The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
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North Dakota state law requires youth ages 12-15 who want to operate a boat or personal watercraft by themselves with at least a 10 hp motor must pass the state’s boating basics course. The course is available for home-study by contacting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at 701-328-6300, or ndgf@nd.gov. Two commercial providers also offer the course online, and links to those sites are on the boat and water safety education page on the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov. While the home-study course is free, there is a fee to take it o...
As a kid growing up in the 1980s, fishing was about opportunity. Thankfully, North Dakota forefathers set up most communities near a waterway for transportation and goods. For me it was less about necessity and more about my ability to ride a bike to the river where I was certain to catch a pike or perch, but most often it was a bullhead on the end of my hook. I wasn't a very good angler and not much has changed. I actually tried to fool myself and set myself goals on catching a whopper...
North Dakota residents who want to give fishing a try can fish for free June 1-2. That is the state’s free fishing weekend, when all residents 16 and older can fish any North Dakota water without a license. Residents 15 and younger do not need a fishing license at any time of year. The weekend provides a great opportunity to try fishing for the first time or take someone new. Information on regulations, where to fish and what equipment is needed is available on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website at gf.nd.gov...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will lift the Tuesday-Wednesday no-camping restriction for Memorial Day week, which will allow overnight camping May 28-29 on those WMAs that otherwise have this two-day restriction in place. A complete list of WMA regulations is available on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov....
Twenty years ago I wrote a column about technology. It was inspired by a walk through an early spring hunting and fishing expo. What I wrote then and what I'm thinking about today with forward-facing sonar and even more evolution really hasn't changed much at all has it? Think back to your last trip outdoors with friends. Chances are, somebody brought along a cell phone. Another buddy may have packed hand-held radios, and it wouldn't be surprising if someone had a GPS unit mounted on the pickup...
When it comes to phone apps, I'll be the first to admit I'm not the next generation. I'm at best the past generation and hopefully not the lost generation. While I admit I do enjoy having access to all the Game and Fish Department information on my mobile device, I'm much more comfortable on my desktop and laptop if needed. In full transparency, I've yet to buy my hunting and fishing license on the official North Dakota Game and Fish Department app. Until right now. But like the rest of you, I'v...
North Dakota’s 2024 deer season is set, with 50,100 licenses available to hunters, down 3,300 from last year. In addition, muzzleloader licenses decreased by 66 and restricted youth antlered mule deer licenses remained the same. Casey Anderson, North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife division chief, said population, harvest and survey data indicate the state’s deer population is stable to decreasing in the southeastern part of the state. “The 2023-24 winter was one of the mildest on record. However, fawn production was reduced follo...
A highlight of my early years with the Game and Fish Department as a district game warden was the variety of field-training opportunities. New wardens learn different required skills from seasoned wardens at stations literally in every corner of North Dakota. My primary training warden was Kurt Aufforth, who was stationed in Watford City at the time, and my weeks with him coincided with the paddlefish snagging season. A lot has changed since then. Kurt is retired and I'm a biologist in West Farg...
North Dakota’s paddlefish season opens May 1, and is scheduled to continue through May 21. Paddlefish tags are available for purchase online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov, at license vendors, and during business hours at Game and Fish Department offices in Bismarck, Dickinson, Jamestown, Devils Lake, Lonetree (Harvey) and Williston. All paddlefish snaggers must possess a paddlefish tag, in addition to a valid fishing license. For more information on the paddlefish snagging season, snaggers should refer to the Game and Fish w...
There's just something to be said for consistency. Not just because I'm an old man and don't like change, either. Changing fishing regulations year to year and lake to lake can maximize management at the expense of confusion leading to angler frustration. Same with hunting. Case in point: In my years with Game and Fish I've seen deer license allocation range from a high of nearly 150,000 in 2008 and a low of 43,275 in 2015. The lottery system used to distribute the tags for the hunters is...
Do you think much about wild turkeys in North Dakota? If you're like me, when you see a turkey you call them out: "tom, jake, hen ... how many are there? Are they on private land? Where did they come from and where are they headed?" Game and Fish biologists wonder some of the same things, and with a five-year study and the cooperation of University of North Dakota, Department personnel put transmitters on 100 turkeys last winter, with the goal of fitting 115 birds with the same devices this wint...
The work of North Dakota game wardens is so much more than checking hunting and fishing licenses. The men and women wearing a badge and working the frontlines of game and fish law enforcement are the first called when a hunter has a question or a landowner is dealing with deer depredation. They're the individuals keeping personal watercraft operators safe while making sure poachers aren't taking more fish and wildlife than legally allowed. Each year Scott Winkelman, chief game warden, provides...
Landowners interested in a 2024 deer gratis license must apply online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for applying is June 5. General deer and muzzleloader lottery applications will be available online in early May, also with a deadline of June 5. Gratis applicants who have previously applied online will automatically have their land description forwarded to this year’s application. However, any changes with land descriptions from last year’s application must be made prior to sub...
We live in a world of point, click, instant access and information. Patience is a rare commodity, but when it comes to hunting and fishing, it's not an option. Waiting for the right deer or the hot bite is as important as finding the right lure or spot. In the same way, maintaining, enhancing and growing wildlife populations like deer and pheasants is a long-term investment. It's not practical to think simply stocking fish or dumping food for wildlife is much more than a short-term feel good at...
The spring snow goose conservation season opened up back in February and the spring turkey season is just a couple of weeks away. If you are a hunter, you need to make sure land your hunting is not physically or electronically posted. Landowners who missed the deadline last year or did not electronically post their land last year can still physically post their land at any time. It's an important and sometimes overlooked aspect of the electronic posting of land in North Dakota. Electronic...
Volunteer instructors for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department were recently recognized at the annual banquet in Bismarck. Richard Bahm, Mandan, was recognized as Hunter Education Instructor of the Year. Local volunteers recognized included the following: • Fifteen-year service awards were given to Christopher Krenzel, Harvey and Michael Ness, Carrington. • Recognized for five years of service was Jason Lura, Carrington. • A two-year active instructor recognized was Cody Krause, Carrington....
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...
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 s...
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....
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...
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....
The next guide and outfitter written examination is March 30 at 1 p.m. at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department office in Bismarck. Preregistration is required no later than March 22 by calling the Department’s enforcement office at 701-328-6604. In addition to passing a written exam, qualifications for becoming a guide include a background check for criminal and game and fish violations, certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and standard first aid, and employment by or contract with a licensed hunting outfitter. Hunting o...
Every hunter, angler and trapper can assess their own past seasons and look forward to the challenges and opportunities of 2024. The director of North Dakota Game and Fish and division chiefs are tasked with understanding and guiding the vested interests of all from Cavalier to Carson, from Crosby to Cayuga. It's a challenge to say the least, but here's a look at some of the issues from Jeb Williams, Department director. Looking back on the past year We had a full six months of winter (2022-23)...
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 t...
The next guide and outfitter written examination is March 30 at 1 p.m. at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department office in Bismarck. Preregistration is required no later than March 22 by calling the Department’s enforcement office at 701-328-6604. In addition to passing a written exam, qualifications for becoming a guide include a background check for criminal and game and fish violations, certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and standard first aid, and employment by or contract with a licensed hunting outfitter. Hunting o...
