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Latest NDHEA Newsletter now available!

Click here to view the August 2010 newsletter.

Raffle Winners Announced!

NDHEA 2010 RAFFLE RESULTS
2010 sponsors: Scheels All Sports
Minot Wildthings Gallery – Minot Home of Economy
WINNER, PRIZE
1st -Brian Brodehl, NewBurg, ND 58762 Antelope Tag plus $750.00
2nd - Walt Zimbelman, Fullerton, ND Tikka SS Synthetic-243
3rd - Casey Krush, Wilton, ND 58579 Remington SPS Blued
4th - Ken Gathman, Carpio, ND 58725 PSE Stinger Bow Package
5th - Lexi Liesener Remington 870 Synthetic-20 gauge
6th - BriAnna Swanson, Jordan, MN Remington 870 Synthetic-12 gauge
7th - Alec Dockter, Fargo, ND Savage 93R17
8th - Merle Ferry, Finley, ND DDGF Cutlery Custom 2 piece knife set
9th- Ed Kouba, Bismarck, ND Ruger 10/22 Blued
10th - Allen D. Giese, Wahpeton, ND 58075 Traditions Buck Stalker 50 Caliber
11th- Kade Nice, Valley City, ND 58072 Minot Wildthings Gallery Print
12th - Li Levesqie Minot Home of Economy Gun Cleaning Kit
13th- Jim Jenks, Williston, ND 58801 Boondock Ground Blind
14th - Rick Whitwork, Mandan, ND 58554 Weatherby 300 Magnum
15th - Al Fandgren, Dickinson, ND Benelli Nova 12 gauge, 3 ½” pump
16th - Jim Polk, Bismarck, ND 58501 $150.00 ND Beef gift certificate
17th - Mark Beard, Larimore, ND $150.00 ND Beef gift certificate
18th- Justin Johnson, Davenport, ND 1820 H2O Dog Collar
For information on how to collect your prizes, please contact Dale Patrick at either of the following dale_patrick1@hotmail.com OR 701-220-2288.

Remaining Deer Licenses Available Online

More than 16,000 antlerless deer gun licenses are still available after the North Dakota Game and Fish Department recently completed its lottery drawing. These remaining licenses will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no limit to the number of licenses a hunter can receive.

All hunters, including gratis applicants, can apply online at the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Paper applications will be available by Sept. 1 from Game and Fish offices, county auditors and license vendors. Hand delivered applications will not be processed at the department while the applicant waits. Residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply.

Additional concurrent season doe licenses can be used during the archery season with a bow; the deer gun season with a bow, rifle, or muzzleloader; or during the muzzleloader season with a muzzleloader. These licenses must be used for antlerless deer only, and hunters must stay in the unit to which the license is assigned.

In addition, hunters ages 14 and 15 who have special youth season licenses may purchase additional concurrent season doe licenses to use during the youth season.

The archery season opens Sept. 3, youth deer Sept. 17, regular deer gun Nov. 5 and muzzleloader Nov. 26.

(B = Any Antlerless D = Antlerless Whitetail F = Antlerless Mule Deer)

Unit	Type	Available	Unit	Type	Available
1	B	455	3E1	B	115
2C	B	2350	3E1	D	815
2D	B	1230	3E2	D	585
2E	B	710	3F1	B	475
2F1	B	1545	3F1	D	1115
2J2	B	285	3F2	B	510
2K2	B	2225	3F2	D	1045
2L	B	945	4E	D	25
3A2	B	480	4F	D	360
3A4	B	790	4F	F	105
3B3	D	170

New District 8 Director Announced

Chad Symington, Grand Forks, ND, has been appointed to the District 8 Director position by the NDHEA Executive Board, announced Rodney O'Clair, President this past week.

Letter from Chad

Hello to all my fellow NDHEA members, my name is Chad Symington and I have recently accepted the position of Distict 8 representative. I would like to take this time to give you all a short introduction about myself. I was born and raised in Neche, ND a small town in the northeastern corner of the state. I spent my childhood hunting, fishing, and playing sports. I then attended Northland Community and Technical in Thief River Falls where I obtained my Aircraft Mechanics licenses. I currently live in Grand Forks and work for UND Aerospace as Lead Aircraft Technician. I am in the middle of my fourth year of teaching hunters safety and have been an NDHEA member the same amount of time. I hope to meet you all soon and hope to have as much influence on this board as you all do on the youngsters throughout North Dakota each year.

Zebra Mussel Discovered in North Dakota

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has confirmed the presence of a zebra mussel veliger in the Red River between Wahpeton, N.D. and Breckenridge, Minn. The veliger, the microscopic free-swimming (young) stage of the zebra mussel, was isolated from a recent routine plankton sample taken at Kidder Dam in Wahpeton.

Zebra mussels are an aquatic nuisance species introduced into North America and currently found in many states east and south of North Dakota.

