Organizers planning fishing tournaments, including ice fishing contests this winter, are reminded to submit an application along with fishing tournament regulations to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at least 30 days prior to the start of the event.
The 30-day advance notice allows for review by agency staff to ensure the proposed tournament will not have negative biological consequences or conflicts with other proposed tournaments for the same location and/or time.
Fishing tournaments may not occur without first obtaining a valid permit from the department.
In addition, the number of open-water tournaments on lakes Sakakawea and Oahe, the Missouri River and Devils Lake are capped each year, depending on the time of the week, month and location.
Special Allocation Lottery Apps Due Jan. 1
Nonprofit organizations that are eligible to receive big game hunting licenses in 2020, must have the application submitted to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department no later than Jan. 1.
North Dakota state law provides direction for the Game and Fish director to allocate big game hunting licenses to eligible organizations. Under this directive, up to two elk, moose and pronghorn licenses, and 10 white-tailed deer licenses, can be issued to organizations to use for fundraising.
Eligible organizations must be exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3), and must provide a copy of the letter from the Internal Revenue Service to that effect. In addition, organizations must be active and in good standing with the office of the North Dakota Secretary of State.
Successful lottery applicants must agree to donate at least 10 percent of the net proceeds of any license fundraiser to a conservation-related project, such as hunting access, conservation education, habitat development or shooting range management.
Hunters are reminded that several national wildlife refuges in North Dakota are open to late-season upland game bird hunting the day after the deer gun season closes.
Arrowwood, Audubon, Des Lacs, J. Clark Salyer, Lake Alice, Lake Zahl, Long Lake, Lostwood, Tewaukon (pheasants only), and Upper Souris NWRs open Nov. 25.
However, portions of each refuge are closed to hunting. Hunters should contact refuge headquarters for information on closed areas and other restrictions: Arrowwood 701-285-3341; Audubon 701-442-5474; Des Lacs 701-385-4046; J. Clark Salyer 701-768-2548; Lake Alice 701-662-8611; Lake Zahl 701-965-6488; Long Lake 701-387-4397; Lostwood 701-848-2722; Tewaukon 701-724-3598; and Upper Souris 701-468-5467; or visit www.fws.gov and click on “National Wildlife Refuges” for details on each individual refuge.
National wildlife refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hunters are reminded that use of nontoxic shot is required on all USFWS lands. State regulations found in the North Dakota 2019-20 Hunting and Trapping Guide apply. Seasons for pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge and ruffed grouse close statewide on Jan. 5, 2020.
Advisory Board Meetings Announced
Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to attend a North Dakota Game and Fish Department fall advisory board meeting in their area.
These public meetings, held each spring and fall, provide citizens with an opportunity to discuss fish and wildlife issues and ask questions of their district advisors and agency personnel.
The governor appoints eight Game and Fish Department advisors, each representing a multi-county section of the state, to serve as a liaison between the department and public.
Any person who requires an auxiliary aid or service must notify the contact person at least five days prior to the scheduled meeting date.
District 3 – Counties: Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Ramsey, Rolette and Towner
Date: November 25 – 7 p.m.
Location: Fire Hall, 501 Main St., Munich
Host: The Ville Cafe
Contact: Heather Barker, 317-4390
Advisory board member: Tom Rost, Devils Lake
District 8 – Counties: Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope and Stark
Date: November 25 – 7 p.m.
Location: Choice Financial Bank, 201 Main St. N., Belfield
Host: Belfield Sportsman Club
Contact: Roger Decker, 575-8876
Advisory board member: Dwight Hecker, Dickinson
District 2 – Counties: Bottineau, Burke, McHenry, Mountrail, Pierce, Renville and Ward
Date: November 26 – 7 p.m.
Location: Wildlife Club, 1901 U.S. Highway 52, Velva
Host: North Dakota Fur Hunters and Trappers Association
Contact: Rick Tischaefer, 460-1055
Advisory board member: Travis Leier, Velva
District 6 – Counties: Barnes, Dickey, Foster, Griggs, Logan, LaMoure, McIntosh, Stutsman and Wells
Date: November 26 – 7 p.m.
Location: Southeast Region Vo-Tech Center, 924 Seventh St. S., Oakes
Host: Ludden Sportsmen’s Club
Contact: Eric Larson, 210-0410
Advisory board member: Cody Sand, Ashley
District 1 – Counties: Divide, McKenzie and Williams
Date: December 2 – 7 p.m.
