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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department


News Releases


Elk, Moose, Bighorn Sheep Applications Online



Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications are available online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for applying is March 27.

A total of 833 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, an increase of 230 from last year.

Licenses in units E1E, E1W and E3 increased due to a stable to increasing elk population. Licenses in elk units E2, E4 and E6 remain the same as in 2023. 

A total of 242 moose licenses are available, a decrease of 15 from last year. 

Licenses in units M5, M6, M8 and M10 remain the same as the moose population appears to be stable with good hunter success in these units. Licenses in M9 and M11 are reduced slightly to align with the observed population in these units. Moose units M4 and M1C will remain closed due to a low moose population in these units. 

A bighorn sheep hunting season is tentatively scheduled for 2024, depending on the sheep population. The status of the bighorn sheep season will be determined Sept. 1, after summer population surveys are completed. 

Bighorn sheep applicants must apply for a license at the same time as moose and elk, but not for a specific unit. Once total licenses are determined for each unit in late summer, the bighorn lottery will be held and successful applicants contacted to select a hunting unit.

Because the bighorn sheep application fee is not refundable as per state law, if a bighorn season is not held, applicants would not receive a refund.

Elk, moose and bighorn sheep lottery licenses are issued as once-in-a-lifetime licenses in North Dakota. Hunters who have received a license through the lottery in the past are not eligible to apply for that species again.

Nonresident Any-Deer Bow Applications After April 15



The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will have 337 any-deer bow licenses available to nonresidents in 2024.

Applicants can apply online after April 15 on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline to apply is May 15. 

Up to five hunters can apply together as a party. A lottery will be held if more applications are received than licenses available. A total of 2,124 people applied in 2023. 

The number of nonresident any-deer bow licenses available is 15% of the previous year’s mule deer gun license allocation.

Summer Workshops for Educators



The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is sponsoring professional development for educator workshops this summer in Minot and Dickinson.

Pollinators in the Classroom will be held June 10-11 at North Central Extension Station in Minot. The workshop will explore pollinators, what they are, where they live, life cycles, importance, and how you can make a difference. Students will receive a copy of the Urban Pollinator Program Curriculum, and should be prepared for walking field trips in the area. All materials are included.

Habitats of North Dakota: A New Generation of Lessons will be offered June 18-19 at Dickinson State University, Dickinson. The North Dakota Habitats curriculum and new Habitats Lesson Plans will be used as textbooks. The workshop will be fun and fast paced with many hands-on activities educators can use in their classrooms, discussion of classroom and curriculum integration, and walking field trips, weather permitting. All supplies are provided.

For more information contact curriculum specialist Sherry Niesar at 701-527-3714. Register by clicking on the link.

Grant Application to Assist R3 Efforts



Wildlife, shooting, fraternal and nonprofit civic organizations can submit an application for the Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters program, a North Dakota Game and Fish Department grant program developed to assist in the recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunters.

The program supports projects and events that provide a positive environment to develop the skills and confidence needed to create lifelong, conservation-minded hunting and shooting sports participants.

Application deadline is May 1.

The maximum grant allowed is $3,000. The program currently helps fund approximately 40 club and organization events and projects each year, with an average grant of $1,550.

Funds help cover event expenses, including promotional printing; event memorabilia such as shirts, caps or vests; ammunition and targets; and eye and ear protection.

Past funding has enabled groups to conduct learn-to-hunt events, or sponsor trap and other shooting events, including archery and rifle shooting. Game and Fish has separate grant programs that support National Archery in the Schools Program and high school trapshooting teams.  

Clubs or organizations interested in applying should note the grant process, application, and records requirements. For more information, including a grant application, visit the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov, or contact Cayla Bendel, department R3 coordinator, at 701-220-3461.

Grant Supports High School Trap League



Local clubs or communities interested in receiving a grant to support a high school trap shooting team must have the application in before April 1. Existing teams that have received a grant in the past are not eligible.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department offers a grant of up to $1,000, with funds designed to purchase gear such as eye and hearing protection, vests, shell bags and magnetic barrel rests.

Interested applicants can print out the high school trap league grant application online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

For more information, contact Game and Fish education section leader Marty Egeland at 328-6612, or email megeland@nd.gov.

2023 Bighorn Sheep, Moose and Elk Harvests



Harvest statistics released by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department show overall hunter success during the 2023 season for bighorn sheep was 100%, 89% for moose and 71% for elk.

The department issued five bighorn sheep licenses and auctioned one. All six hunters harvested a bighorn ram.

The department issued 253 moose licenses last year. Of that total, 246 hunters harvested 219 animals – 132 bulls and 87 cows/calves.

Harvest for each unit follows:

UnitHuntersBullsCow/CalfSuccess Rate
M586188
M6106170
M815150100
M984334390
M1077452794
M1152271581

The department issued 649 elk licenses last year. Of that total, 589 hunters harvested 418 elk – 190 bulls and 228 cows/calves.

