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History of the Half Day

By Nick Simonson Like most states in the upper Midwest, North Dakota’s firearms deer season is designed to span the most likely stretch of the rutting period, which usually happens during the month of November. However, unlike a lot of those states, North Dakota’s season is 16-and-a-half-days long. In Minnesota, the season is 16 days,…

Non-Profits Must Apply for Fundraising Licenses by Jan. 1

NDG&F Dept. Release Nonprofit organizations that are eligible to receive big game hunting licenses in 2018, must have the application submitted to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department no later than Jan. 1 Deputy director Scott Peterson said as a result of a legislatively mandated study, Game and Fish worked closely with the 2017 state…

Daily Edge for Wed. Nov. 8

UNDERHILL & OVERHILL. Sunset comes earlier and earlier, and we’re still five weeks out from the solstice. While this makes an after-work trip into the field less and less likely, it does mean you can pop right out for that night bite when things freeze solid. We’d like to say it’s going to be soon…but…

Hunting Opportunities Expand on ND Refuges

US FWS Press Release In a continuing effort to increase access to hunting and fishing on public lands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a final rule to open or expand opportunities across 132,000 acres on 10 national wildlife refuges. This will bring the number of refuges where the public may hunt up to…

Donate Venison to Sportsmen Against Hunger

NDG&F Dept. Press Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is reminding deer hunters to keep in mind the Sportsmen Against Hunger program this fall. While this year’s deer proclamation allows only one deer gun license per hunter, families with more than one license might want to consider donating a deer to this worthy…

Daily Edge for Tue. Nov. 7

COLOR UP! Alright, there’s been a lot of gray skies, white flakes, and beige cover on the Daily Edge, leaving things a bit monochromatic as of late, so let today’s installment serve as a reminder that you can color up your winter season when you feel the need to. Tie up a few flies, jigs,…

Fall Mule Deer Survey Completed

NDG&F Dept. Press Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s fall mule deer survey indicated fawn production in 2017 was lower than in 2016. Biologists counted 2,548 (3,003 in 2016) mule deer in the aerial survey in October. The buck-to-doe ratio of 0.32 (0.48 in 2016) was lower than the long-term average of 0.43…

Daily Edge for Mon. Nov. 6

DON’T BE A WIMP. While geese are pre-programmed to head south as their waters lock up for the winter, you don’t have to bail on some of the season’s best days which are yet to come. New temperature model runs show this week holding cooler than average, keeping some tracking snow on the ground and…

50 Pheasant Flies: Pheasant Ice Soft Hackle

By Nick Simonson Soft hackle flies come in all shapes and sizes. For dainty fish like trout, tiny spider patterns with wisps of partridge hackle are all it takes to mimic delicate crane flies or smaller aquatic insects just under the surface. For those hungry fish that want a bit more of a mouthful, heavier…

Daily Edge for Sun. Nov. 5

ICED UP. Freezing mist hit the southern stretch of ND yesterday, leaving roads a bit slick and trees and cover decorated with a solid glaze. Behind the front, we’ll cool down and clear up over the next couple of days, further pushing rutting activity in local deer populations. Gearing up for deer opener, it looks…

Starting a CTL Team – Part 2, School Sponsorship

By Nick Simonson With the funding and conservation club support in place to start a Clay Target League (See Part 1 of this Series) team for youth in your area, the next task in our series can often seem to be the most challenging. Whether it’s concerns with public presentation, or not being able to…

Daily Edge for Sat. Nov. 4

WHITE WALKERS. We’ve got snow! About two inches fell in the Bismarck area between yesterday and last night, with more on the way. You may have to dig out in some areas of the state, but the white stuff will make tracking in the field easier. Whether you’re gearing up for deer season, or heading…

What Is Dead May Never Die

By Nick Simonson The chill of the near Halloween night had left a layer of ice on the small feeder creek which led down to the lake at the center of a small Wildlife Management Area. The cold, still air amplified the crackle and snap of each footstep of my young lab, Ole and I…

Daily Edge for Fri. Nov. 3

STICK AROUND! Today’s weather will bring with it the first accumulations of snow which may actually stick around for a few days. By mid-day, things may get dicey, so whatever early hunts you have planned, make sure you drive with care on the way back in. We talk deer, ducks and more in Today’s Three…

Our Outdoors: The Time We Have

By Nick Simonson I watched the gallon and price counters on the pump slowly tick up, up, up. I estimated that I’d need about 28 gallons, with the tank of my pickup sitting at just below a quarter and impatiently ticked off each one. Unwilling to test the limits on the back portion of the…

