Game and Fish to Provide Cleaning Service during 2017 Paddlefish Snagging Season
For this year, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department will provide a free cleaning service for snaggers who harvest a paddlefish.
The cleaning service will operate from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. on harvest days out of North Star Caviar’s station at the Confluence.
Snaggers who clean their own fish are responsible for properly disposing the carcass.
North Dakota’s paddlefish snagging season opens May 1. Snag-and-release of all paddlefish is required on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. Mandatory harvest of all snagged paddlefish is required on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Paddlefish Snagging Season Opens May 1
North Dakota’s paddlefish snagging season opens May 1 and is scheduled to continue through the end of May. However, depending on the overall harvest, an early in-season closure may occur with a 24-hour notice issued by the state Game and Fish Department.
Although there are no regulation changes from last year, snaggers should note that North Star Caviar, which in previous years would clean all legally taken paddlefish in exchange for the eggs from the females, is not operating its station at the Confluence this year.
The Game and Fish Department is in the process of trying to establish an alternative fish-cleaning service at the Confluence this year. In addition to providing free cleaning paddlefish cleaning services, the Game and Fish would be able collect important biological information as well as monitor the ongoing harvest. Game and Fish will let snaggers know prior to the season opener if the fish cleaning station will be in place.
As in past years, snag-and-release of all paddlefish is required on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. Since opening day of the 2017 snagging season falls on a Monday, that is a snag-and-release only day.
Mandatory harvest of all snagged paddlefish is required on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. On these days, all paddlefish caught must be kept and tagged immediately.
All paddlefish snagged and tagged must be removed from the river by 9 p.m. of each snagging day.
Those planning to participate during snag-and-release-only days need to have in their possession a current season, unused paddlefish snagging tag. Use or possession of gaffs is prohibited on snag-and-release-only days, and, if it occurs, during the snag-and-release extension period.
Legal snagging hours are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. One tag per snagger will be issued. Snagging is legal in all areas of the Yellowstone River in North Dakota, and in the area of the Missouri River lying west of the U.S. Highway 85 bridge to the Montana border, excluding that portion from the pipeline crossing (river mile 1,577) downstream to the upper end of the Lewis and Clark Wildlife Management Area (river mile 1,565).
If the season closes early because the harvest cap is reached, an extended snag-and-release-only period will be allowed for up to four days immediately following the early closure, but not to extend beyond May 31. Only snaggers with a current season, unused paddlefish snagging tag are eligible to participate. Only a limited area at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers is open to this extended season snagging opportunity.
All paddlefish snaggers must possess a paddlefish tag in addition to a valid fishing license. Cost of a paddlefish tag is $10 for residents and $25.50 for nonresidents.
Addresses and phone numbers of vendors selling tags:
Bismarck Game and Fish Office
100 N. Bismarck Expressway
Bismarck, ND 58501
701-328-6300
Sportsman’s Warehouse
925 32nd Avenue West
Williston, ND 58801
701-572-2500
Scenic Sports
1201 East Broadway
Williston, ND 58801
701-572-8696
Wal-Mart, Inc.
4001 2nd Avenue West
Williston, ND 58801
701-572-8550
Runnings Farm and Fleet
2003 3rd Avenue West
Dickinson, ND 58601
701-483-1226
Rosie's Food and Gas
204 South Main
Dickinson, ND 58601
701-483-7860
Fishing Access Sites on Google Maps
North Dakota angler should note that the vast majority of the more than 600 public fishing access sites in the state are now available through Google Maps.
Game and Fish Department fisheries production and development section leader Jerry Weigel said the Google Maps site is a useful tool for those using their smartphones, as users are able to access the GPS driving directions.
While users may use any number of word combinations to find what they are searching for, Weigel said the standard is as follows:
For sites with a boat ramp, type the name of the lake, plus boating access. (For Fish Creek Dam in Morton County, for example, it would be: Fish Creek Dam Boating Access.)
For sites without a boat ramp, type the name of the lake, plus fishing access. (For Makoti Lake in Ward County, for example, it would be: Makoti Lake Fishing Access.)
Summer BOW Set June 23-25
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program is accepting registrations for the annual summer workshop June 23-25 at the North Dakota 4-H Camp, Washburn.
Enrollment is limited to participants age 18 or older. Workshop fees of $150 cover instruction, program materials, use of equipment, all meals and lodging.