Harvest for each unit follows:

UnitHuntersBullsCow/CalfSuccess Rate
E1E128365470
E1W104214563
E2130384362
E3194738179
E42118086
E6124575

Hunters, Anglers Asked to Participate in Survey



The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is collaborating with North Dakota State University on a statewide survey aimed at understanding the economic impact of hunting and fishing activities in the state. The survey will be distributed via email to a random sample of hunters and anglers beginning March 11.

Participants will be asked to provide details on their expenditures related to equipment purchases, vehicles, travel, accommodations, and other associated costs incurred during hunting and fishing trips. By conducting this survey, the Game and Fish Department intends to develop a comprehensive understanding of the financial contributions made by hunters and anglers to North Dakota's economy.

If selected for the survey, hunters and anglers are encouraged to participate so their contributions are accurately reflected in important economic data used to inform hunting and fishing policies in the state.

Game and Fish Offers Wildlife Food Plot Seed



The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering free seed for the 2024 growing season to landowners interested in planting wildlife food plots for pheasants.

Rather than a traditional corn or sunflower food plot, this seed mix increases plant diversity, including flowering plants from spring through fall, which will attract insects, the major diet component of pheasant chicks. Additionally, the mix will provide needed cover during spring and summer, as well as a winter food source. Other wildlife species will also benefit from this mix.

Most Game and Fish food plots are part of the department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen program, but this food plot campaign does not require a PLOTS contract, but the department is asking participating landowners to allow reasonable public access, which could simply mean providing access to hunters from time to time, putting up “Ask Before You Enter” signs around the area, or not posting the surrounding land. Additionally, landowners participating in this promotion cannot charge a fee for hunting.

Game and Fish will provide enough seed for a maximum 5-acre planting at no cost.

Landowners interested in receiving the food plot seed must sign up online by April 5. Seed will be available in April at Game and Fish offices in Bismarck, Jamestown, Devils Lake, Harvey, Dickinson, Williston and Riverdale.

Game and Fish private land biologists can provide technical assistance on food plot location and site preparation.

Landowners interested in additional financial incentives may be considered for the PLOTS program as well. More information is available by contacting a private land biologist at any Game and Fish office in the state, or email ndgf@nd.gov.

Game and Fish Advises Early Fish House Removal



While the deadline for removing permanent fish houses from North Dakota lakes is March 15, the state Game and Fish Department is urging anglers to consider removing their houses early in areas of the state where ice conditions are deteriorating.

Given the current long-range weather forecast predicting temperatures well above normal, coupled with a marginal icepack in areas of the state, removing a fish house can be difficult or dangerous.

It’s important to check ice thickness, especially this time of year. Ice conditions can vary from region to region, between lakes in the same region, and even on the same lake.

Even on lakes where ice remains solid away from shore, anglers should watch the weather and adjust activities accordingly.

Spring Turkey Drawing Held, Licenses Remain



The 2024 spring wild turkey lottery has been held and more than 1,000 licenses remain in 11 units. Remaining licenses are issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8 a.m. Central time on Feb. 21.

Hunters are allowed two licenses for the spring season.

Licenses remain in unit 03, Benson and Ramsey counties and portions of Pierce County; unit 06, Bowman County; unit 13, Dunn County; unit 19, Grant and Sioux counties and portions of Morton County; unit 25, McHenry County and portions of Pierce and Ward counties; unit 30, portions of Morton County; unit 31, Mountrail County; unit 44, Slope County; unit 45, Stark County; unit 51, Burke County and portions of Renville, Bottineau and Ward counties; and unit 53, Williams and Divide counties.

Applications must be submitted online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply. 

Information Sought in Deer Poaching



North Dakota Game and Fish Department officials are looking for information in connection to a deer poaching case on Oahe Wildlife Management area south of Bismarck near the Emmons-Burleigh county line.

An antlerless white-tailed deer was shot and left intact in a field sometime around Feb. 3-5.

If anyone has information about the illegal taking of this deer, contact Report All Poachers at 701-328-9921. Individuals may remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward if a conviction is made based on the information provided.

NASP State Tournament Scheduled



The North Dakota National Archery in the Schools Program state tournament is scheduled for March 15-16 at the State Fair Center in Minot. The tournament will feature competition in bullseye, 3-D and varsity.

The tournament consists of team and individual competition in elementary, middle and high school divisions, with $40,000 in prizes awarded including more than $30,000 in higher education scholarships.

The state tournament and all other local and regional NASP tournaments are open to any student in grades 4-12 who attends a school that offers NASP lessons during the school day.

A complete listing of tournaments in North Dakota is available on the official NASP tournament website at http://www.nasptournaments.org/. A certified NASP archery instructor must preregister participants for all NASP tournaments.  

For more information, or to find out if your child’s school participates in NASP, contact Jeff Long, North Dakota state coordinator, at jrlong@nd.gov, or call 701-328-6322.