Editor: North Dakota OUTDOORS: Ron Wilson, Bismarck
R3 Coordinator: Cayla Bendel, Bismarck
Digital Media Editor: Lara Anderson, Bismarck
Video Project Supervisor: Mike Anderson, Bismarck
Photographer/Videographer: Ashley Peterson, Bismarck
Marketing Specialist: Jackie Ressler, Bismarck
Information Specialist: Dawn Jochim, Bismarck
Graphic Artist: Kristi Fast, Bismarck
Education Supervisor: Marty Egeland, Bismarck
Education Coordinator: Jeff Long, Bismarck
Hunter Education Coordinator: Brian Schaffer, Bismarck
Outreach Biologists: Doug Leier, West Fargo; Greg Gullickson, Minot; Jim Job, Grand Forks
Conservation Supervisor: Bruce Kreft, Bismarck
Conservation Biologists: Sandra Johnson, Patrick Isakson, Elisha Mueller, John Schumacher, Aaron Larsen, Bismarck
Administrative Assistant: Amber Schroeter, Bismarck
ENFORCEMENT DIVISION
Division Chief: Scott Winkelman, Bismarck
Investigative Supervisor: Jim Burud, Kenmare
Investigator: Blake Riewer, Grand Forks
Operations Supervisor: Jackie Lundstrom, Bismarck
Region No. 1 Warden Supvr: Michael Sedlacek, Jamestown
District Wardens: Corey Erck, Bismarck; Andrew Dahlgren, Milnor; Erik Schmidt, Linton; Greg Hastings, Jamestown; Noah Raitz, LaMoure; Gavin Herbert, Steele
Region No. 2 Warden Supvr: Paul Freeman, Devils Lake
District Wardens: Jonathan Tofteland, Bottineau; Jonathan Peterson, Devils Lake; James Myhre, New Rockford; Alan Howard, Cando; Drew Johnson, Finley; Sam Feldmann, Rugby; Gage Muench, Grand Forks
Region No. 3 Warden Supvr: Joe Lucas, Riverdale
District Wardens: Ken Skuza, Riverdale; Michael Raasakka, Stanley; Connor Folkers, Watford City; Shawn Sperling, Minot; Keenan Snyder, Williston, Josh Hedstrom, Tioga; Riley Gerding, Kenmare; Clayton Edstrom, Turtle Lake
Region No. 4 Warden Supvr: Dan Hoenke, Dickinson
District Wardens: Kylor Johnston, Hazen; Zachary Biberdorf, Bowman; Courtney Sprenger, Elgin; Zane Manhart, Golva; Jerad Bluem, Mandan; Zachary Schuchard, Richardton
Administrative Assistant: Lori Kensington, Bismarck
WILDLIFE DIVISION
Division Chief: Casey Anderson, Bismarck
Assistant Division Chief: Bill Haase, Bismarck
Game Mgt. Section Leader: Stephanie Tucker, Bismarck
Pilot: Jeff Faught, Bismarck
Upland Game Mgt. Supvr: Jesse Kolar, Dickinson
Upland Game Mgt. Biologist: Rodney Gross, Bismarck
Migratory Game Bird Mgt. Supvr: Mike Szymanski, Bismarck
Migratory Game Bird Biologist: John Palarski, Bismarck
Big Game Mgt. Supvr: Bruce Stillings, Dickinson
Big Game Mgt. Biologists: Brett Wiedmann, Dickinson; Jason Smith, Jamestown; Ben Matykiewicz, Bismarck
Survey Coordinator: Chad Parent, Bismarck
Wildlife Veterinarian: Dr. Charlie Bahnson, Bismarck
Wildlife Health Biologist: Mason Ryckman, Bismarck
Game Management Biological Technician: Ryan Herigstad, Bismarck
Wildlife Resource Management Section Leader: Kent Luttschwager, Williston
Wildlife Resource Mgt. Supvrs: Brian Prince, Devils Lake; Brian Kietzman, Jamestown; Dan Halstead, Riverdale; Blake Schaan, Lonetree; Levi Jacobson, Bismarck
Wildlife Biological Technicians: Tom Crutchfield, Jim Houston, Bismarck; Dan Morman, Robert Miller, Riverdale; Jason Rowell, Jamestown; Scott Olson, Devils Lake; Zach Eustice, Williston; Colton Soiseth, Quentin Corcoran, Lonetree
Private Land Section Leader: Kevin Kading, Bismarck
Habitat Manager: Nathan Harling, Bismarck
Private Land Field Operation Supvrs: Curtis Francis, East Region, Andrew Dinges, West Region, Bismarck
Private Land Biologists: Colin Penner, Jens Johnson, Bismarck; Jaden Honeyman, Ryan Huber, Riverdale; Renae Schultz, Jeff Williams, Jamestown; Terry Oswald, Jr., Lonetree; Andrew Ahrens, Devils Lake; Erica Sevigny, Williston; Brandon Ramsey, Dickinson; Matthew Parvey, Devils Lake
Fisheries Mgt. Section Leader: Scott Gangl, Bismarck
Fisheries Supvrs: Russ Kinzler, Dave Fryda, Riverdale; Paul Bailey, Bismarck; Brandon Kratz, Jamestown; Aaron Slominski, Williston; Bryan Sea, Devils Lake
Fisheries Biologists: Todd Caspers, Devils Lake; Mike Johnson, Jamestown; Jeff Merchant, Dickinson; Zach Kjos, Riverdale
Fisheries Biological Technicians: Phil Miller, Devils Lake; Justen Barstad, Bismarck; Brian Frohlich, Riverdale; Lucas Rott, Jamestown; Ethan Krebs, Williston
Production/Development Section Supvr: Jerry Weigel, Bismarck
Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator: Benjamin Holen, Jamestown
Aquatic Nuisance Species Biologists: Mason Hammer, Kyle Oxley, Jamestown
Fisheries Development Supvr: Bob Frohlich, Bismarck
Fisheries Dev. Proj. Mgr: Wesley Erdle, Bismarck
Fisheries Development Specialist: Kyle Hoge, Jacob Heyer, Joe Fladeland, Bismarck
Administrative Assistant: Janice Vetter, Bismarck
ADVISORY BOARD
District 1 Beau Wisness, Keene
District 2 Travis Leier, Velva
District 3 Edward Dosch, Devils Lake
District 4 Karissa Daws, Michigan
District 5 Doug Madsen, Harwood
District 6 Cody Sand, Ashley
District 7 Jody Sommer, Mandan
District 8 Rob Brooks, Rhame
Erik Schmidt, North Dakota Game and Fish Department district warden in Linton, checks waterfowl hunters in the south central part of the state in October. October is a busy time of year for Department wardens with waterfowl hunters, upland hunters, bowhunters, the list goes on, spread out across the state’s landscape. The task of safeguarding the state’s wildlife resources gets more complicated with the opening of the deer gun season in early November. Periodical Postage Paid at Bismarck, ND 58501 and additional entry offices. Printed in the United States