Location: Missouri Fairgrounds, 519 53rd St. E., Williston
Host: Missouri Basin Bowmen
Contact: Steve Rehak, 770-3643
Advisory board member: Beau Wisness, Keene
District 5 – Counties: Cass, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele and Traill
Date: December 2 – 7 p.m.
Location: Community Center, 299 Fourth Ave., Cogswell
Host: Cogswell Gun Club
Contact: Mike Marquette, 680-0860
Advisory board member: Duane Hanson, West Fargo
District 4 – Counties: Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina and Walsh
Date: December 3 – 7 p.m.
Location: Cavalier Cinema, 104 Main St. W., Cavalier
Host: Shane Feltman
Contact and advisory board member: Bruce Ellertson, Lakota, 247-2915
District 7 – Counties: Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan and Sioux
Date: December 3 – 7 p.m.
Location: Game and Fish Main Office, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck
Host: Capital City Ladybirds Pheasants Forever Chapter
Contact: Lora Isakson, 426-9045
Advisory board member: Dave Nehring, Bismarck
Darkhouse Spearfishing Opens at Ice-Up
North Dakota’s darkhouse spearfishing season opens on most state waters whenever ice-up occurs. Legal fish are northern pike and nongame species.
All individuals who participate in darkhouse spearfishing must first register online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, anglers age 16 and older must possess a valid fishing license.
Spearers and anglers are reminded that materials used to mark holes must be in possession as soon as a hole greater than 10 inches in diameter is made in the ice.
North Dakota residents who do not have a fishing license may spear during the winter free fishing weekend Dec. 28-29, but they still need to register to spear.
All waters open to hook and line fishing are open to darkhouse spearing except:
East Park Lake, West Park Lake, Lake Audubon – McLean County
Hunters and anglers are reminded to be cognizant of early ice conditions before traveling onto and across North Dakota waters.
Game and Fish Department education coordinator Brian Schaffer said there haven't been enough days when the high temperature has remained below freezing to produce stable ice. "There are already small and mid-sized waters that show the appearance of safe ice, but looks can be deceiving," Schaffer said.
And with deer season opening Friday, Nov. 8 at noon, an estimated 60,000 hunters will be in the field the next two weeks. Schaffer said even though deer might be able to make it across smaller waters, it doesn’t mean hunters can.
"Hunters walking the edges will not find the same ice thickness in the middle, as the edges firm up faster than farther out from shore," Schaffer added, while urging hunters to be cautious of walking on frozen stock ponds, sloughs, creeks and rivers.
A few reminders include:
Snow insulates ice, which in turn inhibits solid ice formation, and hides cracks, weak and open water areas.
Ice can form overnight, causing unstable conditions. Ice thickness is not consistent, as it can vary significantly within a few inches.
Avoid cracks, pressure ridges, slushy or darker areas that signal thinner ice. The same goes for ice that forms around partially submerged trees, brush, embankments or other structures.
Anglers should drill test holes as they make their way out on the lake, and an ice chisel should be used to check ice thickness while moving around.
Daily temperature changes cause ice to expand and contract, affecting its strength.
The following minimums are recommended for travel on clear-blue lake ice formed under ideal conditions. However, early in the winter it’s a good idea to double these figures to be safe: 4 inches for a group walking single file; 6 inches for a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle; 8-12 inches for an automobile; and 12-15 inches for a pickup/truck.
While heading onto North Dakota lakes this winter, Schaffer offers these life-saving safety tips:
Wear a personal flotation device and carry a cell phone.
Carry ice picks or a set of screwdrivers to pull yourself back on the ice if you fall through.
If someone breaks through the ice, call 911 immediately. Rescue attempts should employ a long pole, board, rope, blanket or snowmobile suit. If that’s not possible, throw the victim a life jacket, empty water jug or other buoyant object. Go to the victim as a last resort, but do this by forming a human chain where rescuers lie on the ice with each person holding the feet of the person in front.
To treat hypothermia, replace wet clothing with dry clothing and immediately transport victim to a hospital.
Fall Mule Deer Survey Completed
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s fall mule deer survey indicated another year of good fawn production.
Biologists counted 2,218 mule deer in the aerial survey in October. The ratios of 41 bucks per 100 does, and 84 fawns per 100 does, were similar to last year.
“Overall, there was good fawn production and stable buck-to-doe ratios at or near their long-term averages,” said Bruce Stillings, big game management supervisor, Dickinson.
The fall aerial survey, conducted specifically to study demographics, covers 24 study areas and 306.3 square miles in western North Dakota. Biologists also survey the same study areas in the spring of each year to determine deer abundance.
