NDG&F Dept. Release The loss of habitat across North Dakota is impacting game and nongame populations and, consequently, hunting license allocations. Coupled with increased challenges to finding hunting access, the state’s longstanding hunting heritage is suffering. To raise awareness about the need for more wildlife habitat on the landscape in a state that has lost…

By Nick Simonson Antlers.  Those that are big enough reduce even the best hunter to a shaking pile of human-shaped jello on stand. Beyond their power in the field, however, there is a huge market – however sometimes dubious or even illegal – for antlers in one form or another.  From curing ailments to bringing…

By Mike Peluso When it comes to walleyes on the Missouri River, we are seeing  a huge forage run happening right now on the flow near Bismarck. All of this food has created a little bit of difficulty in getting the fish to bite. We are getting them to eat but it’s taking a bit…

By Nick Simonson Ahead of the firearms deer season, I pondered over my nature.  An excitable guy, subject to the throes of adrenaline and emotion, fidgety and talkative, it’s a wonder I ever got into deer hunting at all, especially the kind I now enjoy most.  After a couple seasons of walking hunting, a mentor…

By Nick Simonson As the North Dakota firearms deer season gets underway, a decreased presence of hunters in the field may be noticeable from the past several years, however a rebuilding population of healthy animals coming off a mild winter in 2023-24, a nearly completed corn harvest, and heightened pre-rut activity may provide those with…

NDG&F Release Fisheries crews completed their annual salmon spawning operation on Lake Sakakawea, collecting 1.9 million eggs.  Russ Kinzler, North Dakota Game and Fish Department Missouri River System fisheries supervisor, said the 2024 spawn was almost perfect with lots of fish and great weather. “The numbers of fish in the spawn this year were amazing to see, and…

By Doug Leier Are you ready for the 2024 North Dakota deer gun season? Don’t confuse excitement and anticipation for “ready.” Most hunters were likely ready when last year’s season closed. While others rode the roller coaster of waiting for the 2024 season to be set, then applying for the deer license while spending time…

By Mike Peluso Well, the good news is I got out in a boat a few times this week for walleyes; the bad news is that it wasn’t that nice out on the Missouri River. However. However, this week’s forecast looks promising. I was hoping the walleyes had moved into the river just a little…

By Nick Simonson Sunday night football just isn’t for me, even if the Vikings are playing.  Here in the throws of middle age, where my bedtime often settles in before that of my two boys, I’m more likely to wake up and shuffle from my recliner through a dark and quiet house at 11:00 pm…

By Doug Leier The top outdoors priority changes with the seasons but this word carries over no matter the day, month and time of year. Safety. Summertime in and on the water. Winter ice safety and cold weather. Fall hunting and gun safety. I’ll never tire of reminding hunters the size of a deer, bag…

By Brad Durick Water temperatures are coming down fast on the Red River of the north as fall settles in and I think the end is near for our consistent catfish bite this season. While the angling is never truly over, once the water temperature comes down another ten degrees it will get tough. The…

By Nick Simonson The North Dakota pheasant hunting season opens Oct. 12, and the youth pheasant weekend is just a couple of days away on Oct. 5 and 6.  That means the wait is almost over for another autumn afield, and with good numbers of birds forecasted in state agency surveys, the excitement is building…

By Mike Peluso I’m getting this walleye fishing report on the Missouri River out a little later this week, I was pulling a little double time with fishing and coaching hockey. Last week was a week filled with wind, pre-fishing, and then angling in the Big Muddy fall walleye tournament. This week was a chance…

By Nick Simonson If you’re in the field frequently, it doesn’t seem like it, but on the average, October is one of the calmest months of the year when it comes to wind speed.  The gales don’t really start ramping up until November and on into the winter months when things peak with the whipsawing…

NDG&F Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual fall wetland survey indicates variable wetland conditions for duck hunting throughout the state. Mike Szymanski, Department migratory game bird management supervisor, said the statewide estimate of the number of duck hunting wetlands holding water is nearly double last year’s estimate, and almost 30% above the…