• Information 701-328-6300 • Licensing 701-328-6335
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• Hunter Education
Mike Anderson, Sandra Johnson, Ashley Peterson, Lauren Wilson and Ron Wilson.
The mission of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department is to protect, conserve and enhance fish and wildlife populations and their habitats for sustained public consumptive and nonconsumptive use.
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The NDGFD receives Federal financial assistance from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Coast Guard. In accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the NDGFD joins the US Department of the Interior and its Bureaus and the US Department of Homeland Security in prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex (in education programs or activities) and also religion. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or you desire further information, please write to: ND Game and Fish Department, Attn: Chief of Administrative Services, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND 58501-5095 or to: Office of Civil Rights, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240.
tell you the wait is worth it.
PHOTO BY ASHLEY PETERSON.
IMy 2 Cents
By Jeb Williams, Director
t’s important to address a topic that we’ve had many conversations about this fall concerning dry conditions in various parts of the state. We’ve received several calls asking us to close, or at least postpone, the hunting seasons until we receive some precipitation. The concerns are understandable as the dry conditions are more than a slight inconvenience. They’re a real risk if you live in a rural landscape where a wildfire could significantly alter your farm or ranch operation.
As we enter the deer gun season in North Dakota, the approximate halfway point in our fall hunting seasons, the Game and Fish Department, along with other agencies, believe that with the right guidelines, hunters can mitigate the risk of fires. Hunters can follow precautions, such as avoiding dry brush, carrying fire extinguishers, and not smoking in high-risk areas, to reduce wildfire risk without closing the season.
Hunting is a tradition in our state and a long-valued part of outdoor recreation. Restricting access to public lands can feel like an infringement on those traditions and is only used as a last resort. Finding a balance between protecting the land and allowing hunters to continue their activities responsibly is always the goal.
Hunting seasons are set based on conservation goals, which include controlling population levels of certain species to maintain ecological balance. Even in dry conditions, managing wildlife numbers is crucial to prevent overpopulation and habitat degradation. These seasons are also planned far in advance, and sudden closures can be logistically challenging. And as North Dakotans, we know that weather patterns can quickly shift, so what may seem like dangerous conditions one week might ease with a little rain the next, making closures impractical.
One of the many benefits of North Dakota’s strong hunting heritage is the significant role it plays in local economies, especially in the rural parts of the state. From lodging to gear purchases, to food, fuel and license fees,
closing a season would hurt those businesses that rely on hunting season revenue.
As I write this on the first day of November, it’s snowing in Bismarck, which you’d think would make this conversation about the dry conditions wasted chatter. Unfortunately, one of the annual challenges in North Dakota is that rain or snow, or lack thereof, is not consistent across the state, or even portions of the state. That means conditions can vary, sometimes widely. Which is why hunters and other outdoor recreationists need to consult the daily rural fire index issued by the National Weather Service, which helps identify certain areas of concern versus blanketing the entire state.
Recent precipitation events aside, the extended forecast is calling for mild temperatures and not much precipitation. Meaning, hunters and others wandering the rural landscape need to adhere to continued cautiousness. First, watch for any local fire restrictions. With dry grasslands and the abundance of flammable brush, obeying these guidelines is crucial. If campfires or open flames are restricted, bring alternatives for warmth and cooking to avoid risky situations.
When driving, stick to established roads and trails. Parking vehicles over dry grass can ignite fires if the hot underside of your vehicle comes in contact with vegetation. Make sure to carry a small fire extinguisher in your vehicle or ATV, just in case.
When setting up, opt for areas clear of dry vegetation. Keep an eye on gear, too. Avoid items that might spark if they contact metal or rocks. Take extra care with anything that could ignite under dry conditions — matches, cigarette butts, or even a camp stove left unattended.
Finally, stay aware of weather updates. Windy days, especially combined with dry air, increase fire risk exponentially. We’re all out here to enjoy the land and the hunt, so let’s take every precaution to keep it safe for generations to come.
