Daily Edge for Wed. Sep. 27

YOU’RE NUTS!  This little red squirrel was surprised anyone was out walking the grouse trails in recent rains, as it too sought shelter under the pine canopy from the constant precipitation.  We get a bit squirrelly in today’s Three Things and drool over the near perfect fall days on tap for today and tomorrow! (Featured…

Pheasant Season Opens Oct. 7

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota pheasant hunters are reminded the season opens Oct. 7 and continues through Jan. 7, 2018. In past years, the season typically opened the second Saturday in October. However, the 2017 state legislature passed a law which requires the pheasant hunting season to open no later than Oct. 12. The 2017…

Daily Edge for Tue. Sep. 26

LIGHT AND VARIABLY AWESOME.  If you were looking for a day to get on stand, and get sick with buck fever, this would be the one.  Light winds and overcast conditions with decreasing rain will have deer moving again, and will make things comfortable for your sit.  We talk about deer stands and safety in…

Daily Edge for Mon. Sep. 25

TAKE THE SHOT(GUN SHELL).  Pheasant season is fast approaching, make sure to get your ammo now and not the night before the season starts, when shelves and selections get a little slim.  We begin to dry out today, and things look good for the rest of the week, we talk about the specialized pheasant load…

Dakota Uplander: Fingers Crossed

By Nick Simonson When pheasant hunting, few pieces of habitat excite me more than an area of grass or cattails which ends in a narrow taper in the middle of a harvested field.  These fingers of habitat point to success nearly every time I walk them.  They’re simple to identify and assess, generally easy to…

Daily Edge for Sun. Sep. 24

MOVING & GROOVING  Yesterday’s edge hour was loaded with wildlife movement ahead of last night’s wet weather.  Today may be the same, but continued rain throughout the day might make it a bit of a soaker – unless you’re waterfowling on the edge of your favorite small water, then you’re halfway there already!  We talk…

Daily Edge for Sat. Sep. 23

ON TO AUTUMN.  Cool air takes control this weekend, and it’ll start to feel like fall again as below-average temps will dominate the next week of the forecast.  On the bright side, it’ll be conducive to your hunting activities once the rains subside….on Monday.  D’oh. (Featured Photo: Red sumac leaves paint the edge of a…

50 Pheasant Flies: Red John

By Nick Simonson As TV shows go, I’m not a fan of many, but The Mentalist was always one I’d watch right off the DVR.  While not every episode focused on the central story arc of the titular Patrick Jane attempting to locate the elusive and sociopathic “Red John” – those that did were always…

Safeguards in Place to Slow CWD Spread

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. The concern over chronic wasting disease, a fatal disease of the nervous system of deer and elk, often draws comparisons to the threat of introduction of zebra mussels or other aquatic nuisance species. While the disease and the mussels affect different parts of the natural world, one of the primary…

Daily Edge for Fri. Sep. 22

SUMMER’S LAST STAND.  We officially bid adieu to Summer at 3:02PM today, when the autumnal equinox occurs.  We figured we’d give you one last glimpse at the fading summer hues as fall’s reds, oranges and yellows take over. It’ll feel like fall as more shifty weather makes its way into the region today and for…

Our Outdoors: A New Routine

By Nick Simonson Fall is a busy time.  Even more so if you’re a hunter ready to hit the field after several months off, or an angler looking to squeeze in a few last trips on the water before the season’s chill locks things away until next spring. On top of that, there is a…

Daily Edge for Thu. Sep 21

AUTUMN OSCILLATION.  If you don’t like the weather in North Dakota, wait five minutes, it’ll change…then you’ll really hate it.  Gusts are rising today and shifting winds will leave you questioning what deer stand to use (if any at all?!), or what side of the field the birds will come in on.  Some wild weather…

Wetland Conditions Fair for Duck Hunting

NDG&F Press Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual fall wetland survey indicates fair, but declining wetland conditions for duck hunting throughout the state. Andy Dinges, migratory game bird biologist, said the number of duck hunting wetlands are down statewide about 40 percent from last year, and are the lowest since 2008. He…

Waterfowler Update: Wear PFDs, Youth Trailer Available

NDG&F Press Releases Waterfowlers hunting from boats are encouraged to wear properly-fitted life jackets while on the water. Hunting jackets with life jackets already built in are light and comfortable to wear. In addition, wearing a life jacket will not only keep the overboard hunter afloat, but also slow the loss of critical body heat…

Daily Edge for Wed. Sep. 20

STAY SHARP…TAILED.  Grouse hunters are finding fair opportunities this fall in ND following the drought, as bird numbers dropped only 30 percent statewide, in comparison to pheasant numbers being off 60 percent compared to last year. We get sharp on sharpies in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: Hunters will find sharp-tailed grouse numbers down across…