Participants can choose from a number of different activities, including archery, firearms, fishing, hunting, paddling sports, wildlife and plants, cooking and outdoor knowledge.
BOW workshops are designed primarily for women with an interest in learning skills associated with hunting, fishing and outdoor endeavors. Although open to anyone age 18 or older, the workshops are tailored primarily to women who have never tried these activities or who are beginners hoping to improve their skills.
Women interested in attending the summer workshop can view an information brochure at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov, and print and mail an accompanying enrollment form. Registration deadline is May 17. The camp is limited to 72 participants.
More information is available by contacting Brian Schaffer at 701-328-6312.
Spring Mule Deer Survey Complete
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department completed its annual spring mule deer survey in April, and results indicate western North Dakota’s mule deer population has increased 16 percent from last year.
Biologists counted 3,349 mule deer in 306.3 square miles during this year’s survey. Overall mule deer density in the badlands was 10.9 deer per square mile, which is up from 9.4 deer per square mile in 2016.
Big game management supervisor Bruce Stillings said mule deer in the badlands have recovered nicely following the winters of 2009-11, which led to record low fawn production and a population index low of 4.6 mule deer per square mile in 2012.
“The population recovery is due to no antlerless harvest for four years combined with milder winter conditions during 2012-16, which led to good fawn production since 2013,” Stillings said. “However, the long-term health of the population will depend on maintaining high quality habitat.”
The 2017 survey results show that hunting opportunities, according to Stillings, can be increased in all badlands units except 4A, which experienced more severe winter conditions and a slight decline in mule deer numbers.
The spring mule deer survey is used to assess mule deer abundance in the badlands. It is conducted after the snow has melted and before the trees begin to leaf out, providing the best conditions for aerial observation of deer. Biologists have completed aerial surveys of the same 24 study areas since the 1950s.
2016 Deer Season Summarized
A total of 44,140 North Dakota deer hunters took approximately 29,300 deer during the 2016 deer gun hunting season, according to a post-season survey conducted by the state Game and Fish Department.
Game and Fish made available 49,000 deer gun licenses last year. Overall hunter success was 66 percent, with each hunter spending an average of 4.4 days in the field.
Hunter success for antlered white-tailed deer was 72 percent, and antlerless whitetail was 60 percent.
Mule deer buck success was 89 percent, and antlerless mule deer was 78 percent.
Hunters with any-antlered or any-antlerless licenses generally harvest white-tailed deer, as these licenses are predominantly in units with mostly whitetails. Buck hunters had a success rate of 71 percent, while doe hunters had a success rate of 66 percent.
Game and Fish issued 13,466 gratis licenses in 2016, and 11,369 hunters harvested 6,593 deer, for a success rate of 58 percent.
A record 26,755 archery licenses (24,532 resident, 2,223 nonresident) were issued in 2016. In total, 22,071 bow hunters harvested 9,492 deer (8,686 whitetails, 806 mule deer), for a success rate of 43 percent.
The department is in the process of determining recommendations for licenses in the 2017 deer proclamation. The proclamation will be sent to the governor’s office for approval in late April.
In addition to harvest rates and winter aerial surveys, the department monitors a number of other population indices to determine license numbers, including depredation reports, hunter observations, input at advisory board meetings, and comments from the public, landowners and department field staff.
Hunter Education Classes
Individuals interested in taking a hunter education class in 2017 are reminded to register early as most classes are held before summer.
To register for a hunter education course, students need to sign up online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. Many classes are already listed on the website, and the rest will be added throughout the year as they are finalized.
After accessing the Buy and Apply link, click on the hunter ed enrollment link and “list of hunter education courses.” Classes are listed by city, and can also be sorted by start date. To register for a class, click on “enroll” next to the specific class, and follow the simple instructions. Personal information is required.
Individuals interested in receiving a notice by email when each hunter education class is added can click on the “subscribe to news and alerts” link found below the news section on the Game and Fish home page. Check the box labeled “hunter education” under the education program updates.
In addition, SMS text notifications of new classes can be sent directly to a cell phone. Simply text “NDGF HunterClass” to 468311 to subscribe to this feature.
State law requires anyone born after December 31, 1961 to pass a certified hunter education course to hunt in the state. Hunter education is mandatory for youth who are turning 12 years old, and children can take the class at age 11.