HUNTING ACCESS HABITATAND
BSC NATIONAL ENERGY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
DEC | 17 | 4:30-8 PM
Learn about habitat loss, its impact on wildlife populations, and the increasing challenges of providing hunting access.
Then join a panel discussion to explore ways to uphold longstanding outdoor traditions.
The Wilson boys, Nate (left) and Jack, pose with their sister, Lauren, and her first deer shot a handful of years ago.
Iwore diapers to my first deer camp.
That’s how I remember Mom and Dad telling it before they died decades ago. It’s a story I heard more than once, so I buy it, mostly because I like the idea that for 60-plus years I’ve been part of camp and the hunt from where the seed was planted in the Ochoco National Forest to where it will likely end someday in Burleigh County.
I attended that first camp until my late teens, a flat spot shaded by towering pines that was roomy enough to hold a couple campers and three or four green, canvas tents that faced the communal fire. It was a pretty spot, and I would like to think I could feel my way along dirt roads and find it today, but I’ve been told by old friends who never left the area not to bother. Like a lot of things in life, they said, things have changed there and elsewhere, and not for the better.
While there was never doubt where camp would be every season, much was made about going to Grandpa and Grandma’s house days before the deer opener so the adults could sit around the kitchen table and discuss the merits of one forest flat spot over the other, all the while knowing that the only thing that counted was Grandpa’s voice and what he’d announce unsurprisingly behind a cloud of cigarette smoke.
I get the gathering for what it was and applaud it because it was as big a part of the ceremony that is deer hunting and the camp itself. Gripping the back of Dad’s kitchen chair, I would stand listening with great interest as the adults retold stories of big mule deer bucks shot, bigger bucks missed, the time when one of my aunts shot a young mule deer buck that made the mistake of running through camp, and the one where the newbie in the camp got his head turned around in the big, unforgiving woods, but finally wandered back well after dark just like they thought he
would, which is why, they convinced themselves, there was no need to interrupt the day’s hunting plans to bother looking for him.
I was never a character in any of those stories but knew for certain that I would be once I passed hunter safety and could legally pull the trigger.
I did shoot my first deer at age 12, a forkhorn. Dad dropped me off in the dark, told me to find a stump, sit on it and not move. It felt like I’d hiked miles into the dark timber but was probably only a couple hundred yards from the road when I found the mule deer in my scope at shooting light.
With a new folding Buck knife in my front pocket, but zero experience in using it on an animal that needed cleaning, I sat on a log and waited for Dad.
If they told stories around the kitchen table about my hunt years later, I don’t remember them. I did get my picture taken with the buck back
home in front of Oscar’s Sporting Goods where the owner pinned it on the cork display board next to much bigger bucks, elk and fat rainbow trout caught in the local river. I would look at that photo every time I’d go into Oscar’s to, say, buy a baseball, tube socks or fishing bait and was disappointed when it was taken down to make room for another first deer, fat fish, or whatever.
When I moved to North Dakota nearly 40 years ago, I felt as green as that 12-year-old sitting on a stump. I’d never seen a white-tailed deer before. I didn’t know where the deer hid for the lack of trees, didn’t know how people hunted them, was quick to learn that I couldn’t just buy a deer license over the counter but had to apply, and not only was it mandatory to wear fluorescent orange during the season but fashionable in a way to wear around town when the season was in swing or not. And I was most certainly clueless to the state’s well-embraced hunting heritage that included a history of deer camps — just like I remember — at grandpa’s farm, a wall tent in the badlands or campers parked near a shelterbelt to break the wind.
I’ve been part of a handful of deer camps in North Dakota over the years and I miss them all. I miss the mouse traps going off in the middle of the night, wondering if it was caused by my bird dog licking the peanut butter bait or a real mouse meeting its end. I miss standing around wooden, electrical cable spools turned on end inside a metal pole barn to talk about the day, and I miss the stews, stroganoffs and hotdishes eaten off paper plates with plastic forks.
Gripping the back of Dad’s kitchen chair, I would stand listening with great interest as the adults retold stories of big mule deer bucks shot, bigger bucks missed, the time when one of my aunts shot a young mule deer buck that made the mistake of running through camp,
Jack drags a whitetail doe across public land back to the pickup.
Resting after skinning and quartering two deer.
Our last deer camp, based about an hour from home and 10 minutes from where we do most of our hunting, was, as I understand it, sold. While it was perfect for the kids and me, we made the transition to basing our small operation out of our home in Bismarck, which means we have to get up earlier than most would like to make the drive and hike into favorite morning rockpile perches to catch deer moving, but we do get to sleep in familiar beds, so things even out.
If you don’t count Christmas, the early November deer opener is one of the few times during the year that we’re all together as family. One wandering home from college, one from out-of-state and one from across town. That, like the deer season, is celebrated no matter where we lay our heads at night.
RON WILSON is editor of North Dakota OUTDOORS.
By Ron Wilson
A nice yellow perch netted in fall by Game and Fish Department fisheries biologists.
At the time of year when most anglers have swapped fishing rods for shotguns, North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel are still fishing.
As part of the Department’s management of the many fisheries around the state, biologists sample young-ofthe-year fish — from walleye to yellow perch, to bluegill, and so on — with a variety of nets in fall to assess the survival of stocked and naturally reproduced fish based on the number and sizes of fish caught.
