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Outdoors

Spring light goose conservation order open

North Dakota’s spring light goose conservation order opened Feb. 15. It continues through May 11. Residents must have a 2024-25 (valid through March 31) or 2025-26 (required April 1) combination license or a small game, and general game and habitat license. Resident youth younger than age 16 only need the general game and habitat license. The 2025-26 license is available for purchase beginning March 15. Nonresidents need a 2025 spring light goose conservation order license. The cost is $50 and valid statewide. Nonresidents who hunt in spring remain eligible to buy a fall season ...

North Dakota Outdoors: Working our way through winter, fishing

Remember last fall? For most of us it was filled with sunshine, warmth and appreciation. When November deer season opened, the extended autumn continued with many areas of the state enjoying temperatures around 45 degrees, and 50 was common. Then just before Thanksgiving the change of sun and ...

Game and Fish monitoring avian influenza outbreak

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is monitoring a mortality event involving Canada geese along the Missouri River and Nelson Lake in Oliver County. Testing of carcasses has indicated that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is the likely cause. Carcasses have been reported where large congregations of geese occur near open water. The virus can cause high levels of sickness and death in free ranging waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors. Cases of HPAI are commonly detected in North Dakota as waterfowl migrate through and winter in the state. The Game and Fish Department asks ...

Electronic posting system for private land available

Landowners interested in posting private land electronically for the 2025-26 hunting season is available on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website. Landowners who have a profile on the Game and Fish Department’s mobile application have an option this year to communicate with hunters using their cellphone app. A link will be available for hunters to send a request to the individual posting the land. The deadline to digitally post land is July 1, which enables Game and Fish to produce print material and digital content prior to hunting seasons that begin in ...

Game and Fish seeks contractors for work on private lands

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department encourages businesses to add their names to a list of available contractors to perform habitat work on Private Land Open To Sportsmen program lands across the state. PLOTS is an agreement between the department and private landowners to open their lands to walk-in hunting. The department also encourages private landowners to establish or enhance habitat on PLOTS land with grass plantings, food plots and so on. However, if a landowner does not have the necessary equipment for the work, a contractor is usually needed. There is a shortage of ...