Deer Season Questions and Answers
Every year the North Dakota Game and Fish Department receives questions from deer hunters who want to clarify rules and regulations. Some common questions are listed below. Hunters with further questions are encouraged to visit big game, white-tailed and mule deer, under the hunting link at the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov., or call 701-328-6300, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. weekdays.
What licenses do I need for deer gun season? A general game and habitat stamp or a combination license, and the deer license. Gratis license holders need only the gratis license. The deer license is mailed after the general game and habitat license is purchased.
I have a concurrent season license. When can I use it? The license can be used during the archery season with a bow; the deer gun season with a bow, rifle or muzzleloader; or the muzzleloader season with a muzzleloader. You are restricted to the type of antlerless deer printed on the license and must stay in the unit to which the license is assigned.
I can’t find my deer license. What should I do? You must obtain an application for a duplicate license from the Game and Fish Department. Fill out the form, have it notarized and return it to the Department along with a fee. You may not hunt without the deer license in your possession. If you find the original license after receiving a replacement, you must return the original to a local game warden or Game and Fish office.
Can hunters age 13, 14 or 15 (in 2019) with a youth season license who did not harvest a deer during the youth season, hunt the regular deer gun season with this license? Yes, but you are subject to the restrictions listed on the license.
I was unsuccessful in filling my mule deer buck license in a restricted unit during the youth season. Can I hunt the remainder of the state during the regular gun season? No. You are restricted to the same unit as during the youth season.
I shot a deer, but it is rotten. What can I do? You must take possession of the animal by tagging it. A license only allows you the opportunity to hunt. It is not a guarantee to harvest a deer, or to the quality of the animal.
What should I do if I find a wounded deer? Contact a game warden. Do not shoot the deer unless you want to tag it or are instructed by the warden to do so.
Is camouflage blaze orange acceptable for the deer gun season? No. You must wear both a hat and outer garment above the waistline totaling at least 400 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange.
I hunt with a bow. When do I have to wear orange? Only during the regular deer gun season.
Can I hunt road rights-of-way? Do not hunt on road rights-of-way unless you are certain they are open to public use. Most road rights-of-way are easements under control of the adjacent landowner and are closed to hunting when the adjacent land is posted closed to hunting.
Can I hunt on a section line if it is posted on both sides? No. If the land is posted on both sides, the section line is closed to hunting, but is still open for travel.
Can I hunt over bait on private land? It is unlawful to hunt over bait, or place bait to attract big game for the purpose of hunting, in deer hunting units 3A1, 3A2, 3A3 north of U.S. Highway 2, 3B1, 3C west of the Missouri River, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1 and 3F2.
What if I want to have a mount made by a taxidermist and take the meat to a butcher shop? How do I keep the tag with it all? The tag should remain with the antlers and the carcass tag should remain with the meat.
I shot a deer in a unit that has carcass transportation restrictions (3A1, 3B1, 3F2). What field dressing restrictions must I follow? Hunters cannot transport the whole carcass containing the head and spinal column outside of the unit. Exceptions: meat that has been boned out; quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached; meat that is cut and wrapped either commercially or privately; hides with no heads attached; skull plates with antlers attached having no hide or brain tissue present; intact skulls with the hide, eyes, lower jaw and associated soft tissue removed, and no visible brain or spinal cord tissue present; antlers with no meat or tissue attached; upper canine teeth, also known as buglers, whistlers or ivories; and finished taxidermy heads. However, hunters can transport the whole deer carcass between units 3A1 and 3B1 during any open deer season.
Can I retrieve a wounded deer from posted land? If the deer was shot on land where you had a legal right to be and it ran onto posted land, you may retrieve it. However, you may not take a firearm or bow with you. The department suggests contacting the landowner as a courtesy prior to entering.
What if the landowner says I cannot retrieve a deer from posted land that was shot on land where I had a right to be? Contact a game warden.
Can I drive off a trail on private land to retrieve a deer? Unless prohibited by a landowner or operator, you may drive off-trail on private land once a deer has been killed and properly tagged. You must proceed to the carcass by the shortest accessible route and return to the road or trail by the same route.
Can I transport someone else's deer? Yes, but you will need a transportation permit from a game warden. The license holder, person transporting the animal, and the carcass must be presented to the game warden before the permit is issued.
May I carry a pistol when I am hunting with a deer rifle? Yes, but the handgun must meet minimum requirements listed in the deer hunting regulations to be legal for taking deer.