Daily Edge for Thu. Nov. 2

THE CAT’S MEOW. Take today by the horns, or antlers as it were, and get out on your bow stand. Cold temps and calm winds will have bucks on the move, particularly right before the big change coming in the weather on Friday. Watch for them moving between deep cover along their rut paths, where…

CWD Sampling Continues this Deer Season

NDG&F Press Release The state Game and Fish Department will continue its Hunter-Harvested Surveillance program during the 2017 deer hunting season, by sampling deer for chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis from 10 units in North Dakota. In addition, all moose and elk harvested in the state are eligible for testing. Samples from hunter-harvested deer taken in…

Daily Edge for Wed. Nov. 1

WELCOME TO NOVEMBER! The month of hard-core hunters, scraggly deer beards, and battling the elements has arrived! Forget what the Christmas carol says, this is the most wonderful time of the year! It looks like rut will be hitting hard in the next few days as a colder pattern takes hold just in front of…

ID Number Required on Equipment

NDG&F Dept. Press Release Hunters, trappers and anglers are reminded that an equipment registration number, or the individual’s name, address and telephone number, must be displayed on all equipment requiring identification. Identification must be attached to cable devices that are set on either private or public land, and on fish houses left unattended on the…

Daily Edge for Tue. Oct. 31

FROST ON THE PUMPKIN. Cool, calm conditions overnight will bring a layer of frost on the ground, but that should also trigger animal movement throughout the morning for deer hunters and others taking to the field on this Halloween day. We get seasonal with one of our favorite colors, tell ghost stories for Halloween, and…

Sakakawea Salmon Spawning Complete

NDG&F Dept. Press Release Fisheries crews have completed their annual salmon spawning operation on the Missouri River System after collecting more than 2.5 million eggs. Dave Fryda, North Dakota Game and Fish Department Missouri River System supervisor, said crews easily collected enough eggs to stock the 400,000 smolts planned for Lake Sakakawea in 2018. The…

Daily Edge for Mon. Oct. 30

MISS THIS? Ol’ Man Winter takes another swipe at cooling down North Dakota, as yesterday’s wind and chill persist throughout much of the day today. Things will calm down tonight, giving you an opportunity to get outdoors tomorrow. However, there’s plenty to catch up on and get ready for while you wait, as we talk…

Daily Edge for Sun. Oct. 29

GOBBLED UP. Back to the bluster today after Saturday’s near perfection as shifting conditions bring more gusts in the afternoon that will hang around until Halloween. Chilly conditions are settling in and thoughts are quickly turning to the back half of the hunting season, and maybe even ice fishing? We talk about all sorts of…

Safe Stand, Blind Use for Firearms Deer Season

By Nick Simonson With the changing of the seasons evident in the recent onset of chilly conditions, hunters look ahead to the North Dakota Firearm Deer Season Opener set for noon on Fri. Nov. 10. With that shift, many deer hunters will trade their bows for their favorite rifles but still occupy the same stands…

Daily Edge for Sat. Oct. 28

SUPER SATURDAY. How about that? The calmest day of the week falls on a Saturday. If you aren’t out there getting some sort of hunting in (or maybe some fishing later in the day when it warms up) you probably don’t have a pulse! If that is the case, Halloween is only a few days…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. Chances are, just about anyone who has hunted in North Dakota for more than a year or two has received a post-season survey from the State Game and Fish Department. It doesn’t happen every year, but perhaps every handful of years or so your name will come up in the…

Daily Edge for Fri. Oct 27

HOLD STILL. Following 50 mph wind gusts yesterday across the region and the first smattering of snow, Friday will seem downright pleasant despite colder, post-frontal temperatures taking hold in the rising pressure. Get out, take a look around, and maybe grab some time on the bow stand tonight, as winds die off and things get…

Starting a CTL Team – Part 1, Funding

By Nick Simonson As the fall season of the North Dakota State High School Clay Target League (ND CTL) draws to a close, the excitement for the sport is only beginning to ramp up. Over the past four years, participation in the neighboring Minnesota league has nearly tripled, from 3,600 shooters in 2013 to 11,400…

Our Outdoors: Ways of the Wind

By Nick Simonson Every autumn has a week where the winds of change blow through the upper Midwest, and this one is it for the current season. With gusts in some places touching 50 miles per hour at the start of the week, the shift toward cooler weather was obvious, as hat-removing gales were a…

Daily Edge for Thu. Oct. 26

GET A GRIP. We’ve had it far too nice for far too long! Wednesday evening bid a fond farewell to our Indian summer, as gusty winds and colder temperatures swept over the region early this morning. Today will be more of the same – blustery with temps dropping into the 20s (our high will be…

The Legends of Late Season

The Swing of Things

Our Outdoors: Man Without a Knife

ND Deer Gun Tags Reduced to 10-Year Low

Making Partridge Pop