New State Law Repeals Eagle Language, Still Protected Under Federal Regulation
A new law passed by the North Dakota State Legislature removes language from state law pertaining to the protection of eagles. However, eagles remain protected under federal regulation.
House Bill 1204, signed into law April 14, repeals language that read “no person may take, kill, hunt, possess, sell, purchase, pursue, shoot at, disturb, capture or destroy any golden eagle, bald eagle, or any nest or egg thereof, within North Dakota.”
Game and Fish Director Terry Steinwand said some legislators received calls in opposition, thinking that people would now be able to shoot/hunt eagles if the language was repealed. “Nothing really changes,” Steinwand said. “Eagles are still protected under federal law.”
In addition to the eagle language, House Bill 1204 reduces the age from 16 to 12 for individuals to qualify for an apprentice hunter validation license, and allows youth who turn age 11 before the end of the calendar year to receive a whitetail doe license valid for only the youth deer hunting season.
Bighorn Sheep Population Stable
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s spring bighorn sheep survey revealed a minimum of 296 bighorn sheep in western North Dakota, up slightly from last year and 3 percent above the five-year average.
Altogether, biologists counted 104 rams, 170 ewes and 22 lambs. Not included are approximately 20 bighorns in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Big game biologist Brett Wiedmann said the survey revealed both good and bad news after a sheep die-off that began in 2014.
“This year’s count of adult bighorn was encouraging given the ongoing effects of bacterial pneumonia throughout most of the badlands, but the lamb count was discouraging,” Wiedmann said.
The northern badlands population, which was hit the hardest from the die-off, increased 2 percent from last year. However, the southern badlands population was down 3 percent.
“The total count of adult rams and ewes was the highest on record, but the total count, recruitment rate and winter survival rate for lambs were all the lowest on record,” Wiedmann said. “The recruitment rate of lambs per adult ewes was 15 percent, well below the long-term average.”
Wiedmann noted that one year isn’t necessarily a trend, but poor lamb survival is typical in populations exposed to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, the pathogen responsible for most die-offs of bighorn sheep, and those effects can last many years.
Game and Fish Department biologists count and classify all bighorn sheep in late summer, and then recount lambs the following March, as they approach one year of age, to determine recruitment.
“Adult mortality was low in 2016, and we had a good number of lambs survive in 2014 and 2015 to compensate for most of the adult losses in 2014,” Wiedmann said. “However, many bighorns are still showing signs of pneumonia and lamb recruitment was poor in 2016, so next year’s survey will be important in determining if the state’s population continues to recover from the disease outbreak, or if the pathogens are likely to persist and cause a long-term population decline.”
Dr. Dan Grove, Department veterinarian, said that 19 adult bighorn were tested for deadly pathogens last winter, but results are still pending. He said animals continue to succumb to pneumonia, albeit at a much slower rate.
A bighorn sheep hunting season is tentatively scheduled to open in 2017, unless there is a recurrence of significant adult mortality from bacterial pneumonia. The status of the bighorn sheep season will be determined Sept. 1, after the summer population survey is completed.
Game and Fish issued eight licenses in 2016 and all hunters were successful harvesting a ram.
Game and Fish Announces Habitat Projects Designed for Wildlife
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is partnering with the U.S Department of Agriculture to provide landowners with options to enroll acreage into two new programs designed to develop wildlife habitat.
A new Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, and State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement, are companion programs to the popular Conservation Reserve Program. Game and Fish private land section leader Kevin Kading said the partners are excited about these opportunities available to landowners.
“We’ve worked a long time developing these projects with USDA, and working with other partners and stakeholders,” Kading said. “We feel these are good options for landowners to address a resource concern and also open up some quality habitat for hunters.”
The North Dakota Riparian Project CREP allows states to identify resource concerns and design a custom built CRP along riparian areas, with special focus areas, additional incentives and added flexibility within practices to address resource concerns.
Landowners interested in CREP can enroll acres in portions of Adams, Billings, Bowman, Burleigh, Dunn, Emmons, Grant, Golden Valley, Hettinger, McKenzie, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sioux, Slope and Stark counties. The enrollment cap for this program is 20,000 acres.