“When we do our fall reproduction surveys, we typically use a combination of small, mesh gill nets that are designed to capture those smaller fish. And those gill nets tend to be really effective at sampling this year’s young-of-the-year walleye and perch, in particular,” said Paul Bailey, Department south central fisheries supervisor in Bismarck. “We also set some trap nets which can catch some walleye and perch but are typically better designed to sample our primary forage base, fathead minnows, in many of our lakes.”
Scott Gangl, Department fisheries management section leader, said the results of this fall’s survey efforts were kind of all over the board.
“Most years, we’ll see a pattern statewide where conditions were really good or conditions were really bad, but this year we’re not seeing any real consistent patterns with reproduction,” Gangl said. “Some of our
“The larger these fish are into the fall, usually the better assured we are that these fish are going to recruit to that population and produce for anglers down the road,”
BAILEY SAID.
Paul Bailey, Game and Fish Department south central fisheries supervisor in Bismarck, with a healthy West Lake Napoleon walleye.
walleye lakes have been good, some have been bad. What we’re seeing is probably a lot of the simpler fish communities in our newer lakes that just have, say, walleye and maybe some perch in them, they seem to have done pretty well this year in terms of stocking success. Or, in a few cases, we’ve seen some natural reproduction, but we’re not seeing that consistently
The same holds true for every other species, too. Fisheries biologists are seeing some panfish reproduction, but not great. They’re seeing some yellow perch production in some places, but
Even so, the good news is 2023 was a really good year across the state. That was one of those years fisheries biologists did see a pattern and it was really consistent with really good reproduction and stocking success
“What you typically find is when you have a good year-class one year, the next year it’s a little bit more sup -
pressed,” Gangl said. “And so, we’re not too concerned about any of the lakes that didn’t do well this year. It’s just part of the cycle where we had good reproduction and stocking last year.”
Biologists measure and count the fish after they are netted. By assessing the lengths of the fish, it provides fisheries managers insight into the growing conditions in the lake since those fish were either stocked or naturally reproduced.
“The larger these fish are into the fall, usually the better assured we are that these fish are going to recruit to that population and produce for anglers down the road,” Bailey said.
Gangl said the Department has a priority system when it comes to sampling fish and fisheries biologists try to get to those priority waters — lakes Oahe, Sakakawea and Devils Lake — every year. But the work doesn’t stop there as fisheries biologists do sample as many of the 400-plus waters as possible across North Dakota.
Gangl said. “This is really important information to get in the fall right before we go into winter and we’re making those management decisions for a lot of our lakes.”
Concerning those priority waters, Gangl said fisheries biologists did see a pretty good catch of young walleye on Devils Lake, probably a little above average over the long-term.
“Lake Sakakawea is an interesting one because biologist didn’t see good numbers of young walleye, but they saw young-of-the-year throughout the reservoir,” Gangl said. “That’s interesting because we didn’t stock Lake Sakakawea with walleye this year and so that’s all natural reproduction. We didn’t stock it this year because we’ve had a few good years of reproduction, and once you start seeing those young year-classes building up, we want to take a year off every now and then and let the forage base kind of catch up so there’s enough food for everything to continue to grow and survive.”
we look at things like emerald shiners, young-of-theyear crappie, young-of-the-year white bass, anything smaller than six inches could be a meal for a walleye, pike, catfish or any game fish down there,” he said. “We didn’t see particularly good numbers of most of those alternate forages, but we did see some gizzard shad reproduction this year, which is good because that was a primary forage base back in the late 2000s. When we get some cold weather, they don’t really survive the winters very well. But when you have a mild winter like we did last winter, we see the adults survive. They can reproduce and those young gizzard shad provide really good forage for game fish. If we have a couple more decent winters where they can survive, we might see some buildup of forage on Oahe again this year.”
RON WILSON is editor of North Dakota OUTDOORS.
Bailey measures fish netted during fall reproduction survey efforts to assess the survival of stocked and naturally reproduced fish.
Managing HealthWildlife
By Ron Wilson
Stephanie Tucker, Game and Fish Department game management section leader, measures a mountain lion in the Department’s wildlife health lab.
We get a whiff of the deer before we see them. It’s not a horrible smell, but you know there are dead animals nearby.
The aroma’s source is two white-tailed does temporarily housed in a big plastic tub with their legs pointing skyward and a young buck lying horizontal on a metal table.
The deer, it is expected, died of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, but that won’t be known for certain until necropsies (defined as autopsies on animals) are performed later this September day.
“We kind of have the beginnings of what I would describe as smoldering EHD,” said Dr. Charlie Bahnson, North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife veterinarian, of the naturally occurring virus spread by a biting midge that is often fatal to whitetailed deer, and less commonly to mule deer, pronghorn and elk. “For about three weeks now we’ve had a trickle of reports coming in of deer suspected of dying of EHD. Our hope, of course, is that this one just kind of stays localized and stays low grade. But, again, that’s why we ask the public to let us know because we try to keep track and decide if there’s any sort of response and management that needs to happen.”
Investigations into these dead animals and others take place in the Game and Fish Department’s wildlife health lab in Bismarck. And at this time of year, with more hunting boots on the ground across North Dakota’s rural landscape, reports of dead or dying animals typically increase.
“For the system to work, we rely on the eyes and ears of people out on the landscape. And when they see sick or dead wildlife, they’ll call us, field staff, or often a warden in the area,” Bahnson said. “And then we’ll figure out what needs to happen next. Does the animal need to be euthanized, or do we let nature takes its course? Does the carcass need to be brought in to do further investigation?”
And the size of the animal in question doesn’t matter.
