OUTDOOR NOTES
Friday: Muzzleloader deer season opens.
Friday: Late E1 antlerless elk season opens.
Monday: N.D. Game & Fish Dept. public advisory board meeting, 7 p.m., 210 Main St., Berthold; also at 7 p.m., Lake Region State College, Devils Lake.
Tuesday: N.D. Game & Fish Dept. public advisory board meeting, 7 p.m., Watford City Civic Center.
Thursday: Darkhouse spearfishing season opens.
Dec. 4: White-fronted geese, ducks, mergansers, coot and snipe seasons close.
Dec. 10: High Plain duck, coot and merganser units open.
Dec. 11: Muzzleloader deer season closes.
FISHING
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Some area lakes starting to gain ice but walking access not recommended yet but look for some activity as soon as the ice gets better. No activity on Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon. Weather permitting, Missouri River tailrace remains fair to good for walleye.
Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River / area lakes: Continued walleye success in the Missouri River tailrace. Try casting MaxRap or No. 13 original crankbaits. Some activity at the Desert and Eckroth Bottoms south of Bismarck from shore in the early evening. Try soft floating jigs with heavy weights.
Bottineau, Four Seasons, Lake Metigoshe: Some walleye success with the lake iced over and a few anglers walking out.
Bottineau, Lake Metigoshe State Park, Lake Metigoshe: Lake icing over but too early for any walk-on activity. Park trails open to hiking and will be groomed for skiing as snow conditions permit.
Coleharbor, Totten Trail Restaurant, Lakes Audubon and Saka-kawea: A few anglers going to the Missouri River, weather permitting, with continued walleye success.
Devils Lake, Ed's Bait, Devils Lake: Smaller lakes north of Devils Lake producing some northern pike through the ice. Walk-on access only yet and use extreme caution. Little to no activity on Devils Lake with small bays starting to ice along the shoreline.
Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Some bays are just starting to ice over but no ice-fishing activity is advised yet. With other bays and ramps still open, it could be a good time for some late season boat fishing.
Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea / area lakes: Limited activity on area lakes with anglers still going to the Missouri River tailrace and finding nice-sized walleye.
Estevan, Saskatchewan Environment, Rafferty Dam and area lakes: No fishing activity with lakes just starting to get a skim of ice and remain unsafe for access.
Foxholm, Upper Souris NWR, Lake Darling: The lake iced over with a few anglers testing the shoreline but limited reports of success. The Outlet Fishing Area is producing a few northern pike through the ice.
Garrison, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Lakes Audu-bon and Sakakawea: Fewer anglers on the Missouri River but those going continue finding fair walleye success.
Harvey, Coal Mine Lake and area lakes: No activity on area lakes until complete ice-up.
Mandan, Southside MVP, Missouri River / area lakes: Not many anglers on the Missouri River but those going are still finding some walleye. Try jigs and minnows. No reports from the tailrace.
New Town, Scenic 23, Lake Sakakawea: No activity on Lake Sakakawea or the Van Hook Arm with back bays just now starting to ice over slightly.
Pick City, Scott's Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea / Missouri River: Missouri River tailrace continues producing walleye, weather permitting. Fewer trout and salmon. Try jigging or drifting with minnows. Lots of shore-fishing success, as well, casting crankbaits in the evening.
Ruthville, Ruthville Store, Lake Darling and area lakes: Little activity until there's better ice conditions.
Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Saka-kawea / Missouri River / area lakes: A few anglers walking onto small area lakes, as well as the Little Muddy, but no reports yet.
LAKE?LEVELS
Devils Lake elevation, Nov. 23 : 1,453.3 feet above mean sea level.
Stump Lake elevation, Nov. 23 : 1,453.45 feet.
Lake Sakakawea elevation, Nov. 23 : 1,840.4 feet; 28,500 cubic feet per second average Garrison Dam daily releases.
HUNTING
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. game wardens: Deer season results were generally spotty and expect similar success during muzzleloader season. However, there might be more activity with the rut on the backside for the muzzleloader hunters. Late season pheasant hunting now open on major National Wildlife Refuges. Check refuge special regulations, including the use of nontoxic shot, and closed areas within refuges. Keep working harvested cornfields and CRP edges, sloughs or other areas of heavy cover. Most snow geese moved out of northern and west-central N.D. with the cold spell. A few ducks remain on the open water of Lake Sakakawea with good Canada goose numbers yet. Pheasant hunters are reminded to be courteous when hunting around farm shelterbelts.
Arrowwood NWR, Pingree: Most waterfowl moved out of the area with last week's cold weather, although stragglers are still lingering on larger bodies of open water.
Lonetree WMA, Harvey: Major waterfowl movement out of the area last week with many area lakes and wetlands icing over. Overall deer success was fair with fewer deer in the region. Muzzleloader hunters can expect similar results.
Northeast N.D.: A few mallards still around with the open water on Devils Lake but much of the migration is over. Scattered flocks will linger until ice-over, as well.
Northwest N.D.: Few deer during the gun season around the Williston area and muzzleloader hunters will likely see similar low numbers even with the rut. Numbers of Canada geese moving onto the big water of Lake Sakakawea around Deepwater Bay and other bays in the midsection of the lake.
Southern Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Environment: Look for lingering geese to remain on the open waters of boundary Dam until the Dec. 16 end of waterfowl season.
Upper Souris NWR, Foxholm: Remaining waterfowl moved out with Lake Darling iced over. The refuge is one of several Nat'l. Wildlife Refuges open to upland hunting now but activity is light. It's also open to muzzleloader hunting but hunters must remove tree stands daily.
West-central N.D.: Good numbers of dark geese and mallards on the open water of Lake Audubon and Lake Sakakawea. Look for any remaining snow geese to move out soon. Good numbers of cacklers mixed in the bigger Canada geese. A few more pheasants starting to show up with row crop harvest virtually complete. Deer gun season produced mixed results and muzzleloader hunters could look for similar success.
The Dakota Recreation Report is compiled by Patricia Stockdill, a freelance writer who lives in Garrison.