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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

News Releases

Game and Fish Violations Tallied for 2019

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s enforcement division has tallied the number of hunting, angling and boating citations for 2019, and failure to carry a license was the number one violation.

Game wardens issued more than 2,300 citations last year. Counties with the most violations were Ramsey (227), Williams (215) and McKenzie (188).

The most common violations and number issued were:

  • Licensing (496): failure to carry license (240); and hunting/fishing/trapping without proper license (213).
  • Fishing (475): exceeding limit (158); aquatic nuisance species violations (153); and fishing with excessive lines (48).
  • Boating (422): inadequate number of personal flotation devices (206); failure to display boat registration (49); and use of unlicensed/unnumbered boat (49).
  • General (289): hunting on posted land without permission (67); loaded firearm in vehicle (54); littering (37); and use of motor vehicle in restricted area (37).
  • Small game (280): using shotgun capable of holding more than three shells (74); failure to leave identification of sex on game (33); and hunting in unharvested field (28).
  • Miscellaneous (160): minor in possession (40); criminal trespass (35); and possession of a controlled substance (28).
  • Big game (91): tagging violations (27); chronic wasting disease violations (19); and failure to wear fluorescent orange (17).
  • Wildlife management areas/refuge (76): failure to obey posted regulations (31); tree stand violations (17); and possession of glass beverage containers (14).
  • Furbearer (25): harassing with motor vehicle (5); hunting/trapping in a closed season (5); and untagged snares (4).

A synopsis of 2019 violations is printed in the February issue of North Dakota OUTDOORS, the Game and Fish Department's official magazine.

Grants Support 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.

 

Spring Turkey Application Deadline

Prospective spring turkey hunters are reminded the deadline for submitting an application for the 2020 season is Feb. 12.

Spring turkey applicants can apply online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Applications can also be submitted by calling 800-406-6409. 

First-time spring turkey hunters ages 15 or younger are eligible to receive one spring license valid for any open unit. To be eligible, the youth hunter must be 15 or younger on opening day of the spring turkey season, and have never received a spring turkey license in North Dakota.

Spring turkey licenses are available only to North Dakota residents.

The season opens April 11 and continues through May 17. 

 

Contour Lake Maps Updated

Several contour lake maps were recently updated with greater detail and quality and are now available on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website.

Along with maps of fishing waters that were updated in December, new waters recently improved are Northgate Dam and Smishek Lake, Burke County; New Johns Lake, Burleigh County; Camels Hump Lake, Golden Valley County; Raleigh Reservoir and Sheep Creek Dam, Grant County; Indian Creek Dam, Hettinger County; Jasper Lake, Lake Josephine and Sibley Lake, Kidder County; Lake LaMoure, LaMoure County; Dry Lake, McIntosh County; Crooked Lake, McLean County; Crown Butte Dam, Fish Creek Dam and Sweet Briar Lake, Morton County; Lake Elsie, Richland County; Heckers Lake, Sheridan County; Bisbee Dam-Big Coulee, Towner County; Goose Lake, Wells County; Blacktail Dam and McGregor Dam, Williams County.

All contour maps are available by accessing the fishing link at gf.nd.gov/fishing, then clicking on “where to fish.”

Virus the Cause of Eurasian Collared Doves Mortalities

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has received numerous reports of dead and dying Eurasian collared doves in the Bismarck-Mandan area since December. Pigeon paramyxovirus-1 has been confirmed as the cause of death.

PPMV-1 primarily affects Eurasian collared doves and pigeons and is believed to spread by direct contact between birds. Mourning doves are also susceptible, although no deaths have been reported. There is no treatment or vaccine for PPMV-1, but impacts of the disease can be reduced through limiting congregation of birds by removing bird feeders and baths, and by disposing of carcasses.

Game and Fish is working to document the extent of the disease outbreak. Anyone who has observed three or more dead birds in North Dakota over the last two months is asked to email the Game and Fish wildlife health lab at ndgflab@nd.gov. Be sure to include your name, address and number of birds observed.

NASP State Tournament Scheduled

The North Dakota National Archery in the Schools Program state tournament is scheduled for March 20-21 at the State Fair Center in Minot. The tournament will feature competition in Bullseye or Olympic style, 3-D and Varsity Archery.

The tournament consists of team and individual competition in elementary, middle school and high school divisions, including awards and prizes, and up to $20,000 in college scholarships available to the top 10 boys and girls in each grade division.

Additionally, the top 10 boys and girls qualify for NASP nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. The top prize in the 3-D competition is an all-inclusive pronghorn hunt in Wyoming.

The state tournament and all other local and regional NASP tournaments are open to any student in grades 4-12 who attend 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.

 

Earth Day Patch Contest

The state Game and Fish Department’s annual Earth Day awareness campaign is accepting entries for design of a 2020 Earth Day patch. North Dakota students ages 6-18 are eligible to participate. The deadline for submitting entries is March 15.

The Game and Fish Department will announce a winner in three age categories – 6-9, 10-13 and 14-18. Each winner will receive a pair of binoculars. The final patch design will be chosen from the three winners.

The winning design will be used on a patch given to members of Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H clubs and any school participating in Earth Day cleanup projects on state-owned or managed lands in North Dakota in April and May.

