SQUISHY.  Heavy rains hit the southern tier of the state and much of ND got a soaking as a major rain system pushed through the northern tier of the U.S. We talk about what’s left over after the storm and how it’ll affect your weekend hunting and fishing plans in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:…

By Nick Simonson If one human year equals seven dog years as the old adage goes, then one dog year is 52.14 days, by my public school math.  If that is the case, then 5,214 days – or 100 dog years ago this week – my old lab Gunnar was born in a mom and…

SHIELDS UP! Weather shields that is!  It’ll be a rainy day today for much of the state, giving you plenty of time to get your gear lined up for this weekend’s resident waterfowl opener. We talk about that and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Fire in the Hole. A maple gleams bright…

READY FOR IT?  Rain is coming tomorrow, so squeeze in all your hunting and fishing activity today!  On that front we take a look at what’s to come and the turkey hunting options available after the lottery in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Fall Turkey Tags remain for hunters and populations are pretty good…

FALLING. Temperatures and leaves are making a downward departure as things continue to stay cool.  Along with those drops, we’re seeing a decrease in flow on the big river and we talk about that and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Red/Green. Colorful maple leaves add fall contrast to late-summer’s green grasses. Simonson…

COOL OUT! It’ll feel like fall after the last summery surge from yesterday is swept from the region on chilly winds.  Watch for a shift to the east and adjust your deer hunting strategy, whether you’re a young shooter or a bow hunter. We talk about mapping success in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:…

By Nick Simonson It’s hard not to think hunting when a young lab looks up from his bed in the corner of the living room, and the light September wind blows gently through the screen to the back porch.  Despite the reports of a sharptailed grouse population again cut in half by challenging conditions this…

LAST SAMPLE OF SUMMER? A cooler trend is settling in ahead of next Saturday’s official start to autumn and today may be the last shot at 80 for the region for a while.  We talk seasonal shifts and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: A rooster pheasant soaks in the sunshine amidst the…

SOUND THE HORN!  We talk youth and running – two items that go hand-in-hand if you’re a parent – and a day chock full of events around the area in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: A nice pronghorn pauses while feeding near Mandan, N.D. on Friday. Simonson Photo.   DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast):…

By Nick Simonson All hunters reach a point, whether through the growth of their families or just a sort of natural progression, where they want to see a young person succeed in the outdoors.  Their focus becomes less about their full game bag or taking the biggest buck, to watching a kid take their first…

OUT OF SIGHT. Summer may be waning, but there’s plenty to see (and hear) in the outdoors.  We talk in today’s Three Things about identifying animals by their sounds, plus other tips for a fun time in the wild, no matter the season!   Featured Photo: A doe and fawn are caught in a close…

FINDING FALL. Birds will be making their migratory moves in the coming weeks, with many species already heading south.  We talk about a rare one and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Last of the Loons. Common loons are headed south this time of year. Simonson Photo.   DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast):…

CLOSING IN ON IDEAL. Warm weather and shifty winds will be the story over the next two days, but the back half of the week is looking good for ND hunters and anglers.   Featured Photo: Ole the lab cools off in the shade of the truck following a morning chase after a covey of…

TRIPPY!  Do you have a favorite odd bait with a paint scheme that defies convention?  We have a few, and we cover those fun colors in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: A wonderbread-colored Reef Runner remains an odd confidence bait in the tackleboxes at DEO headquarters. Simonson Photo.     DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast):…

READY TO GLOW.  Keep an eye upward as you’re out in the field this fall for the changing of the colors on the various tree species in the state.  We talk about how it happens and what to look for in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: A stretch of roadside trees starts to show…

A FAN OF HUNTING. The first traditional upland season opens today, as grouse and partridge hunters take the to field.  Despite lower numbers, the die-hards will be out in the field after these wiley upland birds, waiting for the first laughing or chattering covey to take flight, or the lone boom of a ruffie thundering…

COUNT ON IT.  While the summer roadside count numbers may be a bit disappointing in light of the mild winter and relatively good spring and summer, they do provide insight into what is needed to turn things around for upland game in this state, and we talk about that and more in today’s Three Things….

NDG&F Dept. Press Release North Dakota’s roadside surveys conducted in late July and August indicate total pheasant and Hungarian partridge numbers this fall are similar to last year, while sharp-tailed grouse numbers are down. R.J. Gross, upland game management biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said the survey shows total pheasants observed…

By Nick Simonson The green leaves of late summer around my head stood still in the morning calm to match my statuesque stance on the elevated platform overlooking the field where the set of three does and two fawns obliviously nibbled at the remaining vegetation.  Only my heightened breath, directed out my nose and outlined…

FADING. We’ll touch summerlike temperatures next week as warmth returns to the region and is held in place for a bit after we get through a stretch of 70s.  Savor it, because you know what’s coming!  We look ahead to this weekend and next in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: The last purple asters…

CRAWL TO FALL. Today we continue the progression to autumn as cooler temps dominate under blue skies and light winds.  With a fun find yesterday, we search for salamanders in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Easy, Tiger.  A tiger salamander makes its way through the grass following Monday morning’s thunderstorms.  Watch for amphibians to…

SEEING RED.  Besides last night’s radar, there is a good deal of red on the landscape.  Sumac in draws is starting to turn, berries on buffaloberry bushes are a beacon to birds.  We talk about that and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Rolling in Red. A Buffaloberry bush bursts with late-summer color…

SO LONG SUMMER.  Today’s last shot of 80-plus temperatures for a while will be wiped out by tomorrow’s cold north winds and highs that will struggle to touch 70.  We make the turn into fall and talk wind, wings and what size shot to use in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Shelled. A handful…

By Nick Simonson With ruffed grouse numbers still near their cyclical high this fall, opportunities to chase the thundering wing beats of this popular game bird abound from the aspen stands of northeastern Minnesota to the forests of the Rainy River drainage, to the Turtle Mountains and Pembina Gorge areas of northern North Dakota.  If…

BREAKING DAWN.  The upland seasons are underway, and fall is in the air after last night’s front which brought rains to much of western North Dakota.  We go around the horn in today’s Three Things to get you set up and psyched for more fall fun.   Featured Photo: The sun rises over a cloud…

With the turn of the calendar page to September 1, we’re officially at the start of hunting season as the regular mourning dove opener occurs at first light. Knowing where to go, how to target these birds and what tactics that pay off in the field will help make the start to fall a very…

A LITTLE LATE?  Like today’s post, the insects in today’s featured photo might be a bit late (or just in time).  We were out on stand early and there was TONS of sunrise activity – between pheasants turkeys and two handfuls of deer running around – we’re excited to be back in fall mode! We…