“The lab was designed to basically handle anything from a bull moose to something very small like, say, a bat,” Bahnson said.
A dead or sick moose euthanized in the field, for example, is loaded into a truck and backed into the lab upon arrival. The animal is then hooked up to the lab’s rail system and either moved into a walk-in freezer or placed on a necropsy table.
“We can efficiently and safely necropsy or break down that whole carcass and then decontaminate all surfaces when we’re done,” Bahnson said. “The lab’s space is also adaptable, meaning we can move stuff around, make space, for example, for 3,000 deer heads that come in as part of our CWD surveillance efforts.”
The facility serves an important role for the agency and the public. And it not just dead stuff that turns heads in the lab and stirs the
Not every animal that comes into the lab is dead. The facility is also used for wildlife management research projects for pheasants, turkeys and so on.
interest of Bahnson and staff.
“We look for diseases or causes of mortality that might be important for human health, wildlife health and domestic animal health, which often have management implications,” Bahnson said siting examples such as pneumonia in bighorn sheep or influenza in birds. “Beyond that, the wildlife health lab is also a space we use to support the Department in other capacities, like potential poaching cases. We also use this space a lot for other wildlife management research projects for pheasants, turkeys, ducks … and anything else that might come down the pike for the Department.”
Bahnson said the lab is busy year-round, not just in fall. Understandable, considering the potential risk a sick or dead animal may pose to humans or domestic livestock.
“Maybe there’s a concern that this deer might have something that poses a risk to livestock. Maybe it potentially has something that poses a risk to other wildlife in the area. We actually deal with a lot of potential rabies cases where it’s a neurologic raccoon or skunk, or anything else that potentially poses a risk to people in the area,” he said. “Whatever that primary concern might be to people in the area, we bring the animal in to try to figure out what’s going on and then interpret the implications, and relay that back out to folks and to livestock producers, while ultimately trying to do our best to manage the health of wildlife.”
Bahnson said that it’s understood that wildlife health is one component of landscape health and human health. It’s all interrelated, tied together.
“And when you have breakdowns in health, that tends to manifest itself in disease or mortality. We’re kind of at the end of that signal, so if we have sick or dead animals showing up, we’re trying to figure out what that means about that overall breakdown in health. Our aim is to help inform the Department in figuring out how we can ultimately work toward better resilience and long-term health to benefit our landscapes, our wildlife, our domestic
animals and, most importantly, the people in North Dakota.”
Back to the dead deer, Bahnson, with knife in hand, said he tries to perform a necropsy the same way every time, regardless of the suspected cause of death.
“I’ll systemically open it up in the same way. I’ll systematically look at each organ. But knowing that EHD is likely, I’ll be looking at specific lesions,” he said. “A lot of times there are patterns of how the lungs look, patterns of how the heart looks, which will strongly point us in a certain direction. But to really confirm that it’s EHD, we’ll also collect samples of spleen and lung and send that off to a referral lab to verify that the virus is actually there.”
While EHD has a tendency to rear its ugly head every year somewhere in North Dakota, it’s always a wonder what mystery that needs to be unraveled will land on the lab’s metal tables.
“There are new, unique situations that pop up all the time. You’re never doing one thing for very long before the annual cycle continues to shift along,” Bahnson said.
RON WILSON is editor of North Dakota OUTDOORS.
A sample is taken from a turkey as part of a research project. The bird was later released into the wild.
Dr. Charlie Bahnson investigates a young buck that likely died of epizootic hemorrhagic disease.
WATER QUALITY INDICATORS
By Ron Wilson
Aaron Larsen searches for aquatic invertebrates in the Heart River.
Dressed in chest waders and armed with a D-frame net, Aaron Larsen disturbs the bottom of the Heart River with the long-handled tool, hoping whatever aquatic invertebrates living underwater wash into the net and reveal themselves.
“We sample for aquatic invertebrates for a variety of reasons, including gathering additional background information for our State Wildlife Action Plan as we try to evaluate some species that may be of conservation need and concern,” said Larsen, North Dakota Game and Fish Department conservation biologist. “We also sample for invertebrates to use them as water quality indicators. They’re useful for a variety of reasons. Collectively, you can use the taxonomic information of the organisms you collect. You can group them based on tolerance values, and kind of get a gauge of what the overall stream health and water quality is like at various locations around the state.”
Overall, he said, the Heart River is a good watershed when you look at it from a biological and water quality perspective, as there is a diverse community of aquatic organisms from benthic macroinvertebrates and, higher up the food chain, smallmouth bass, walleye and other species anglers target.
Aquatic invertebrates lack backbones and spend their entire lives, or a substantial portion of their lives, within a water environment. Some of the typical species Larsen finds in places across the state like the Heart River are dragonfly, mayfly, caddisfly and stonefly larvae.
“In this location we have riffle habitat and then a pool, overhanging vegetation and aquatic vegetation,” Larsen said of the section of the Heart River near Mandan. “What we want to do is grab a representative sample from all of those different habitat types just to get a collective representative sample of what organisms are residing in this location.”
Some may wonder why this underwater inspection of critters without backbones matters to an agency that, in most people’s views, mostly manage deer, pheasants and walleye.
“Biodiversity across North Dakota’s landscape is important. It’s important to us as a Department and those in the conservation community. We want to maintain as much biological diversity across the landscape as possible,” Larsen said.
