – before hunting seasons set upon us in earnest.  We’ve got the lowdown on what’s falling down, some rainy day pre-season prep, and the details on UND’s newest mascot in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:    This Too Shall Pass. …

By Nick Simonson   While the North Dakota Deer Archery Season opens at noon on a Friday, I rarely get out for an afternoon hunt, like I do for the firearms opener.  The end of summer, the beginning of school, family events and the busy Labor Day weekend tend to curtail any hopes of getting…

PLAY HOOKY.  What’s better than a four-day week?  A three-day one!  Get out on the water today for some great conditions and close out the first week of September with some great fishing action, along with a minor moon phase at your back!  We cover grouse updates from the G&F, figure things out for muskies…

A COUPLE GOOD ONES.  We finish the week strong before a weekend washout hits on Saturday and things turn chilly for your two days off.  To get you ready for fall we’ve got our caterpillar prognosticator, some PLOTS highlights and what’s going on with West Nile virus in Minnesota’s ruffie population as part of our…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. The discovery of chronic wasting disease in deer in North Dakota 10 years ago was an unfortunate milestone. The disease is fatal to deer, elk, and moose and can lead to reduced populations if left unchecked. While there is no treatment, vaccine or feasible way to eliminate CWD, the state…

MOVING UP.  Temperatures will begin to recover for a midweek warmup, but we’re still watching the weekend and what looks to be cool, rainy and windy conditions. Enjoy the here and now and plan your September, check out some awesome fundraising power and learn more about a bigger moth in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo: …

FALLING FORWARD.  Inconsistent weather and bursts of cool air will signal a shift toward fall this week.  We’ve got the rundown on that, upcoming special seasons, and an interesting way they fish in Australia in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  The Rodfather.  Two downrigger rods make ‘em an offer (of herring) they can’t refuse. Simonson…

A LABOR.  We close out the three day weekend with wind and rainy conditions as unsettled weather moves in bringing a fall like feel to much of the week.   To get you through we have hunting news, previews and tips for the coming weeks in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  SUN SPOT.  The sun briefly…

BEST ONE.  When the clouds clear, today will be the best day of the long weekend, with highs near 80, light winds and a full sky of sun in the afternoon.  Take advantage as we look ahead to our day off and the upcoming week, along with other updates in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo: …

By Nick Simonson   Fall fishing can be as fast as the hunting on any given opener.  From walleyes to smallmouth to late-season trout, adding a few quick casts to a day of hunting can produce a combination of memories from field to stream that aren’t soon forgotten.  Actively feeding autumn fish provide great opportunities…