Can I carry both bow and gun afield during deer gun season if I have both licenses? Yes, but only if you are going to fill your gun license. No firearms, except handguns, may be in the hunter’s possession while hunting with a deer bow license. However, handguns may not be used in any manner to assist in the harvest of a deer with an archery license.
Hunters Use Caution on Roadways
With wet conditions abating enough to allow many North Dakota producers to start or continue row crop harvest, the State Game and Fish Department reminds hunters to avoid parking along roadways or field approaches where vehicles could block travel by farm machinery.
“We’ve received numerous calls from farmers who are unable to get machinery around vehicles parked along rural roadways,” said Jeb Williams, wildlife division chief for Game and Fish. “As fields continue to dry out, we’ll see more and more harvest activity, and we urge hunters to keep that in mind as they are choosing where to park when accessing hunting areas.”
Williams said traveling hunters should also watch for approaching farm machinery and pull well to the side of the road or find an approach when meeting combines, grain trucks or tractors pulling equipment. “The window for harvest is tight this year,” Williams added. “We urge hunters to keep that in mind until harvest activity winds down.”
CWD Surveillance Continues
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will continue its Hunter-Harvested Surveillance program during the 2019 hunting season by sampling deer for chronic wasting disease from units in more than half of the state.
Samples from hunter-harvested deer taken in the eastern portion of the state will be tested from units 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F1, 2F2, 2G, 2G1, 2G2 and 2L. In addition, deer will be tested in the northwest from units 3A1, 3A2, 3A3 (that portion of the unit north of U.S. Highway 2) and 3B1, in the west from units 4B and 4C, and in the southwest from units 3C (the portion of the unit west of the Missouri River), 3E1, 3E2, 3F1 and 3F2.
Game and Fish wildlife veterinarian Dr. Charlie Bahnson said surveillance is conducted to estimate where CWD is located, and to determine the infection rate in the area. He said the department uses the information to guide its efforts in managing the impacts of the disease.
“CWD has not been found in the eastern third of the state and our surveillance goal in that area is to confidently say that it is still not present in the area,” Bahnson said. “We need to test a lot of deer to reach that conclusion, so it is important for hunters to consider dropping off their deer for testing.”
Bahnson mentioned it’s likely that additional positive deer will be found this fall in units 3A1, 3B1, 3F2 and 4B where CWD has been previously detected. “Infection rates are relatively low in those areas, but in previous years only a small portion of hunters have submitted heads for testing,” he added. “Most infected deer will look perfectly healthy and the only way to tell is by having them tested.”
Hunters are encouraged to drop off the head of an adult or yearling deer at one of nearly 100 collection sites across the state. Hunters wishing to keep the deer head can bring it to a Game and Fish district office during business hours to have it sampled. Fawns and head-shot deer cannot be tested. Testing results will be provided to hunters within 2-3 weeks by email or text message, based on their preferred communication method listed on their Game and Fish account. To add or update contact information, visit My Account at the department’s website, gf.nd.gov.
Hunters should note a carcass or head of a deer taken from units 3A1, 3B1 or 3F2 may not be transported to a collection site outside of the unit. Exception: deer heads taken in units 3A1 or 3B1 may be transported between those units.
More information on CWD, including transportation restrictions, is available at the Game and Fish website.
