NDGF Update

Bighorn Sheep, Elk and Moose Seasons Proposed
Additional elk and moose hunting opportunities highlight the 2007 special big game seasons, according to Randy Kreil, wildlife chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

Online applications will be available by Tuesday, March 6 for prospective moose, elk and bighorn sheep hunters. To apply online, or to print out an application for mailing, access the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. License vendors are scheduled to have applications by March 12. The deadline for submitting applications is March 21.

A total of 261 elk licenses are available, an increase of 20 from last year. More licenses will be available again this year for Unit E3, Kreil said, in an attempt to reduce the number of elk outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park. “Units E3 and E4 will have a second open period in October,” he added. “In 2006, elk harvest increased significantly because of the increased number of licenses and the additional time to hunt.”

Bow season dates for units E1 and E2 are Aug. 31 – Sept. 30. Regular season dates are as follows: Unit E3, Aug. 10-26; Unit E4 early, Aug. 10-16, and late, Aug. 17-26; Unit E1, Oct. 5-28 and Nov. 30 – Dec. 9; and Unit E2, Oct. 5-28 and Nov. 16 – Dec. 16. The second open period for units E3 and E4 is Oct. 5-28.

A total of 147 moose licenses are available in 2007, an increase of 18 from last year. Units M9 and M10 have been expanded to include areas where moose numbers have increased. However, Unit M1C will remain closed due to a continued moose population decline in the northeastern portion of the state.

Bow season dates for all moose units are Aug. 31 – Sept. 30. Regular season dates for units M4, M8, M9 and M10 are Oct. 5-28. Regular season dates for units M5 and M6 are Nov. 23 – Dec. 16.

Six bighorn sheep licenses are available in four units, the same as last year. One license is available in units B1, B2 and B3; two in Unit B4; and one license auctioned through the Minnesota-Wisconsin Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep.

In an effort to increase the harvest of older rams, opening day has been moved back on the calendar two weeks in order to coincide with the rut, Kreil said. Bighorn sheep regular season dates run from Oct. 12-28, with bow season from Oct. 5-28.

Bighorn sheep, moose, and elk lottery licenses are issued on an once-in-a-lifetime basis in North Dakota. Persons who have received a license through the lottery in the past are not eligible to apply for that species again.

Spring Turkey Licenses Remain
The 2007 spring wild turkey lottery has been held and more than 300 licenses remain in seven units. These licenses will be issued only as a first license – only one license per hunter – and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Licenses remain for the following units: Unit 04, portions of Billings and Golden Valley counties south of Interstate 94; Unit 06, Bowman County; Unit 15, Emmons County; Unit 31, Mountrail County; Unit 44, Slope County; Unit 45, Stark County; and Unit 47, that portion of Stutsman County that lies east of U.S. Highway 281.

Hunters who do not have a license for the 2007 spring season can apply online at the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Otherwise, hunters must call 328-6300 to request an application.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply.

Make Plans to Remove Permanent Fish Houses by Midnight March 15
Recent snow fall – and the threat of more to come – could make access on many North Dakota lakes nearly impossible in the coming weeks. With that in mind, anglers shouldn’t wait until the last minute to try to remove fish houses before the mid-March deadline.

State law requires that permanent fish houses are removed from North Dakota waters by midnight March 15, and variable weather conditions this time of the year can make it difficult to even get to a fish house, said Nancy Boldt, boat and water safety coordinator for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

“Access on some lakes could be restricted because of the snow, especially in the central and eastern parts of the state,” Boldt said.

Anglers should exercise caution when venturing onto a lake because of uncertain ice conditions beneath the snow. “People just can’t judge ice conditions with all the snow on the ice,” Boldt said. “It is important to check ice thickness, because you won’t be able to see cracked, weak or even open water areas.”

Warm weather and high winds this late in winter can rapidly deteriorate ice conditions, Boldt mentioned, causing shorelines to weaken. “Also, ice thickness not only varies statewide, but can even fluctuate on the same body of water,” she said.

Portable fish houses may be used after March 15 if they are removed daily, Boldt mentioned.

Minnesota-Wisconsin Chapter to Auction North Dakota Bighorn Sheep License
The Minnesota-Wisconsin Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep will sell a North Dakota bighorn sheep license at its annual fundraiser and banquet March 17 at the Minneapolis Marriott Southwest in Minnetonka, Minn.

North Dakota has auctioned a bighorn sheep license each year since 1986 to fund sheep projects in the state, raising $656,500. Last year’s license, which sold for a record $49,500, was the seventh time it was auctioned at the Minnesota-Wisconsin chapter meeting. Prior to that, the license was sold at the national FNAWS convention.

In 1999 the North Dakota Game and Fish Department entered into a five-year agreement with the Minnesota-Wisconsin conservation group. In 2003, due to the success of the partnership, the agreement was extended an additional five years. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the license, along with an additional annual grant of $25,000, are used to enhance management of North Dakota’s bighorn sheep.

Written bids should be sent to: MN-WI Chapter FNAWS, Hunt Auction Permit, PO Box 892, Hudson, WI 54016. For more information contact John Coulter, auction chairman, 507-629-4755.

Spring Crow Season Opens March 17
North Dakota’s spring crow season opens statewide March 17 and continues through April 29.

Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. There is no daily or possession limit on crows.

Hunters can use last fall’s 2006-07 small game and general game and habitat license, or combination license, or purchase a new 2007-08 combination license.