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Outdoors

Youth Outdoor Festival planned for Minot

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department, local wildlife clubs and other sponsors will usher youngsters into fall during the annual Youth Outdoor Festival in Minot. The event is Thursday, Aug. 28, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Game and Fish Conservation and Outdoors Skills Park on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair. Young outdoor enthusiasts will experience outdoor activities that relate to archery, fishing, waterfowl and upland game. Prizes will be awarded and a free barbeque will be provided. For more information, contact N.D. Game and Fish Department.

Pronghorn lottery held

North Dakota’s pronghorn lottery has been held and all 1,305 licenses were issued. In total, 16,488 applications were received, including 837 gratis applications.

PLOTS guide available

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide for 2025 is available online. The guide will feature about 880,000 PLOTS acres. Because PLOTS tracts can be added or removed from the program throughout the year, hunters are encouraged to use the Game and Fish mobile app or other mapping and browser-based applications to locate and identify these tracts. Map sheets are updated weekly on the department’s website. The PLOTS guide features maps highlighting walk-in areas, identified in the field by inverted triangular yellow signs, as well as other ...

Fall turkey season set

The fall turkey season is set with 4,310 licenses available to hunters, 235 less than last year. One of the 21 hunting units has more licenses than last year, eight have fewer licenses and 12 units remain the same. Unit 21 (Hettinger and Adams counties), which has been closed for several years due to a low turkey population because of a lack of quality habitat, has been extended into units 44 and 06 to allow for more opportunities. Applicants can apply online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish online The deadline is Sept. 3. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to ...

Deer archery season opens

North Dakota’s deer bow season opens Friday, Aug. 29, at noon and continues through Jan. 4. Bowhunters can buy a license online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department or at vendors linked to the department’s online licensing system. Hunters should plan accordingly and allow for time to receive their tag in the mail, as the tag will arrive by postal mail and not over the counter while the customer waits. This applies while purchasing a bow license at a license vendor, or at the Game and Fish Department. The bow tag will be mailed the next business day after the license is ...

Waterfowl habitat stamp, federal duck stamp requirements

A new North Dakota law requires all waterfowl hunters, regardless of age, to have a state-issued waterfowl habitat restoration stamp in possession while afield this fall. Waterfowl include ducks, geese, swans, mergansers and coots. Senate bill 2216 requires every resident and nonresident waterfowl hunter to purchase an electronic waterfowl habitat restoration stamp for $5. Money generated from e-stamp sales is earmarked for the Waterfowl Habitat Improvement Fund, which is aimed at improving and restoring waterfowl habitat and supporting youth hunting programs. In addition, a federal ...