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News Releases

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

News Releases

Fall Turkey Season Set

North Dakota’s fall turkey season is set, with 3,660 licenses available to hunters, 50 fewer than last year.

Fall turkey hunters, including gratis applicants, who are interested in applying for a 2019 license can submit an online application through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

Applications are also accepted at the department’s toll-free licensing line, 800-406-6409. A service fee is added for license applications made over the phone.

The deadline for applying is Sept. 4.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply in the first lottery. Nonresidents can apply for fall turkey licenses that are still available following the first lottery.

As per state law, a resident who does not want to receive a fall turkey hunting license but would like to accrue a bonus point, can purchase a point on the application for the same fee as the turkey license. The bonus point fee is allocated to the department’s Private Lands Open to Sportsmen Program.

Hunting units 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties) and 47 (Sheridan, Wells, Eddy, Foster, Kidder and Stutsman counties) will be closed to fall turkey hunting again this year because of low turkey numbers.

The fall wild turkey season runs from Oct. 12 through Jan. 5, 2020.

Swan Hunt Lottery Held, Licenses Remain

North Dakota’s swan lottery has been held and 185 licenses remain. Only hunters who do not have a swan license for the 2019 season can apply, as regulations limit hunters to one license per year.

Beginning Aug. 28, all remaining licenses will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Resident and nonresident hunters must apply online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. The license fee is $10 for residents and $30 for nonresidents.

The statewide tundra swan hunting season is Sep. 28 – Dec. 29, 2019. 

Hunters should note that Game and Fish will not mail swan licenses to successful applicants until after they purchase a valid 2019-20 hunting license. All swan hunters, regardless of age, are required to have a general game and habitat license. In addition, residents age 16 and older need a small game license and nonresidents must have a waterfowl license.

Game Warden Exam Set for Sept. 6

Individuals interested in taking the exam to select candidates for the position of district game warden must register no later than Sept. 2. The test is at 10 a.m., Sept. 6, at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's main office in Bismarck.

Applicants must register to take the exam by submitting an online application through the North Dakota State Job Openings website.

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and have a bachelor’s degree at time of hire, have a valid driver’s license and a current North Dakota peace officer license, or be eligible to be licensed. Candidates must have excellent interpersonal skills in communications and writing, and must not have a record of any felony convictions.

District game wardens enforce game and fish laws and related regulations in an assigned district and other locations as determined by the department. Wardens normally work alone under varied conditions, at all hours of the day, night and weekends. In addition to law enforcement duties, wardens assist in the areas of public relations, education programs, and hunter and boat safety education.

Salary through training for a district game warden is $3,900 per month. For more information, see the district game warden job announcement on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

Federal Duck Stamp Required Sept. 1

Waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are reminded a federal duck stamp is required beginning Sept. 1. Waterfowl includes ducks, geese, swans, mergansers and coots.

This year’s 2019-20 federal duck stamp is available for electronic purchase through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, instant licensing telephone number, 800-406-6409, or at license vendors registered with the department’s licensing system. Physical stamps are not available at North Dakota license vendors, but they can still be purchased at many U.S. Postal Service offices.

The electronic stamp is a purchase item like any other hunting or fishing license. When the purchase is completed the electronic stamp is valid immediately. The words "Federal Duck Stamp" will be printed on the license certificate, along with an expiration date 45 days from the date of purchase. The actual physical stamp will be sent by postal mail.

The physical stamp is processed and sent by the official duck stamp vendor in Texas, and should arrive to the individual buyer well before the expiration date printed on the electronic license. The physical stamp must remain in possession of the hunter after the 45-day electronic stamp has expired. Individuals who have questions regarding the status of their physical stamp can contact the federal duck stamp vendor customer service number at 800-852-4897.

The federal duck stamp has a fee of $25. An additional $1.50 fee is added to cover shipping and handling costs of the actual physical stamp. 

Deer Archery Season Opens Aug. 30

North Dakota’s deer archery season opens Friday, Aug. 30 at noon, and continues through Jan. 5, 2020.

Bowhunters can buy a license online at the state Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov; by calling 800-406-6409; or at vendors linked to the Game and Fish Department’s online licensing system. Hunters who purchase bow licenses at a vendor location will receive a tag at time of purchase; otherwise, hunters who purchase their license over the phone or personal computer should allow for several days to receive their tag in the mail. A general game and habitat license is also required for archery hunters, and must be purchased prior to receiving the archery tag.

Bowhunters must follow all regulations of the managing agency when using tree stands, ground blinds and game cameras on public hunting areas, including displaying an equipment registration number, or the owner's name, address and telephone number, on all equipment left unattended on Game and Fish wildlife management areas.

In addition, hunting big game over bait is prohibited on both public and private land 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.

Hunters should refer to the 2019 deer hunting guide for season information and regulations. 

Pronghorn Lottery Held

North Dakota’s pronghorn lottery has been held and individual results are available online at the state Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

A total of 1,335 licenses were available in 12 units, and 12,929 applications, including 450 gratis, were received.

All licenses were issued.

