North Dakota Outdoors and beyond

First stop is South Dakota. Once the birds begin (and they have) arriving in northern tier counties the day’s get closer to a North Dakota arrival. Here’s the latest:

This information is current as of Monday, April 1, 2013.
The snow geese are just starting to make it up to the Sand Lake area. A few small
flocks of snow geese were seen near Sand Lake over the weekend and early this
afternoon there were large flocks flying in the vicinity of Sand Lake. None were seen on
the ground. There are reports of large numbers of snow geese up near US highway 12, in
the Aberdeen and Groton areas, and in southern Brown County and throughout Spink and
Beadle Counties.
There is still about 4 inches of snow at Sand Lake and very little open water.
Temperatures are predicted to reach near 50 degrees by Wednesday, and then drop back
to the 40’s the remainder of the week.

North Dakota’s 2013 bighorn sheep auction license sold for a record $75,000 at the March 23 Midwest Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation annual meeting in Bloomington, Minn. The previous high of $50,000 was set in 2007.

In addition, a 5 percent conservation fee for all auction licenses generated an additional $3,750 from the sale of North Dakota’s license.

North Dakota’s auction license allows the winning bidder the rare privilege of pursuing a North Dakota bighorn on a self-guided hunt.

One hundred percent of the auction license proceeds are used to enhance bighorn sheep management in North Dakota. Since 1986, more than $1 million has been raised for wild sheep conservation through the sale of the license.

03/28/2013: NW Hand 3, SW Hand 9, NE Hand 3, SE Hand 3: Last night approximately 100,000 - 150,000 snow geese moved into the Collins Slough GPA area in Hand County and there are about 10,000 snow geese in the Wall Lake Game Bird Refuge in Hand County with more moving in all the time. There are a few small flocks north of there.

North Dakota’s 2013 moose, elk and bighorn sheep proclamation is finalized and applications are available at the State Game and Fish Department’s website. The deadline for applying is March 27.

A total of 111 moose licenses are available in 2013, 32 fewer than last year.

Randy Kreil, Game and Fish Department wildlife chief, said a downward population trend in the northeastern portion of the state is of great concern. “Unit M1C will remain closed,” Kreil said, “and in addition, unit M4, which encompasses the Turtle Mountains, is also closed this year.”

In 2012, unit M4 had only seven moose licenses, Kreil added, with only two moose harvested.

Game and Fish is also making a couple of other changes designed to bolster the moose population. All licenses this year are for “any moose,” while in previous years some were specific to antlerless moose. “We think that the ‘any’ tags will protect the cow segment of the population,” Kreil said, “as records indicate most hunters choose to fill their ‘any’ tags with a bull rather than a cow.”

The moose season in units M8, M9 and M10 will open a week later than in previous years to avoid the peak of the rut. Data collected over the last year indicates a number of unbred cows were documented in those units, Kreil said, and opening the season a week later in October may improve breeding success by reducing disturbance during the peak of the mating season.

A total of 261 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, 40 fewer than last year.

The number of elk licenses in units E3 and E4 is reduced by 40 due to the successful population reduction effort by the National Park Service in Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s south unit. A total of 937 elk – 701 adult cows – were taken out of the park by the reduction effort, and an additional 363 elk were taken by licensed hunters in E3 and E4 during the last three hunting seasons. Based on a recent elk survey, the estimated number of elk in the park is below 200, Kreil said.

On the positive side, elk unit E1 has been expanded to include parts of the Turtle Mountains, due to a growing elk population largely attributed to animals migrating in from Canada.

The bighorn sheep season will have four licenses available, the same as last year. One license is available in units B1/B2, B3 and B4. In addition, one license is auctioned through the Midwest Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation. The bighorn sheep hunter drawing the license in units B1/B2 is eligible to hunt both units.

To apply online, access the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. Paper applications will be available on the website (for printing) and at license vendors the week of March 11.

Bighorn sheep, moose and elk lottery licenses are issued as once-in-a-lifetime licenses in North Dakota. Hunters who have received a license through the lottery in the past are not eligible to apply for that species again.

Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to attend a North Dakota Game and Fish Department advisory board meeting in their area.

These public meetings, held each spring and fall, provide citizens with an opportunity to discuss fish and wildlife issues and ask questions of their district advisors and agency personnel.

In addition, prior to each meeting this spring, Game and Fish along with other conservation partners, will hold an informational session for landowners interested in qualifying land for the Conservation Reserve Program general signup May 20-June 14. These special sessions begin an hour before the regular meeting, with a short formal presentation at 6:30.

The governor appoints eight Game and Fish Department advisors, each representing a multi-county section of the state, to serve as a liaison between the department and public.

Any person who requires an auxiliary aid or service must notify the contact person at least five days prior to the scheduled meeting date.

District 3 – Counties: Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Ramsey, Rolette and Towner

Date: April 15 – 7 p.m.

Location: Rolla

Host: To be announced

Contact: To be announced

Advisory board member: Tom Rost, Devils Lake, 662-8620

District 8 – Counties: Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope and Stark

Date: April 15 – 7 p.m.

Location: Great Plains National Bank, Belfield

Host: Belfield Sportsmen’s Club

Contact: Bruce Baer, 575-4153

Advisory board member: Dwight Hecker, Fairfield, 575-4952

District 1 – Counties: Divide, McKenzie and Williams

Date: April 16 – 7 p.m.

Location: Civic Center, Watford City

Host: McKenzie County Pheasants Forever

Contact: Rick Pokrzywinski, 842-3174

Advisory board member: Jason Leiseth, Arnegard, 586-3714

District 4 – Counties: Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina and Walsh

Date: April 16 – 7 p.m.