“Aquatic invertebrates are also important for the food chain. As I mentioned earlier, a lot of fish species that anglers like to target at some point throughout their life history feed on aquatic invertebrates, making them important members of the food chain as well. And they’re also useful for, like I said, water quality and environmental indicators. And they’re also important for educational opportunities as they have a wide variety of different feeding strategies, reproductive strategies, various life histories that if someone looked closer, they’d get a lot of educational value out of these organisms as well.”
For now, Larsen said the agency is focusing its sampling efforts on rivers and streams across North Dakota. But plans are being developed for the investigations of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands.
While Larsen gave a thumbs up to the Heart River from a biological and environmental perspective, not all watersheds are equal.
“There are locations around the state that you could consider them impaired or highly influenced by various human activities, anthropogenic stresses, such as the construction of roads,” he said. “We have urban development, a lot of agricultural practices, sedimentation and erosion, those types of things. There’s a lot of different human influences that put stress on our waterways.”
Even so, after years of nosing around North Dakota waterways for the Game and Fish Department and the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality before that, Larsen said he’s optimistic about the condition of the state’s rivers, streams and other waters as we move into the future.
“I think overall environmental awareness is heightened these days. And I think most folks, whether you live in an urban setting like BismarckMandan or you’re an agricultural producer in a rural setting, take pride in their local watersheds and watershed health because watersheds, they basically mirror what happens on the landscape,” he said. “Because they’re good indicators of what’s happening on the landscape, most people are aware and want to do the right thing and leave the environment better for the future generations.”
RON WILSON is editor of North Dakota OUTDOORS.
Heading into its 20th year in the state, the National Archery in the Schools Program is in more than 200 schools across North Dakota.
According to Jeff Long, Game and Fish Department education coordinator, that means anywhere from 12,000 to 16,000 students are annually participating in the program in North Dakota.
“While there are other aspects of NASP, such as afterschool tournaments, the heart of the program is the kids in the gymnasium doing archery every day across North Dakota,” Long said.
One of the schools is The Innovation School in Bismarck where NASP has been a staple for six years for fourth- through eighth-graders.
“While some of the kids took to it really well, there were others who had to work at it a little harder, but the confidence they gained by persevering has been really fun to watch,” said Kelsy Achtenberg, The Innovation School teacher and dean of students. “We just kind of did a survey the other day on who would want to continue doing this. And they’re all, like, ‘it’s so fun and it’s easy.’ And that’s the cool thing about it is anyone can do it and it is a lifelong sport. It’s something they can use the rest of their lives.”
Achtenberg said students at The Innovation School shoot three times per week in spring and fall.
“The program is so rewarding … every student has said that when we’re shooting, it’s their favorite time of year,” she said. “And I agree. I always try to find ways where I can be on a team so I can shoot, too.”
Like a lot of schools, funding through the Game and Fish Department and NASP is the only way The Innovation School can make the program available to its students.
“There’s a combination of grants available through the Game and Fish Department and NASP. The NASP grant varies anywhere from $750 to $1,000, depending on a school’s needs for the amount of equipment they’re buying … maybe even higher than that for some of the larger schools that need more equipment,” Long said. “Game and Fish grant covers 50% of the startup costs. The startup costs are running right around $3,500 for the entire kit. That’s the bows, net, arrows, bow rack, targets … everything they need to shoot.”
Kelsy Achtenberg and her students practice their archery skills earlier this fall in Bismarck.
FUNDS AVAILABLE TO KICKSTART FUN FUNDS AVAILABLE TO KICKSTART FUN
BY RON WILSON
As a newcomer to the activity, Achtenberg said the online resources through Game and Fish and NASP and training from Long were invaluable.
“Working with Jeff was great. I came into this not having any background knowledge … the training, not only as a shooter but as an educator, was invaluable,” she said.
Long said funding is available and encourages schools without a NASP program and an interest in introducing the activity to students to simply start the process.
“First thing, get in touch with me. I’ll give you all the ins and outs of the program. You fill out an application and once we get the paperwork done, you get into the training part,” Long said. “I do most of those trainings and that’s scheduled through me. Sometimes we’ll meet in Bismarck, and we’ll set up a location. A lot of times I just come out to the school if we can get enough people to that location to do the training. Right now, I have five trainings scheduled between now and November. After they get the training, it’s a matter of getting the grant finalized, getting the equipment ordered and delivered, and then you’re shooting.”
Long can be reached at 701-328-6322 or email at jrlong@nd.gov.
While it’s hard to imagine NASP being in North Dakota schools as long as it has, Long said he knew the program was going to be a good fit after it was launched in Kentucky.
“It was developed by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to help stem the loss of
hunting and fishing and try to introduce a new thing to students,” he said. “It grew to surrounding states, then all of a sudden, it’s in dozens of states. I really had no doubt that it would eventually make its way to North Dakota.”
While NASP hangs its hat on teaching students patience, focus, perseverance, attention to detail and self-discipline, Long said the in-school program is also safe.
“The track record of the program on the national level for more than 20 years speaks for itself,” Long said. “NASP still has a 100% perfect safety record. It’s all about the training and discipline. The program is designed, and the training is provided as such that the kids want to do it and so they follow the rules. And when they follow the rules, everybody’s safe.”
RON WILSON is editor of North Dakota OUTDOORS.
BUFFALOBERRY PATCH
CWD Testing, Disposal Requirements
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will continue its Hunter-Harvested Surveillance program during the 2024 hunting season by sampling deer for chronic wasting disease from select units in the northeastern portion of the state.