Hunters who are drawn for a 2019 pronghorn license will be sent their license after purchasing a valid 2019-20 general game and habitat license, or combination license, which is also required to hunt pronghorn (exception: no other licenses are required for gratis). Hunters who have already purchased this 2019-20 license do not have to purchase another one.

HIP Registration Required for Migratory Bird Hunters

Migratory bird hunters of all ages are reminded to register with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, coots, cranes, snipe, doves and woodcock. Hunters must register in each state for which they are licensed to hunt.

Hunters can HIP certify when purchasing a license - or by clicking the HIP Registration link - at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, hunters can call 888-634-4798 and record the HIP number on their printed license.

Those who registered to hunt the spring light goose season in North Dakota do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required only once per year.

HIP registration is a cooperative program designed to determine a sample of hunters from which to measure the harvest of migratory birds for management purposes.

 

Youth Outdoor Festival Aug. 29 in Minot

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department, local wildlife clubs and other sponsors will usher youngsters into fall during the annual Youth Outdoor Festival in Minot.

The event is Thursday, Aug. 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Game and Fish Conservation and Outdoors Skills Park on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair.

Young outdoor enthusiasts will experience a number of outdoor activities that relate to archery, fishing, waterfowl and upland game. Prizes will be awarded and food is provided.

For more information, contact Game and Fish outreach biologist Greg Gullickson at 701-720-1640.

Swan Application Deadline Aug. 14

Swan hunters are reminded the deadline for submitting an application for the 2019 season is Aug. 14.

Applicants must submit an online application through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. North Dakota residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply. The resident swan license is $10, while the nonresident fee is $30.

The statewide tundra swan hunting season is Sept. 28 - Dec. 29. Successful applicants will receive a tag to take one swan during the season. Since swans are classified as waterfowl, nonresidents may hunt them only during the period their nonresident waterfowl license is valid.

Hunters should note that Game and Fish will not mail swan licenses to successful applicants until after they purchase a valid 2019-20 hunting license. All swan hunters, regardless of age, are required to have a general game and habitat license. In addition, residents age 16 and older need a small game license and nonresidents must have a waterfowl license. 

 

PLOTS Guide Available Online

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide for 2019 is now available online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, the free printed PLOTS guides will be available in mid-August at most license vendors and other locations throughout the state.

The guide will feature about 791,000 PLOTS acres. Because the guide is printed in mid-August, some PLOTS tracts highlighted in the guide may have been removed from the program since the time of printing. There will also be some PLOTS tracts where the habitat and condition of the tract will have changed significantly. Conversely, Game and Fish may have added new tracts to the program after the guide went to press.

To minimize possible confusion, Game and Fish will update PLOTS map sheets weekly on its website.

The PLOTS guide features maps highlighting these walk-in areas, identified in the field by inverted triangular yellow signs, as well as other public lands.

The guides are not available to mail, so hunters will have to pick one up at a local vendor or Game and Fish office or print individual maps from the website.

 

Anglers Should Fish Responsibly, Keep Fish Caught in Deep Water

North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel encourage anglers to keep fish caught from depths of more than 25 feet, rather than practice catch-and-release.

Scott Gangl, Game and Fish fisheries management section leader, said while catch-and-release is often encouraged under the right conditions, fish reeled in from this depth will likely die if released.

“Fish caught from deep water likely won’t survive because of the extreme change in water pressure,” Gangl said.

Change in water pressure will cause the swim bladder to expand, Gangl said, which means fish can no longer control balance. In addition, he said other internal injuries will likely happen, such as ruptured blood vessels or internal organs.

This can happen in any deep water body, Gangl said, but it is especially noteworthy for this time of the year in Lake Sakakawea.

“As water warms during summer, fish tend to move to deeper, cooler water,” he added. “This is particularly true for walleye in the big lake, where walleye follow their primary forage of rainbow smelt to deeper depths as summer progresses.”

Anglers fishing at least 25 feet deep should make the commitment to keep what they catch, and once they reach their limit to stop fishing at that depth.

“Our simple message is for anglers to keep fish that are caught from these depths, or to fish in shallower water when practicing catch-and-release,” Gangl said. 

Game Warden Exam Set for Sept. 6, 2019

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has scheduled an examination to select candidates for the position of district game warden. The test is at 10 a.m., Sept. 6, at the department's main office in Bismarck.

Applicants must register to take the exam no later than Sept. 2 by submitting an online application through the North Dakota State Job Openings website.

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and have a bachelor’s degree at time of hire, have a valid driver’s license and a current North Dakota peace officer license, or be eligible to be licensed. Candidates must have excellent interpersonal skills in communications and writing, and must not have a record of any felony convictions.

District game wardens enforce game and fish laws and related regulations in an assigned district and other locations as determined by the department. Wardens normally work alone under varied conditions, at all hours of the day, night and weekends. In addition to law enforcement duties, wardens assist in the areas of public relations, education programs, and hunter and boat safety education.

Salary through training for a district game warden is $3,900 per month. For more information, see the district game warden job announcement on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.