SHOULDER UP!  The shooting sports season comes to its big conclusion in Horace this weekend as the North Dakota State High School Clay Target League (ND CTL) hosts the State Championship on Saturday and Sunday.  You too can take aim at better scores this season, whether it’s trap, skeet or sporting clays, we tell you…

PEEK-A-BOO.  You should be seeing bucks in velvet on your trail camera and, if you’re lucky, in person.  Along with growing antlers, it’s common to start seeing growing fawns trailing their mothers as we get into summer.  We talk about that and more, in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo. I See You.  A young…

LACE ‘EM UP.  We know you’re thinking about hunting season, because so are we!  We’ve got some tips to help you get ready for whatever it is you pursue this fall in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: Broke in. A pair of well-worn upland boots awaits a return to the field. Simonson Photo.   DAILY…

NDG&F Dept. Press Release Drought conditions, and not as many hunters in the field last fall meant fewer pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge in the bag, according to statistics compiled by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Last year, more than 58,300 pheasant hunters (down 24 percent) harvested 309,400 roosters (down 38 percent),…

SUSPECT. One of these things is not like the other.  Which one is different? Can you tell? Those of us in the Sesame Street generation get it and can pick out the decoy from a mile away.  We go from silly to excited for the approaching trap tourney and talk more about that in today’s…

SPECIALTY TOOLS.  Having the right gear for the right kind of fishing makes everything easier.  Whether tangling with toothy critters like pike and muskies, or something smaller like trout and panfish, being able to remove hooks quickly and kindly is key to preserving the resource. Featured Photo: Tools of the Trade.  A hook cutter and…

WARM & RUMBLY.  Today’s warm temps and strong southerly winds will spark a line of thunderstorms this evening capable of dropping over 1.5 inches of rain.  We’ll keep an eye on that and the new Farm Bill offered up by the Senate in today’s Three Things and rumble through the 1,000-page document. Featured Photo: Geese…

By Nick Simonson When you put different upland game birds together on the same hook shank, you’re guaranteed to catch fish.  Hungarian partridge (a/k/a gray partridge, but not to be confused with ruffed grouse, which are colloquially referred to as “partridge” in some areas) are oftentimes an accompaniment to the ringneck pheasant in the game…

HOT HOT HOT! Warm temperatures settle in for the weekend and today’s calm conditions will make for a perfect near-summer day on the water. Tomorrow’s gusts will keep you on the south side of the lake, but temperatures spike to nearly 100 degrees, and those conditions will help fuel evening thunderstorms that will chase most…

By Nick Simonson In early summer, it lurks on the edges of meadows, right next to that perfect deer stand site.  It hides among the grasses along the trail which traces a favorite river or stream.  Its red stems and green leaves surround the perfect backwater pond.  It is poison ivy, and for the unaware…

THE ARTIST. Lure making and fly tying is half art and half science, we share our thoughts on that and go around the horn in today’s Three Things talking sprinting and sunshine Featured Photo: A sunnie falls for a beadhead pheasant prince. Simonson Photo.   DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Fri 6/8 – Cloudy to…

TENTED UP.  Today will be another nice one to be outdoors, and the weekend is looking good too after tonight’s splash of rain.  The next shot of water isn’t expected until your travels home on Sunday evening, so take in the mid-to-upper-eighties and enjoy!  We talk a non-camping insect and more in today’s Three Things….

  UPCOMING.  When waters rise, get dingy and change from heavy rains, be ready to take advantage of fish on the feed.  We share those tips in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: A pair of geese mill around a dock complex as a feeder creek pumps fresh rainwater into a lake. Simonson Photo. DAILY CONDITIONS:…

LAST CALL.  Don’t forget to get your ND Firearms deer lottery application in as the deadline is tomorrow.  We cover that and getting ready to scout things out for the upcoming season in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: Rise Up.  The sun comes up over Big Detroit Lake, Minn. Simonson Photo DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER (Bismarck…

SETTLE IN.  Warm weather will help move fish back into their summer establishments as they begin setting up post-spawn patterns.  Key in on baitfish moving as well and on food sources developing in the shallows.  We talk about baitfish and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Money in the Bank.  Minnows rest comfortably…

WHAT A WARMUP! Coming off yesterday’s chill and wind, things settle down today and get warm into next week, with every day touching 80 or better.  Some minor chances of evening thunder are floating around, but nothing looks like a wash out, making for a great fishing week. We talk about that and more, in…

WORST BEHIND US. Today will be cool and windy following some monster stormlines that brought tornadic activity from Watford City to just west of Bismarck. We look at the weather that was and how to salvage a good fishing weekend in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Uneasy.  A wary turkey casts a backward glance…

METEO-LOGIC. Welcome to the meteorological start of summer! We kick things off wet and rumbly as storms roll through the area, following some rough weather last night as well.  With an inch of rain or more for our region, we should continue to see ground conditions green up and stave off the specter of last…

By Nick Simonson There’s no fish more welcoming to me than a smallmouth bass.  Having grown up with them during my formative fishing years on the Sheyenne River in southeastern North Dakota, they made up the bulk of my pursuits as I learned the ways of flowing water.  When I married and relocated to the…

LOOKING OUT. Things appear nice into Friday night, where heat and a slight disturbance in the evening will trigger thunderstorms across the region.  While we’re looking ahead, we check out the current status for the pheasant nesting season and some local and national conservation options in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: A hen patrols…

PLAYING HOOKY.  If you’re looking to extend your holiday weekend, this week would be the perfect one for it as conditions and temperatures facilitate time outdoors, and some rumbles and rain look to be in the forecast for the weekend.  We go around the horn in today’s Three Things with some general info on what’s…

WHAT’S BUGGIN’ YA? I guess it’s the fact we have to get back to the grind after a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with perfect weather and some awesome fishing around the region. All around us, signs of summer are cropping up as the unofficial start to the season is under our belts. We talk about…

STICK IT TO ‘EM! Plastic stick baits like the Yamamoto Senko and the dozens of other knockoffs of the original have become synonymous with spring bass fishing – really bass fishing in any season – and are easy to use.  We offer up some tips for these baits to help you catch more fish! Featured…

HUNGRY? Probably not after the brats, burgers and more from the first full day of our long weekend.  But you know the fish are, as a bounty of tiny creatures are starting to show up for their dining pleasure. We talk about these morsels in today’s Three Things, so you know what’s on the menu….

HAVE A CRAPPIE DAY! Conditions will be anything but crappy as warm air settles in over the region.  Remember that awful spring we had?  Yeah…me neither!  But with highs north of 90 today, it’ll be the start of a Memorial Day weekend for the memory books.  Speaking of memorable, the shallows are coming alive with…

By Nick Simonson The first insects of the year to emerge en masse are midges.  While most are relatively tiny – less than one quarter of an inch (or size 20 or smaller on a fly hook) – some can be quite sizeable.  Around the water’s edge, it’s common to see swarms of these gray…

CALM CONDITIONS.  After today’s breeze, tomorrow’s conditions will be calm and sunny.  Knowing how to target light sensitive species like walleyes will keep you on fish all holiday weekend, even in the middle of the day.  We lay out some pointers in today’s Three Things. Photo: Smooth sailing.  A pair of grebes cruise the calm…