Samples will be tested from deer taken from units 1, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F1, 2K1, 2K2, 2L, 3A4 and 3B2. Outside of this area, hunters can still have their animal tested by taking to a Game and Fish district office, deer head collection site or by using a self-sampling kit.
CWD is a slow-moving brain disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause population-level impacts under high infection rates.
Hunters are encouraged to drop off heads of adult or yearling deer at collection locations listed on the Department’s website at gf.nd.gov. Fawns and head-shot deer cannot be tested. Hunters wishing to keep the heads can bring them to a Game and Fish district office during business hours to have them sampled.
Self-sampling kits are available for hunters who wish to have their deer tested but are unable to drop the head at a collection site. The do-it-yourself kit allows hunters to remove the lymph nodes and ship them to the Department’s wildlife health lab for testing. The kits can be found on the Department’s website and at district offices.
Results can be expected within four weeks and will be sent to your Game and Fish My Account inbox.
Hunters are also reminded that carcass disposal requirements now apply statewide. The entire carcass can be transported outside of the gun unit where it was harvested. If transported out of the gun unit, the carcass
waste (material left after processing) must be disposed of via landfill or waste management provider. This requirement does not apply to heads dropped at CWD collection sites, or lymph nodes submitted for CWD surveillance.
More information on CWD is available at the Game and Fish website.
Ice Fishing Regulations
Anglers are encouraged to refer to the 2024-26 North Dakota Fishing Guide or the Game and Fish Department’s website at gf.nd.gov for winter fishing regulations.
Some winter fishing regulations include:
• A maximum of four poles is legal for ice fishing. However, when fishing a water body where both open water and ice occur at the same time, an angler is allowed a maximum of four poles, of which no more than two poles can be used in open water.
• Tip -ups are legal, and each tip-up is considered a single pole.
• There is no restriction on the size of the hole in the ice while fishing. When a hole larger than 10 inches in diameter is left in the ice, the area in the immediate vicinity must be marked with a natural object.
• It is only legal to release fish back into the water immediately after they are caught. Once a fish is held in a bucket or on a stringer, they can no longer be legally released in any water.
• It is illegal to catch fish and transport them in water.
• It is illegal to leave fish, including bait, behind on the ice.
• Depositing or leaving any litter or other waste material on the ice or shore is illegal.
• Any dressed fish to be transported, if frozen, must be packaged so that the fillets are separated and thus can be easily counted without thawing. Two fillets count as one fish.
• The daily limit is a limit of fish taken from midnight to midnight, and no person may possess more than one day’s limit of fish while actively engaged in fishing. The possession limit is the maximum number of fish that an angler may have in his or her possession during a fishing trip of more than one day.
Evaluating the Hunting Season
North Dakota hunters receiving a survey this winter are encouraged help with wildlife management by completing the survey online or returning it to the state Game and Fish Department.
Chad Parent, Department survey coordinator, said big game, small game, waterfowl, swan, turkey and furbearer questionnaires will be mailed to randomly selected hunters.
Parent said it is important hunters complete and promptly return the survey, even if they did not hunt. The harvest survey allows Game and Fish to evaluate the hunting season, to determine the number of hunters, amount of hunting activity and size of the harvest.
A follow-up survey will be mailed to those not responding to the first survey.
Darkhouse Spearfishing Registration
North Dakota’s darkhouse spearfishing season opens whenever ice-up occurs. The season extends through March 15. Legal fish are northern pike and
nongame species.
In addition, for Stump Lake and the Devils Lake complex south of U.S. Highway 2 and the Missouri River System (including lakes Sakakawea, Oahe and the Missouri River) up to the first tributary bridge, walleyes are also legal.
Darkhouse spearing is allowed for all anglers with a valid fishing license and for youth under age 16.
Individuals who are required to possess the needed valid fishing license to participate in darkhouse spearfishing must register with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department prior to participating. Registration is available at the Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, or through any Game and Fish Department office.
All waters open to hook and line fishing are open to darkhouse spearing except: Lake Audubon, East Park Lake and West Park Lake, all McLean County; Heckers Lake, Sheridan County; Larimore Dam, Grand Forks County; McClusky Canal; New Johns Lake, Burleigh County; Red Willow Lake, Griggs County; Wood Lake, Benson County; Lake Ashtabula, Barnes and Griggs counties; and Whitman Dam, Nelson County.
Anglers should refer to the 2024-26 North Dakota Fishing Guide for more information.
Report Violations with RAP
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department encourages hunters, anglers and landowners who witness a fish or wildlife violation to file a report with the Report All Poachers program.
Witnesses should report a violation by calling RAP at 701328-9921.
Witnesses should note the vehicle description, including make, color, license plate number and state issued. Description of the violator should also be considered.
The RAP line offers rewards – from $100 to $1,000 depending on the nature and seriousness of the crime –for information leading to the conviction of fish and wildlife law violators. Reports can also go directly to game wardens or other law enforcement agencies. Callers can remain anonymous.
Order 2025 NDO Calendar
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is taking orders for its North Dakota OUTDOORS calendar, the source for all hunting season and application dates for 2025. Along with color photographs of North Dakota’s wildlife and outstanding scenery, it also includes sunrise-sunset times and moon phases.
Calendars must be order online by visiting the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
The calendar is the North Dakota OUTDOORS magazine’s December issue, so current subscribers will automatically receive it in the mail.
Historical Look at Waterfowl in North Dakota
The storied past of waterfowl in North Dakota is uniquely revealed in the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s publication, “The Duck Factory – A History of Waterfowl in North Dakota.”