Over a 10-year period, approximately $19 million in federal funds from the Farm Service Agency will be used to provide annual rental, incentive and cost-share payments for filter strips, riparian buffers, or pollinator and honeybee habitat. The state will contribute more than $4.3 million, which is funded from the Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen program and the North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund.
Kading said riparian areas are identified in the Department’s Wildlife Action Plan, and provide important habitat for a variety of fish, plant and animal species, including pollinators and other species of concern, by filtering nutrients and sediments and improving water quality.
Producers interested in developing filter strips, riparian buffers or pollinator and honeybee habitat will enter into a CREP contract with FSA and receive annual rental payments, incentives and cost-share. Game and Fish will also provide additional incentives and cost-share on CREP acres.
Expired CRP is not eligible for the North Dakota Riparian Project CREP. Land offered must meet FSA cropping history requirements and be located within the project boundary.
There is no size requirement for enrolling land into CREP. Any land enrolled in a CREP contract with USDA must also be enrolled in the Game and Fish PLOTS program. Landowners will receive payments for allowing walk-in hunting access, and are eligible for additional habitat enhancements, incentives and cost-share.
Kading said landowners don’t have to allow public access to their entire property, only a 40-acre minimum is required for enrollment in PLOTS.
In addition to the CREP, North Dakota landowners can enroll up to 40,000 acres into the Declining Grasslands Birds SAFE, which is designed to develop habitat for species of special concern.
“Many species of grassland birds have seen significant declines in recent years,” Kading said. “The project was developed around a suite of grassland birds identified in the Department’s Wildlife Action Plan, one of those species is the state bird, the Western meadowlark.”
Through SAFE, landowners can establish native grasses and forbs that will help maintain or improve grassland bird populations. Managed grazing is allowed and will help ensure a healthy and diverse prairie habitat. Landowners will receive annual CRP rental payments, cost-share and signup incentives from USDA. Public access is not required, Kading said, but landowners may be eligible for additional payments and cost-share for allowing walk-in access through the PLOTS program.
Counties in the project area for SAFE are all of Adams, Billings, Bowman, Burleigh, Dunn, Emmons, Grant, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Kidder, Logan, McIntosh, McKenzie, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sioux, Slope, Stark and Williams counties; and portions of Burke, Dickey, Divide, Foster, LaMoure, McHenry, McLean, Mountrail, Sheridan, Stutsman, Ward and Wells counties.
For information regarding the project, landowners should contact a local Game and Fish private land biologist or their local county USDA service center.
Open Fires Banned on Oahe WMA
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is prohibiting open burning this spring on property managed south of Bismarck and Mandan, as a means to reduce potential for wildfires on a heavily wooded recreation area along the Missouri River.
Bill Haase, wildlife resource management supervisor, said all open burning, including campfires, is banned until further notice on the Oahe Wildlife Management Area along both sides of the Missouri River. While the use of portable grills is allowed, extreme caution is advised due to the heavily vegetated area.
Haase said these woodlands are prone to wildfires prior to spring green-up. Mild temperatures and a high fuel load in the river bottoms are a cause for concern, he said, in addition to being a high use area for anglers, campers and other outdoor recreationists.
Oahe WMA covers more than 16,000 acres along Lake Oahe south of Bismarck-Mandan, in portions of Burleigh, Emmons, and Morton counties. Burning restriction signs are posted at all entrances to the WMA.
Game and Fish Sponsors Earth Day Project
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is once again celebrating Earth Day by sponsoring clean-up days on publicly owned or managed lands.
With Earth Day recognized April 22, each member of a school, Girl Scout, Boy Scout, 4-H club or youth organization who participates in cleaning up public lands through May will receive a specifically designed conservation patch.
Last winter the Game and Fish Department sponsored a contest for students ages 6-18 to design a North Dakota Earth Day Patch. Winners in the three age categories were Ryan Schumacher of Dickinson (6-9), Morgan DeGeldere of Grafton (10-13), and Deanna Rose of Grand Forks (14-18). Schumacher’s design was chosen as the contest winner, and will be used on this year’s Earth Day patch.
Groups participating in the Earth Day project are encouraged to take the following precautions to ensure safety: keep young people away from highways, lakes and rivers; and only allow older participants to pick up broken glass.
Interested participants are asked to contact Pat Lothspeich at 328-6332 to receive a reporting form for their project.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department