By Doug Leier I’ll be the first to admit how rapidly the world has changed since I was a game warden. No need to explain more than technology has changed. Hunting has changed too. How people report poaching also. What hasn’t changed is the spirit of a legal hunter. They don’t want their pastime tainted…

By Nick Simonson Deer populations across the Peace Garden State have recovered from a brutal winter of 2022-23 which decreased their numbers by more than a third in some firearms hunting units following that cold weather season which brought more than 100 inches of snow and below average temperatures to the state.  Those conditions piggybacked…

By Brad Durick Water temperatures on the Red River are holding in the high 60s for now and the flow is noticeably lower than it has been all season. I find myself fishing for these early-autumn catfish using two ounces of weight on the line now with the lesser current. North Grand Forks is fishable…

By Nick Simonson Mentored hunts, whether part of an organization’s efforts to get new hunters into the field, or simply a one-on-one introduction between a veteran and novice are a big part in recruiting and retaining individuals who will not only enjoy the new experiences they have in the field, but likely will keep them…

By Mike Peluso What a week it was on the Mighty Missouri River! There was lots of wind, dropping water levels, shifting channels, and the list of condition changes could go on and on. The fishing definitely isn’t red hot on the river yet. Things may be delayed a bit after the recent cut in…

By Nick Simonson The uphill slant of the final mile of the half marathon bore a similar feel to the steep climb up and over the grassy rise to the truck at the end of my grouse hunt the day before, but somehow it came a bit easier than a few previous runs this summer….

NDG&F Release North Dakota’s waterfowl season opens for residents Sept. 21, while nonresidents may begin hunting waterfowl Sept. 28. The season for swans opens Sept. 28 for both residents and nonresidents who have purchased a swan license. Shooting hours for all geese are one-half hour before sunrise to 2 p.m. each day. Extended shooting hours…

By Doug Leier  I keep three North Dakota OUTDOORS calendars on the wall in my office. When I glance up and see a dark shaded day I know it’s pretty significant. A season opener or application deadline is reason for a second look. While glancing at September I recalled  how years ago there would be…

By Brad Durick With the North Dakota youth deer season, I have only fished two times since last week’s report, but I am happy to say that my boy harvested a very respectable buck on Sunday night. On the Red River, most anglers are still reporting good catfishing. The flow has fallen again to the…

By Mike Peluso There is a lot starting to happen around our great state of North Dakota when it comes to walleye fishing. We are still a little on the warm side yet, but that will change soon enough. I’m not exactly sure when the Corps of Engineers are going to cut the flows on…

Wading into the grasses from the cut wheat field, I knew the chances of finding any grouse would be limited.  The sea of dew that coated the bluestem, forbs and wildflowers in the conservation planting of the public access parcel might as well have been lake water as the hydro-resistant material on the lower part…

By Nick Simonson A strong recruitment year in 2023 helped sharptailed grouse and Hungarian partridge in North Dakota rebuild after a tough winter, and a milder cold-weather season in 2024 brought bigger numbers of birds into spring. However, the cooler, damp conditions in late spring and early summer likely hampered recruitment for the upland birds…

By Doug Leier  I wouldn’t be surprised to find out kids who grew up on the beaches of California are more likely to surf than a kid from North Dakota. Fair is fair. If you were raised in the Midwest, I’d suggest your odds of growing into hunting and fishing are more likely than those…

By Brad Durick Fall is in the air. The cottonwoods are changing colors fast, the young eagles are flying and the Red River is back down to a wonderful level.  With that, most anglers are reporting good catfishing, and I am seeing average numbers but more big fish over 15 pounds. Of course, we had…

By Nick Simonson From a mild winter with limited snow to a warm spring, conditions were nearly ideal for ringneck pheasants in North Dakota over the past 12 months, and an increase of approximately 25 percent in birds observed statewide in summer roadside counts conducted by the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) reflected…