Tag Archives: nd game and fish department

North Dakota pheasant numbers take healthy jump

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The North Dakota Game and Fish Department had good news for pheasant hunters today when it announced that populations and brood production this spring were much improved from last year.

Pheasant production and pheasant populations are up substantially from last year across North Dakota, the Game and Fish Department reported Wednesday in releasing results of its annual population and brood-count survey. (N.D. Game and Fish Department photo)

That means hunters can expect to encounter more birds in the field when the state’s pheasant season opens Oct. 13.

In a news release, Stan Kohn, the department’s go-to guy on pheasants, said the birds are up 59 percent from last year, with brood counts up 65 percent and the average brood size up 16 percent.

Kohn attributed the rebound to a mild winter and near-perfect spring weather that created ideal conditions for production. Still, there’s a caveat to the outlook, he said.

“The increase in numbers from last year is encouraging, but hunters are cautioned that the landscape has changed since last fall,” Kohn said. “A great deal of habitat has been either hayed or converted to cropland as Conservation Reserve Program acres continue to diminish.”

Here’s a look at the results by survey area:

Southwestern North Dakota: Brood counts in the state’s best pheasant range were up 37 percent and bird numbers were up 30 percent, at 19 broods and 168 birds per 100 miles. The average brood size was 6.5

Southeast: Bird numbers were up 134 percent from last year, and brood counts rose 144 percent to nine broods and 88 birds per 100 miles. The average brood size was 6.6.

Northwest: Pheasants were up 258 percent, with brood counts 268 percent higher than last year. The survey tallied nine broods and 79 birds per 100 miles, and the average brood size was 6.3.

Northeast: Never a pheasant hotbed, the northeast saw 1.5 broods and 12 birds per 100 miles, with bird numbers up 155 percent  and brood counts 275 percent higher than last year. The average brood size was 4.9.

Game and Fish personnel sample 255 runs along 106 brood routes across the state to conduct the annual survey.

N.D. Game and Fish launches new-look website

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If you’re a regular user of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, you’ll notice it as a new look today.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department's website now has a new look.

The department has “dressed up” the site, adding graphics and other features to what previously was very much a bare bones — but still useful — source of information.

At first glance, the new site continues that mission. And looks better in the process.

“It’s been a few years since we last redesigned our site,” Craig Bihrle, Game and Fish Department communications supervisor, said in a news release. “The new version gives us more options for using images and video to promote our programs and events. We’ve still got some odds and ends to work on, but we wanted to get it out there when a lot of hunters and anglers are coming to our site to apply for deer licenses or buy their fishing licenses.”

Bar none, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department has the easiest, most user-friendly online licensing system I’ve ever used. Fortunately, the change won’t affect that.

“Once you decide to buy a license online, you’re redirected to the same secure site as before,” Birhle said.

Next up, Birhle said, Game and Fish will start working on a mobile app.

To see the new-look website, click here. To comment, email the department at ndgf.@nd.gov.

 

N.D. paddlefish harvest season closes Friday

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As expected, this year’s harvest season for paddlefish in western North Dakota is going to be a short one.

Greg Gullickson of Minot with a paddlefish he caught during the 2007 snagging season in western North Dakota near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers.

The Game and Fish Department announced this afternoon that the snagging season will close to additional harvest at 1 p.m. CDT on Friday to protect populations of the prehistoric-looking fish that stage each spring near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers.

Snag-and-release fishing will be allowed from Saturday through May 18.

“Relatively low water levels concentrating the paddlefish and high interest in snagging are responsible for the early closure,” Greg Power, Game and Fish Department fisheries chief, said this afternoon in a news release.

North Dakota’s 2012-14 fishing proclamation allows for the Game and Fish director to close the snagging season early if it appears more than 1,000 paddlefish will be harvested. If the season had remained open through the intended closing date of May 31, the harvest cap of 1,000 fish would have been exceeded substantially, putting additional pressure on the existing population, Power said. Only twice in the past 12 years has the season remained open through May.

Paddlefish snagging is allowed only from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. during each day of the additional seven-day season. No gaffs may be used.