Certainly of interest to waterfowlers and other outdoor enthusiasts, the 213-page, full color, soft-cover publication is authored by Mike Jacobs and Erik Fritzell. The book traces the history of waterfowl species and their habitats in North Dakota.
“The Duck Factory” is an important story because of North Dakota’s longtime and continuing contribution to the world of migratory birds, said Mike Szymanski, Department migratory game bird management supervisor.
“North Dakota is the most important state for breeding ducks,” he added. “The contribution of ducks from North Dakota into the fall flight is unmatched by any other state, and its importance to duck hunters cannot be understated. Describing the history of waterfowl in North Dakota was a story that we felt was certainly worth telling.”
The book is sold only online for $24.99, including shipping, on the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov, by clicking on Buy and Apply, and then Shop.
Angler’s Bullhead Breaks Record
Daniel Wegener’s bullhead caught Sept. 27 broke a state record for the species that’s been in the books for more than 35 years.
The Fort Totten angler reeled in his 4-pound, 9-ounce bullhead from Devils Lake.
The previous record of 4 pounds, 1 ounce was established in 1988 by Riley Zavada, a Wolford angler who was also fishing Devils Lake.
Salmon Spawn Completed
Fisheries crews completed their annual salmon spawning operation on Lake Sakakawea, collecting 1.9 million eggs.
Russ Kinzler, North Dakota Game and Fish Department Missouri River System fisheries supervisor, said the 2024 spawn was almost perfect with lots of fish and great weather.
“The numbers of fish in the spawn this year were amazing to see, and we saw a noticeable increase in the size of our salmon compared to last year,” Kinzler said. “In addition to collecting enough eggs for our needs, we were able to help South Dakota by collecting over 715,000 eggs for their salmon program.”
Kinzler said the eggs should be enough to stock the 350,000 smolts planned for Lake Sakakawea in 2025.
The average size of female salmon was 5.8 pounds, more than a pound larger than last year. The largest salmon was 9.7 pounds.
BACK CAST
We met over hamburgers in Harvey.
Good thing because, no matter how cliché it sounds, the Horace couple saved our bacon.
Let me back up.
On opening morning of North Dakota’s moose season I was glassing public land in Wells County before sunrise looking for something so big, so obvious. Many of the dark shapes and patches of brush spotted through binoculars at several hundred yards looked like moose in the low light but were really just dark shapes and patches of brush.
Until they weren’t.
After a month of scouting, hours of doubt and wondering if I was looking in the right places, I finally spotted my first moose. The slow-moving pale legs of a bull and cow gave them away in the day’s first light as they headed north along a shelterbelt.
A half-hour later, after crawling under the wildlife management area boundary fence, and hiking with what little wind there was in my face, I slipped through one of many tree rows that checkerboard the landscape and saw the bull at 50 yards.
By Ron Wilson
Thinking I couldn’t get this lucky, and wondering when my kids would get here later in the day from college and home to help in the aftermath of what was certainly going to happen next, I knew the cow, the animal I was legally allowed to shoot, would step out at any moment. But she didn’t.
With the bull not going anywhere, I hung around long enough to watch two more bulls wander in from the west and join him. I’m guessing they knew I was there, hiding behind a tree with my rifle over a shoulder, but gave me a pass to stand and watch. Maybe we were all waiting for the cow, killing time on one of those madeto-order October mornings that makes standing around and doing little to nothing in good looking country pretty tolerable.
Back to the hamburgers in Harvey.
Now joined by my kids, sitting on high-back chairs and scanning the menu after a full day in the field and still dressed in our hunter orange, Jacob and Lindsey Beto asked what we were hunting. It turned out that Lindsey had an any moose license, had spent the day hunting near us on the opener as they looked for a bull. Stories were swapped, as well as cellphone numbers, with promises to text if we saw a bull and they saw a cow.
I got a text from Jacob Saturday morning at 8:06 a.m. about a cow they spotted heading to the piece of public land we were hunting. Maybe an hour later, after I had pulled the trigger and was standing over an animal that was so big and so obvious for that mostly open country, up walked the Horace couple, who had watched the hunt unfold from a prairie hilltop, ready to help.
While I’ve heard many North Dakota nice stories when it comes to landowners with farm equipment at the ready to help once-in-a-lifetime moose hunters after the harvest, this was something different. This was a mile hike in on public land, with the promise of a tougher, weighted hike out after doing much of the skinning and quartering.
This was North Dakota nice on another level.
RON WILSON is editor of North Dakota OUTDOORS.
Lindsey Beto and her bull moose shot in October.
North Dakota Outdoors Magazine
North Dakota Game and Fish Department
100 N. Bismarck Expressway
Bismarck, ND 58501
To renew your subscription or change your address, call 701-328-6300 or go to gf.nd.gov/buy-apply.
This long-tailed weasel has taken up residence on Game and Fish Department property in Bismarck. The weasel, pictured here in early November with a cottontail rabbit, has also been seen with a fox squirrel. This furbearer is a highly specialized predator. It’s sight, smell and hearing are acute. Three species of weasels occur in North Dakota. Joining the long-tailed are the short-tailed and the least weasel. All three weasel species turn white in winter. The short-tailed and long-tailed retain the black tipped tail, while the least weasel’s tail turns completely white. Contrary to popular belief, cold temperatures and snow cover have nothing to do with a weasel’s winter molt. It results totally from a change in the amount of available light (photoperiod). Weasels are the only carnivores in North Dakota that change color from summer to winter.