Hunters are encouraged to drop off deer heads at the following locations:
Alexander – Sather Lake Recreation Area
Beach – Gooseneck Implement
Belfield – Badlands Taxidermy, Superpumper
Bismarck – 3Be Meats, Game and Fish Department, West Dakota Meats
Blaisdell – BJ Taxidermy
Bottineau – Mattern Family Meats
Bowbells – The Joint
Cando – K&E Meats
Carrington – Barton Meats
Casselton – Casselton Tesoro
Cooperstown – Miller’s Fresh Foods, OCD Taxidermy
Crosby – Cenex/New Century Ag
Devils Lake – Lake Region Sportsmen’s Club/City Sanitation Department, Game and Fish Department
Dickinson – Game and Fish Department, Wildlife Creations
Dunseith – Wayne’s Food Pride
Edgeley – Cenex
Elgin – Gunny’s Bait and Tackle, Melvin’s Taxidermy
Ellendale – True Value
Enderlin – Maple Valley Lockers
Fargo – NDSU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, Prime Cut Meats
Flasher – 8 miles east on N.D. Highway 21
Fordville – Jelinek Brother Taxidermy
Fort Yates – Prairie Knights Quik Mart
Glen Ullin – Kuntz’s Butcher Shop
Grafton – Tractor Supply
Grand Forks – Grand Forks Gun Club
Grassy Butte – Sweet Crude Travel Center
Great Bend – Manock Meats
Grenora – Farmer’s Union
Gwinner – Stoppleworth Taxidermy
Hettinger – Dakota Packing
Horace – J&K Taxidermy
Jamestown – Game and Fish Department, Windish’s Deer Processing
Linton – BP Taxidermy, Bosch’s Meat Market, Scherr’s Meats
Lisbon – Sheyenne National Grasslands Office
Mandan – Butcher Block Meats
Mapleton – Jason’s Taxidermy
Mayville – Cenex
Milnor – Milnor Locker
Minot – AAA Taxidermy, Blom’s Locker and Processing, Frenchy’s Taxidermy, State Fairgrounds, Wallen’s Taxidermy
Mohall – Engebretson Processing, Farmer’s Union
Mott – 4 Corners Car Wash
New Leipzig – Hertz Hardware, and 12 miles south on N.D. Highway 49
New Town – Three Affiliated Tribes Fish and Wildlife Office
New Rockford – Risovi Taxidermy Studio
Oakes – Butcher Block
Park River – Jim’s Super Valu
Powers Lake – Farmer’s Union
Ray – Horizon-Cenex
Reynolds – Weber’s Meats
Rolette – The Meat Shack
Rugby – Cenex
Scranton – Wolf’s Meat Processing
Selfridge – Cenex
Sheyenne – Wild Things Taxidermy
Solen – Hettich Salvage
Stanley – Ace Hardware
Tioga – Recycling Center
Valley City – Valley Meat Supply
Wahpeton – Aber Taxidermy, David’s Taxidermy, J&R Taxidermy
Walcott – Brantley’s Antlers
Walhalla – North Dakota Forest Service
Watford City – Farmer’s Union Cenex
West Fargo – West Fargo City Sanitation
Williston – Bickler Taxidermy, Dave’s Heads or Tails Taxidermy, Mounts By Mert, Game and Fish Department, Zerr’s Taxidermy
Fall Fish Survey Completed
North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries biologists have completed fall reproduction surveys and the future looks promising, especially compared to a year ago when many waters were struggling.
Scott Gangl, fisheries management section leader, said many lakes already had low water levels going into last winter, and then a heavy snowpack resulted in significant winterkill.
“Good moisture throughout the summer rejuvenated the habitat in many of the smaller lakes around the state, primarily in the central and southeast,” Gangl said.
The cooler, wet summer produced ideal receiving conditions for stocked pike and walleye. “We saw really good survival and growth on most stocked species,” Gangl said.
Similar to last year, Devils Lake saw fair to good numbers of walleye, with the catch close to average. “However, we saw very low numbers of yellow perch, which means there wasn’t a good reproductive year for perch,” Gangl said.
In Lake Sakakawea, Gangl said there was a good catch of young walleye. “This was a result of a combination of stocking efforts and natural reproduction,” he added. “We also saw a lot of rainbow smelt, so the forage base is still pretty solid.”
Lake Oahe has had several years of good reproduction of walleye, Gangl said, including this year. “The walleye population continues to be dominated by smaller fish,” he added. “Lake Oahe is lacking forage which causes fish to grow slower than they should.”
Reproduction surveys evaluate natural reproduction, stocking success and forage abundance.
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in McKenzie County
Two mule deer taken in September have tested positive for chronic wasting disease, including one taken during the archery season from deer gun unit 4B in McKenzie County, where CWD had not previously been found. The other deer was harvested during the youth season in unit 3A1 in Divide County where CWD was first detected last fall.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife veterinarian Dr. Charlie Bahnson said the finding in 4B marks the first detection of CWD in the badlands.
“This is an iconic place to hunt big game where people travel to from across the state,” Bahnson said. “By no means does this first detection spell doom for hunting in this area, as long as we are proactive in trying to keep infection rates from climbing. We also need to reduce the chance of CWD spreading to new areas.”
Game and Fish will review its CWD management strategy after the deer rifle season and will consider making revisions for next season. While unit 4B does not have carcass transportation restrictions in place for 2019, Bahnson does recommend that hunters in 4B submit their deer for testing, and avoid transporting high-risk carcass parts, such as the brain and spinal column, outside of the hunting unit.
More information on CWD, including transportation regulations, can be found by visiting the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov/cwd.