Submitted Photo The 2025 North Dakota pheasant season opens Friday, Oct 10. Photo from NDGF.

With the calendar turning to September and Labor Day the last of the true summer holidays, kids are all back in school and fishing is less of a primary option and hunting is front of mind for most. Before we dig into the nuts and bolts of hunting season opening dates, let me nudge you into spending a little more time on the banks and in the boat as fall fishing is a little hidden gem. But this is about hunting.

Actually, the 2025 hunting season officially kicked off with the Aug. 15 opening of the early Canada goose management season. As quick as it begins, there’s also a few closures coming up on the calendar.

Depending on the Canada goose zone in which you hunt, the first early season closure is Sept. 7 in the Missouri River zone. The other Canada goose zone closures are Sept. 15 in the western zone and Sept. 22 in the eastern zone.

But let’s focus more on the beginnings and not the endings. We’re in that time of year when many weekends through early November have some sort of hunting or trapping season opener.

Aug. 29 marks the opening day for North Dakota archery deer hunters, mountain lion and pronghorn license holders who want to hunt with a bow. On Sept. 1, dove season opens, and on it goes.

The first weekend in September is an “open” weekend for most hunters. Finish up the projects you must complete before the ground freezes and the first snow falls.

Dates

– Sept. 13, grouse and partridge seasons open.

– Sept. 19, youth deer.

– Sept. 20, sandhill crane, veteran and active military waterfowl, youth waterfowl.

– Sept. 27, resident waterfowl.

– Oct. 3, elk and pronghorn.

– Oct. 4, full resident and nonresident waterfowl, youth pheasant.

– Oct. 10, moose.

– Oct. 11, pheasant and turkey.

– Oct. 31, bighorn sheep.

– Nov. 7, deer gun.

– Nov. 28, muzzleloader deer.

Hunters and trappers can find the North Dakota 2025-26 Hunting and Trapping Guide, which includes upland game, migratory game bird and furbearer hunting/trapping regulations and other information, by visiting the Game and Fish Department online. Printed guides are available at vendor locations.

Who is eligible for a North Dakota resident license?

A person who has actually lived in, or maintained his or her legal residence in North Dakota for the past six months may qualify for resident licenses, providing he or she does not continue to claim residency in another state.

Note: When applying for a resident license, applicants 18 years or older must submit a valid North Dakota driver’s license number or valid North Dakota nondriver photo identification number.

Exceptions:

– A Waiver of Residency allows an individual with a bona fide intention of becoming a resident, even though they have not resided in North Dakota for the required 6 months, to purchase nonlottery licenses such as fishing, small game and furbearer at resident prices.

– Military Exception. Military personnel in the state on duty or leave are eligible for a similar waiver to the one listed above. Also, a North Dakota resident, in the armed forces stationed outside the state, upon showing proof of residency, may receive a deer gun license without being subject to the license lottery. To apply you must meet these requirements:

– Maintain North Dakota as your state of residence.

– You must be stationed outside of North Dakota.

– Fill out and send in a deer application with the following items: A check or money order for $35, a copy of your orders showing where you are stationed, and a copy of a valid North Dakota driver’s license or North Dakota nondriver photo ID. Contact our licensing section for more information.

– Nonresident youth hunting licenses. A nonresident under age 16 need only purchase a North Dakota resident fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate and a North Dakota resident general game and habitat license to hunt small game and waterfowl except swans and wild turkeys. To be eligible, a nonresident youth may not have turned 16 before Sept. 1 of the year for which the license is issued and must possess a certificate of completion for a certified hunter education course. The nonresident youth may only hunt under the supervision of an adult family member or legal guardian.

– Nonresident full-time state or tribal college students living in North Dakota and attending a North Dakota institution of higher learning under the jurisdiction of the Board of Higher Education, a private institution, or a tribal college may qualify to purchase nonlottery resident licenses. Contact the NDGF Department for details.

Doug Leier is a NDGF biologist and a Williston native. He began his career at Lostwood NWR and was a game warden in Bottineau.