North Dakota’s two-day youth waterfowl season is Sept. 19-20. Legally licensed resident and nonresident youth waterfowl hunters age 15 and younger may hunt ducks, geese, coots and mergansers statewide.
The daily bag limit and species restrictions for the youth season are the same as for regular duck and goose seasons. Exception: the additional two blue-winged teal allowed during the first 16 days of the regular season are not allowed during the youth season.
North Dakota’s swan lottery has been held and more than 100 licenses remain. Only hunters who do not have a swan license for the 2015 season can apply, as regulations limit hunters to one license per year.
As hunting seasons and other fall outdoor activities get underway, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds hunters, anglers and other enthusiasts to be aware of the daily fire danger index.
Recent high daytime temperatures combined with typical dry late-summer ground conditions, could mean an elevated fire danger index that influences outdoor activities over the Labor Day weekend and continuing throughout the fall.
North Dakota hunters should expect similar to higher numbers of sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge and ruffed grouse this hunting season compared to 2014, according to Stan Kohn, upland game management supervisor for the State Game and Fish Department.
Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Sharptails, ruffed grouse and Huns each have a daily limit of three and a possession limit of 12. The season opens Sept. 12.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is once again asking grouse hunters for help with future bird management by simply collecting some feathers from harvested birds and sending in wing envelopes this fall.
Upland game biologist Aaron Robinson said hunters answered the call to return envelopes last year, and is hoping for the same participation again this year. “We typically struggle getting samples, but not last year,” Robinson said. “I’ve said that we’ll take as many as we can get because the more we have, the better the data.”
With several hunting seasons opening in the coming weeks, hunters are asked to look for the perfect photo opportunity that might just land on the cover of the 2016 Private Land Open To Sportsmen guide.
From end-of-day hunting shots, to scenic action or landscape shots, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department wants to feature hunter photos on the 2016 PLOTS cover and elsewhere that showcase North Dakota’s strong hunting heritage.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department advises hunters to be cautious with their dogs around water this time of year, due to potential health hazards associated with blue-green algae.
North Dakota’s dove season opens statewide Sept. 1, and hunters are reminded to register with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting.
The daily limit is 15 and possession limit is 45. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. The season is open through Nov. 9.
All dove hunters must possess a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate and a general game and habitat license, regardless of age. In addition, hunters ages 16 and older need a small game license.
North Dakota’s deer archery season opens Friday, Sept. 4 at noon, and bowhunters are reminded that deer bow licenses and accompanying tags are only available through electronic purchase.
The number of anglers buying fishing licenses in North Dakota during the 2014-15 season established a new record in license sales for the third consecutive year.
Statistics compiled by the State Game and Fish Department revealed more than 222,000 fishing licenses were sold last year, an increase of 3,000 from 2013-14. Resident license sales were down slightly from last year’s record, but the number of nonresident licenses issued grew by 5,000, establishing a new mark of nearly 65,000.
Hunters are reminded that hunting big game over bait is prohibited on all state owned or managed wildlife management areas, all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, U.S. Forest Service national grasslands, and all North Dakota state school, state park and state forest service lands.