FREE A/C.  It’ll be noticeably cooler as the weekend system moves out and northwest winds come in behind it.  We cover what’s to come, pronghorn counting and what’s new with the NDWF in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo: Happy(?) Birthday!  A fixture in the DEO Office and on many formative hunts (and subsequent articles), Gunnar…

By Nick Simonson   It’s morning in deer country.  With the lottery application process complete for this fall’s firearms deer season in North Dakota, many hunters’ minds are already turning to the cool days of autumn, despite the confirmation from a warm, sweaty seat in the fishing boat that summer hasn’t even begun yet.  But…

READY TO RUMBLE.  Thunderstorms overnight will give way to a cool down today as winds from the north blow in and rain chances persist to start the weekend. Featured Photo:  A May beetle crawls along a deck table after a night of buzzing around. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Sat 6/8 – Cool down…

By Nick Simonson At this point in the year, stocked trout are acclimating to their new homes, and a variety of fishing options can be used to land them.  Stabilized and more educated to their environment – and the anglers surrounding it or boating through it – they may be a bit pickier.  However, as…

NEWSWORTHY.  While the winds might take the headlines, some big events are on tap for area waters this windy weekend and an expansion by the federal government is worth a look.  We cover those items and walleye tagging on two popular ND lakes in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  River Bend Barn.  The old red…

By Nick Simonson   Each bend in the river spilled spring out in front of us and with each moment on the ride through the winding valley, the memories of growing up on the flow and learning much of what I know about fishing came back with them.  Whether it was the rising geese fleeing…

BRINGING THE HEAT.  Warm conditions persist through the end of the week before a system settles in for the weekend.  Watch for gusts to rise on Friday, and get your good fishing in today before things shift. We cover photography, bachelor bucks and topwater favorites in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Seeing Double.  You’ll get…

SUMMERY FEELING.  The warmth continues today with highs in the 80s as summer looks to have settled in permanently!  With the deadline for deer tags looming in ND, we cover all of our bases in regard to the favorite fall pursuit in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Heads Up. A whitetail buck in velvet antlers…

CONSERVATION STATION.   We get into the nitty gritty of conservation as CRP sign-up gets underway and the options for protecting the future generations of wildlife such as pheasants, deer and other species expands.  We cover those items and more in today’s conservation-focused Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo: Hillside Hen. A hen pheasant works her way up…

READ & REVIEW.  Some great lists and tips are circulating around the internet as we hit the heart of the openwater season.  You’ll have perfect weather for casting, along with some easy reading in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:   DEO’s Nick Simonson with a stocker ‘bow caught on a Mepps Aglia. DEO Photo by Einar…

SNAP TO IT!  It’s another great fishing day out there with rise and set of the moon and sun lining up.  We address the week to come and some fun turtle facts in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Why did the snapping turtle cross the road?  We didn’t ask.  She looked angry. DEO Photo courtesy…

By Nick Simonson   As area lakes and flows heat up, fishing action for bass can be fast, but that doesn’t mean a quick presentation always rules a day on the water.  While crankbaits and spinnerbaits may pick up a few fish, the use of soft plastics like tubes, craws and sticks allows for direct…

PERFECTION.  June couldn’t start any better than with the fishing conditions you’ll be getting today!  Highs in the 70s, light winds and a new moon rising will make today one to remember.  We get wet and wild with waterfowl surveys and in Our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Profile in Plumage. A mallard strikes a pose…

By Nick Simonson   Somewhere between the black screen report of a low battery drained by the cold morning of fishing, and the loading of the boat with a near limit of walleyes in the livewell at the wind-swept launch an hour or two later, it vanished from the shallow pocket of the borrowed camouflage…

FINAL FRIDAY! It’s the last day of May and our final Friday in an uncommon month with five of them!  We look ahead to the start of meteorological summer tomorrow, where DEO is at today, preview a great weekend on tap for all your fishing adventures and check out some weird wildlife in our Outdoors…

FEELIN’ HOT!  Welcome warm conditions return to the region as part of an extended stay as we crack 80 today and stay into the upper 70s throughout the weekend.  We’ve got trail cam tips, a look ahead and suggestions for angler success from the FWS in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  SMILE! A trail camera…

HOT SEAT?  Things are going to feel warm after the chilly start to spring as today’s temps jump into the upper 70s and tomorrow’s top 80.  We talk about late spring fishing tactics in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: Warm Up.  A solid 18-inch smallmouth comes to hand for DEO’s Nick Simonson. DEO Photo by…

WELCOME WARMTH!  Things heat up as we head out of the holiday weekend and highs in the 80s are on tap for the coming days.  In the meantime we check in on painted turtles and fishing tourneys as part of our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo: Best Seat In The House.  A painted turtle scales a…

WHAT’S BUGGIN’ YA?  Sure, your holiday Monday is a bit cool, but enjoy the time away and remember those who served and others who had an impact on your life today.  As we unofficially kick off summer – hey, have we even had spring yet? – we look at some favorite insect visitors in today’s…

By Nick Simonson Spring brings with it regrowth of vegetation both on land and in the water.  While the former in the appearance of light green leaves bursting from buds gives us a sign that the season has finally arrived, the latter provides a signal as to where fish will be and exactly the places…

IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU.  We’re here at the midpoint of the holiday weekend and while the weather is mixed, the times should be good.  We cover boating safety, smelly baits and another seasonal midpoint in today’s Outdoors Roundup Featured Photo: An angler battles a fish in a creek outflow at sunset.  Simonson Photo.  …

SOME SUN!  Saturday starts the three-day holiday weekend off right with near ideal conditions for time on the water as sun, highs near seventy and light winds make things pleasant.  We cover walleyes, some great duct tape life hacks and how to make your lures really spin in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo: A hazy…

DUCK DAYS.  Another wet day today will benefit the ducks in our region as we eye the holiday weekend for fishing, fun and family.  We check out tips for boat launching this busy weekend, look at where DEO will be next week and cast a glance toward hunting season in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:…

By Nick Simonson As I staked out the long-term forecast and searched for some bright spot in the near future – hopefully for the upcoming holiday weekend – I caught a fragment of the interview with David Letterman that was going on in the background noise of the television morning show, in which he and…

DAM!  We’ll shake loose from the rain for a day, and with relatively light winds things should be manageable on the water, but we’ll need to get through one more dousing tomorrow before we’re (mostly) clear of this week’s precip problems. We look ahead to the long range for conditions, talk life jackets and how…

WET, BLANKETS.  More precip is on the way and chilly temps today too as we muddle through another round of rain.  We go around the horn in today’s Outdoors Roundup with requests for board members from BHA, free fishing in ND and a look at pheasant nesting conditions. Featured Photo: WILL IT? A willet pauses…

SLICK. It’s tough to beat a brand new spool of line on a reel.  The hope and feel that it’ll take the next big fish and make a minnow out of it is a great sensation.  Things will be a bit slicker with the rain coming through tonight and tomorrow, so we keep our eyes…

DRY DAY. Our one-day reprieve from the rain will be welcome, but we’ll struggle to touch sixty before the next round of precipitation douses the region.  We continue to look ahead to the holiday weekend, a wrap on the CTL season, and an amazing bass landing in today’s Outdoors Roundup.   Featured Photo:  GOOD GRIP….