Youth Pheasant Weekend is Sep. 30, Oct. 1

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota’s two-day youth pheasant season is Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Legally licensed residents and nonresidents ages 15 and younger may hunt roosters statewide. Resident youth hunters, regardless of age, must possess a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate and general game and habitat license. Nonresident youth hunters from states that provide…

Daily Edge for Tue. Sep. 19

KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN.  Welcome to the roller coaster of fall.  In yesterday’s Daily Edge we were singing the praises of a glorious near-autumn day.  Today we’re lamenting gusts, and rain and a weather maker that’ll keep you off stand – and with lightning, the water as well – so catch up on Monday’s work,…

Daily Edge for Mon. Sep. 18

SIMPLY SEPTEMBER. These are the days that define fall.  Sorry this one ended up on a Monday! Cool nights, warm days and great conditions for both hunting and fishing adventures are on tap for today, so sneak out there if you can.  If you can’t, we talk about what you can be doing on upcoming…

Antlerless Deer Firearm Tags Remain

NDG&F Press Release More than 970 antlerless whitetail deer gun licenses are still available in three units after the North Dakota Game and Fish Department recently completed its second lottery drawing. Individual results are available online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. Whitetail doe licenses remaining in units 3F1 (314 licenses), 3F2 (477 licenses) and 4F…

Daily Edge for Sun. Sep. 17

READY, SET, PULL!  The fall ND CTL trap league season gets underway today as over 200 student-athletes will participate in the fast-paced six-week session of autumn clay shooting competition. We talk about some of the best online destinations for trap and shooting sports in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: Bust ‘Em!  More than 200 kids…

Fall CTL Season Starts Sep. 17

By Nick Simonson As the USA Clay Target League (USA CTL) expands across the country, new opportunities open for participants to represent their schools and compete against other kids, and while it is best known for its spring season, which last year had over 17,000 participants in 24 states, including 900 in North Dakota, growing…

Daily Edge for Sat. Sep. 16

PATTERNING.  These quick swipes of cool air will break those bucks’ summer patterns right up!  Today and yesterday certainly signal a shift toward fall, and deer will notice as well.  Watch for movement tonight around sunset, and throughout the early morning tomorrow as deer come out of their bunkers to forage in the relative calm,…

Hunters & Anglers Contributions to Conservation

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. For more than four decades, Americans have recognized the fourth Saturday in September as National Hunting and Fishing Day. This year that falls on Sept. 23, and Governor Doug Burgum has signed a proclamation officially recognizing that event in North Dakota as well. The national focus this year is on…

Waterfowlers Warned of ANS

NDG&F Dept. Press Release Waterfowl hunters are reminded to do their part in preventing the spread of aquatic nuisance species into or within North Dakota. Waterfowl hunters must remove plants and plant fragments from decoys, strings and anchors; remove plants seeds and plant fragments from waders and other equipment before leaving hunting areas; remove all…

Daily Edge for Fri. Sep. 15

SWAMPY START!  It’ll be a wet first day of the ND Youth Deer Season by noon when it kicks off today, but this shift in conditions might get things moving for the ND Youth Waterfowl Weekend on Saturday and Sunday. No matter the weather, make sure to take a kid into the outdoors this fall…

Our Outdoors: How We Help Habitat Now

By Nick Simonson Numbers are down across the board for pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge in the upper Midwest.  In states like North Dakota and Montana, it was the persistent drought this summer which hurt hatching chicks straight out of the egg.  In Minnesota, a rainy spring in the state’s pheasant belt prevented a…

Daily Edge for Thu. Sep. 14

SMOKE ON THE WATER.  Anyone who spent any time outdoors yesterday could smell, taste and at times see the smoke from fires burning north and west of North Dakota. A shift in the wind over the next couple of days – and higher velocity – should move some of that smoke out of the area. …

Daily Edge for Wed. Sep. 13

LAST CALL.  Today will be the last taste of summer, at least for a while, as temperatures return to more seasonal highs in the low 70s and upper 60s tomorrow.   Things cool off behind a cold front tonight, and a slight chance of rain rolls in for the end of the work week and Saturday….

National Hunting & Fishing Day is Sep. 23

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has proclaimed Saturday, Sept. 23 as National Hunting and Fishing Day in North Dakota. The North Dakota designation coincides with the annual National Hunting and Fishing Day, celebrated on the fourth Saturday of every September, as an effort to spotlight the conservation accomplishments of hunters and anglers nationwide. Gov….

Daily Edge for Tue. Sep. 12

THINK POSITIVE.  We know, we know, the headlines aren’t pretty: hurricanes, earthquakes, and pheasant numbers down over 60 percent. But think positively, there’s more deer tags than in recent memory, fishing this summer has been fantastic, and we’re getting closer to fall!  We cover that topic and more in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: A…