The patch should incorporate some aspect of Earth Day – celebrated April 22 – or keeping North Dakota clean. It must be round and three inches in diameter. There is a limit of five colors on the patch, and lettering must be printed. Name, address, age and phone number of the contestant must be clearly printed on the entry form. Only one entry per person is allowed.

Earth Day contest rules and entry forms are available on the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. For more information, contact outreach biologist Pat Lothspeich by email at ndgf@nd.gov, or call 701-328-6332.

Spring Turkey Season Set, Apply Online

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering 6,230 wild turkey licenses for the 2020 spring hunting season, 205 more than last year.

Seven of the 22 hunting units have more spring licenses than in 2019, five have fewer and nine remain the same. Unit 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) is again closed in 2020 due to lack of turkeys in the unit.

Spring turkey applicants can apply online at the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Applications can also be submitted by calling 800-406-6409. 

The deadline for applying is Feb. 12.

Successful spring turkey applicants must purchase a 2020-21 hunting license, as last year’s 2019-20 licenses expire March 31. In addition to the spring turkey license, hunters must have a general game and habitat license. Also, hunters ages 16 and older must possess a small game license, or combination license. These required licenses must be purchased in advance of the successful applicant receiving the turkey license.

First-time spring turkey hunters ages 15 or younger are eligible to receive one spring license valid for any open unit. To be eligible, the youth hunter must be 15 or younger on opening day of spring turkey season and have never received a spring turkey license in North Dakota.

Spring turkey licenses are available only to North Dakota residents. Per legislation, an additional four spring wild turkey licenses are made available to the Outdoor Adventure Foundation and three to the National Wild Turkey Federation.

The spring turkey season opens April 11 and continues through May 17. 

Remove Gear from WMAs

Hunters are reminded that tree stands, blinds, steps and other personal items such as cameras, must be removed from all wildlife management areas by Jan. 31.

Items not removed by Jan. 31 are considered abandoned property and are subject to removal and confiscation by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

 

Deer Test Positive for CWD

Eight deer taken during the 2019 North Dakota deer gun season tested positive for chronic wasting disease, according to Dr. Charlie Bahnson, wildlife veterinarian for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

All were antlered deer taken from areas previously known to have CWD – six from unit 3F2 and two from 3A1. Bahnson said six of the eight were mule deer, with two whitetails from unit 3F2. CWD was not detected in any deer harvested in the eastern portion of the state where hunter-harvested surveillance was conducted last fall. In addition, no elk or moose tested positive.

“Only about 15% of hunters submit heads for testing in units where CWD has been found, so the infection rate is more meaningful than the raw number of positive animals found,” Bahnson said. “Approximately 3% of harvested mule deer were infected with CWD in unit 3F2, and roughly 2% in unit 3A1. Our infection rate in whitetails in 3F2 was about 1%.

“Overall,” he continued, “we could probably live with these current infection rates long-term, but they suggest an upward trend and we’ve certainly seen an expansion in the known distribution of the disease. We need to continue to try to limit the spread within our herds as best as we can. CWD is a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines if left unchecked.”

Bahnson said the eight positive deer put the total at 11 detected since Sept 1. As previously reported, two mule deer taken in September tested positive for CWD – one was harvested during the archery season from deer gun unit 4B and one during the youth season in unit 3A1. CWD was also detected in a white-tailed deer from unit 3F2 that was euthanized in December following a report from the public that it appeared sick and was displaying erratic behavior.

Game and Fish will use its 2019 surveillance data to guide its CWD management strategy moving forward. More information about CWD can be found at the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov/cwd.

 

Watchable Wildlife Checkoff on State Tax Form

North Dakota citizens with an interest in supporting wildlife conservation programs are reminded to look for the Watchable Wildlife checkoff on the state tax form.

The state income tax form gives wildlife enthusiasts an opportunity to support nongame wildlife like songbirds and birds of prey, while at the same time contributing to programs that help everyone enjoy all wildlife.

The checkoff – whether you are receiving a refund or having to pay in – is an easy way to voluntarily contribute to sustain this long‑standing program. In addition, direct donations to the program are accepted any time of year.

To learn more about Watchable Wildlife program activities, visit the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website at gf.nd.gov.

Midwinter Waterfowl Survey

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual midwinter waterfowl survey in early January indicated about 90,000 Canada geese in the state.

Andy Dinges, Department migratory game bird biologist, said North Dakota experienced relatively mild weather in fall and early winter, but a few harsh cold fronts in early November and mid-December pushed some birds south for winter.

“Particularly, the cold snap we experienced during the first and second weeks of November moved a lot of birds south of us earlier than normal and we struggled to build up great numbers after this,” Dinges said.

During the recent survey, an estimated 50,000 Canada geese were observed on the Missouri River, and another 17,500 were observed on Lake Sakakawea, which still had substantial open water on the lower portion of the lake. In addition, about 22,500 Canada geese were observed on Nelson Lake in Oliver County.

Dinges said after summarizing the numbers, an additional 4,200 mallards were tallied statewide, most of which were recorded on Nelson Lake.

Lake Sakakawea officially iced-over Jan. 11, just days after the aerial survey was completed.

The 10-year average (2010-19) for the midwinter survey in North Dakota is 100,500 Canada geese and 22,000 mallards.

All states participate in the midwinter survey during the same time frame, to reduce the possibility of counting birds more than once.