By Nick Simonson With the end of firearms deer season, and the seemingly perfect timing of winter’s onset including a number of nights with lows less than zero degrees and days staying well below freezing, sportsmen are making the mental shift toward ice fishing at a rapid rate.   In the hurried efforts to get flipover…

By Mike Peluso I knew winter was coming but I was sure hoping it would hold off a little longer than it did. Just like every year we all know it’s coming and now here we are. The last couple of weeks of fishing walleyes on the Missouri River, however were shaping up to be…

By Nick Simonson The Thanksgiving table wherever we are for the holiday has always been about options.  As a kid, I had the easy choice of grandma’s turkey, along with a side of Swedish meatballs, and was able to easily pass over the traditional Norwegian offering of lutefisk and save that for the older generations…

NDG&F Dept. Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department cautions hunters to be wary of ice conditions. In some parts of the state, there are smaller waters that show the appearance of safe ice. Hunters should be cautious of walking on frozen stock ponds, sloughs, creeks and rivers. Ice can form overnight, resulting in…

By Doug Leier I spend a lot of time talking about the outdoors and one of the more recent conversations connected with old timers eating everything “but the squeal” from a pig to acknowledge how our generations couldn’t afford to waste anything consumed as food. It was a generation and time through the Depression and…

By Nick Simonson I enjoy hunting public land, be it those acres of private land opened to public access through programs such as North Dakota’s PLOTS system or those Walk-In Access (WIA) acres in Minnesota, or the great state and federal Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) or national forests and grasslands.  The…

By Mike Peluso Even with the long autumn, it’s hard to believe that my 2024 open water guide season is just about over. I have only a couple more trips planned for walleyes on the Missouri River and I’m definitely going to miss it. I want to say thanks to everyone I was able to…

By Nick Simonson I’ve often said that each bird is a trophy, especially in those seasons where winter weather, dry summers, or other situations have impacted populations making it tougher to come by those favorite upland quarries.  Even in this autumn of relative plenty, where every walk has produced a pheasant, partridge or some other…

By Nick Simonson With firearms deer hunting seasons opening across the country, the state of the nation’s herd and the hunt is good, according to Kip Adams, Chief Conservation Officer for the National Deer Association (NDA).  This position is based on some of the best science available to state agencies and involvement from non-governmental organizations…

By Doug Leier  “Hey, Doug, what’s the most common question you get each year when deer hunting season is on?”  It likely has to do with trespassing or tagging. But those can vary as each situation is unique. In short, if you don’t know for sure if you can legally access the land for posting…

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…