Location: American Legion, Fordville

Host: Dakota Prairie Wildlife Club

Contact: Lynn Baier, 229-3665

Advisory board member: Ronald Houdek, Tolna, 262-4724

District 2 – Counties: Bottineau, Burke, McHenry, Mountrail, Pierce, Renville and Ward

Date: April 17 – 7 p.m.

Location: Grand International Inn, Minot

Host: Pheasants for the Future

Contact: Jon Hughes, 500-5478

Advisory board member: Robert Gjellstad, Voltaire, 338-2281

District 6 – Counties: Barnes, Dickey, Foster, Griggs, Logan, LaMoure, McIntosh, Stutsman and Wells

Date: April 17 – 7 p.m.

Location: VFW Club, Valley City

Host: Barnes County Wildlife Club

Contact: Perry Kapaun, 490-1797

Advisory board member: Joel Christoferson, Litchville, 973-4981

District 5 – Counties: Cass, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele and Traill

Date: April 18 – 7 p.m.

Location: City Hall, Casselton

Host: Cass County Wildlife Club

Contact: Lorne Sterner, 347-4716

Advisory board member: Loran Palmer, Wahpeton, 274-8826

District 7 – Counties: Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan and Sioux

Date: April 18 – 7 p.m.

Location: Community Center, Tuttle

Host: Tuttle Wildlife Club

Contact: Randal Sand, 867-2513

Advisory board member: Frank Kartch, Bismarck, 516-2156

Hunters, trappers and anglers are reminded that new fishing and furbearer licenses are required April 1.

The dates for the furbearer license coincide with fishing season. The 2013-14 licenses are effective April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014.

Licenses can be purchased online by accessing the online services link at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Wildlife, shooting, civic and fraternal organizations are urged to submit an application for the Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters program, a State Game and Fish Department grant program developed to assist in recruitment of the next generation of hunters and shooters.

Grant funds will help cover event expenses, including promotional printing; event memorabilia such as shirts, caps or vests; ammunition and targets, and eye and ear protection.

Past funding has enabled several groups to conduct youth pheasant and waterfowl hunts, while others have sponsored trap and other shooting events, including archery and rifle shooting.

Any club or organization interested in conducting a youth hunting or shooting event can get more information, including a grant application, from the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov, or by contacting outreach biologist Pat Lothspeich at(701) 328-6332.

The deadline to apply for a 2013 grant is April 19.

Report Bald Eagle Nest Sightings

Even though bald eagle nests in North Dakota are more common today than in the past, the State Game and Fish Department is asking for help in documenting locations.

Sandra Johnson, Game and Fish Department conservation biologist, emphasizes the department is looking for locations of nests with eagles present, not individual eagle sightings. “March and April is the best time to see an eagle nest, as eagles are actively incubating eggs,” Johnson said. “It may become difficult later in spring to see the nest because of leaves beginning to grow on trees.”

Johnson said it is easy to distinguish an eagle nest because of its enormous size. “They stand out because of the large tree and the size of the nest,” she said.

Historically, Johnson said eagle nests were found along the Missouri River. “Now they have been observed in more than half of the counties in the state, mostly near streams and mid- to large-sized lakes, but also in unique areas such as shelterbelts surrounded by cropland or pasture,” she added.

Johnson estimates the state has around 100 active bald eagle nests, possibly more.

Nest observations should be reported to Johnson at (701) 328-6382, or by email at ndgf@nd.gov. Johnson asks observers not to disturb the nest, and to stay away at a safe distance. “It is important not to approach the nest as foot traffic may disturb the bird, likely causing the eagle to leave her eggs unattended,” she said.

2012 Deer Gun Season Summarized

North Dakota deer hunters took approximately 34,500 deer during the 2012 deer gun hunting season.

The State Game and Fish Department made available 65,150 deer gun licenses in 2012, and more than 95 percent were issued. Overall hunter success was 63 percent, and each hunter spent an average of 4.4 days in the field.

Randy Kreil, wildlife chief, said this past season’s hunter success rate bounced back from an all-time low of 51 percent in 2011. “The 63 percent clip is fairly good, but still below the long-term average of around 70 percent,” he added. “In addition, the number of days spent hunting is still higher than usual, which is expected with lower deer populations.”

Hunter success for antlered white-tailed deer was 76 percent, and antlerless whitetail was 62 percent.

Mule deer buck success was 81 percent. No mule deer doe licenses were issued in 2012.

Hunters with any-antlered or any-antlerless licenses almost exclusively harvest white-tailed deer. These buck and doe hunters each had a success rate of 64 percent.

The department is in the process of determining recommendations for licenses in the 2013 deer proclamation. These recommendations will be discussed at the upcoming Game and Fish public advisory board meetings, scheduled for the week of April 15-18. The proclamation will be sent to the governor’s office for approval in late April.

In addition to harvest rates and winter aerial surveys, the department monitors a number of other population indices to determine license numbers, including deer-vehicle collision reports, depredation reports, hunter observations, input at advisory board meetings, and comments from the public, landowners and department field staff.

Tracking Snow Geese

North Dakota spring light goose hunters can track general locations of geese as birds make their way through the state.

Hunters are able to call (701) 328-3697 to hear recorded information 24 hours a day. Migration reports are also posted on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Updates will be provided periodically during the week as migration events occur, until the season ends or geese have left the state.

North Dakota’s spring light goose season continues through May 5. Season information, including licensing requirements and regulations, are also available by accessing the Game and Fish website.