“We are disappointed, but not surprised that zebra mussels have entered the Red River,” said Lynn Schlueter, Game and Fish aquatic nuisance species coordinator. “The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources found them in the Red River watershed in the Pelican Lake chain well upstream of Wahpeton-Breckenridge last fall. And again this spring new mussel infestations were documented in Minnesota upstream of the Red River, including in Lake Lizzie.”

Zebra mussel veligers can float along in river currents for weeks before eventually attaching to hard structures and growing into dime-sized mussels. When established, these invasive mussels reproduce at rapid rates. One female can produce up to a million eggs a season and each egg has the potential to develop into an adult.

Adult mussels attach to hard surfaces such as rocks, submerged trees, bridge abutments, docks and industrial or municipal water intake pipes. When in dense colonies they can block water flow in pipes, causing costly damages annually in the United States.

Zebra mussels can also alter natural ecosystems. They are siphon feeders capable of filtering about one liter of water per day while feeding primarily on algae. These exotic mussels have the ability to alter the food chain and eventually deplete native flora and/or fauna in the affected water.

Earlier this week Game and Fish personnel collected more samples that were sent off for further testing. In addition, department biologists, along with natural resources staff from Minnesota and Manitoba, will continue periodic sampling of the Red River during the open-water season, and will work with local government entities along the Red to monitor boat docks and other hard structures for the presence of adult zebra mussels. Game and Fish staff will also provide preventative and maintenance information to municipalities along the Red River within the next few weeks.

“Zebra mussels, like most aquatic nuisance species, are extremely difficult and costly to eliminate once they are established, but what we can do is minimize the potential for people to transport them elsewhere,” Schlueter said. “We can’t stress enough the importance of following the laws that are already in place to prevent introduction of ANS into new waters.”

Existing ANS regulations include:

- All water must be drained from boats and other watercraft, including bilges and motors before leaving a water body.

- All aquatic vegetation must be removed from boats and construction equipment, personal watercraft, trailers and associated equipment such as fishing poles/lures before leaving a body of water.

- All aquatic vegetation must be removed from bait buckets when leaving the water.

- Live aquatic bait or aquatic vegetation may not be transported into North Dakota. Also, all water must be drained from watercraft prior to entering the state.

In addition, the Game and Fish Department has developed a potential rule change that would require draining all water from livewells and baitwells prior to leaving a water body. This would mean fish, including bait, may no longer be transported in a livewell containing water. If approved, this rule would likely become effective Oct. 1.

“We encourage anglers to implement this practice immediately,” Schlueter stressed. “Zebra mussels are a real threat and we don’t want them to move into any other waters.”

More information:

http://gf.nd.gov/fishing/ans-animals.html

http://www.protectyourwaters.net/

hitchhikers/mollusks_zebra_mussel.php

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/

aquaticanimals/zebramussel/index.html

Latest edition of NDHEA Newsletter!

Click here to view the May issue!

Trout Stocked in State Waters

North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel are in the process of stocking roughly 59,000 rainbow trout in more than 55 waters statewide.
Jerry Weigel, fisheries production and development supervisor, said stocking efforts of the 10-14 inch trout will be completed by May 21. Included are 3,900 1-to-3 pound rainbows from state hatcheries in Wyoming.
In addition to the Turtle and Missouri rivers, counties with fishing waters receiving trout are:
· Adams – North Lemmon, Balke

· Barnes – Blumers Pond, Hatchery Kids Pond, Moon Lake

· Bottineau – Strawberry Lake

· Bowman – Lutz Dam, Holocek Dam

· Burke – Northgate Dam

· Burleigh – McDowell Dam, Owls Pond, Wilton City Pond, Cottonwood Park Pond

· Cass – North Woodhaven Pond

· Cavalier – Langdon City Pond

· Divide – Baukol-Noonan Dam, Baukol-Noonan East Mine Pond

· Golden Valley – Beach City Pond, Camels Hump Lake

· Grand Forks – Ryan Park Pond

· Grant – Raleigh Reservoir, Sheep Creek Dam

· Hettinger – Castle Rock Dam, Mott Watershed

· McIntosh – Blumhardt Dam

· McKenzie – Sather Dam, Watford City Park Pond, Leland Pond

· McLean – Custer Mine, Lightning Lake, Riverdale City Pond

· Mercer – Harmony Lake

· Morton – Crown Butte Dam, Fish Creek Dam, Gaebe Pond, Harmon Lake, Nygren Dam, Porsborg Dam

· Mountrail – Stanley Pond

· Oliver – Sportsmen’s Pond

· Renville – Glenburn Pond

· Richland – Mooreton Pond

· Rolette – Hooker Lake

· Slope – Davis Dam

· Stark – Dickinson Dike, Belfield Pond, Slater Pond

· Ward – State Fair Pond, Velva Sportsmen’s Pond

· Williams – Iverson Dam, Kettle Lake, Kota-Ray Dam, McGregor Dam, Williston East and West Spring Lake Ponds
To find out more about North Dakota trout lakes, contact your local Game and Fish Department office, or visit the fishing link at the department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

NDG&F News

Moose, Elk, and Bighorn Sheep applications now available online

Online applications are now available from our website. Please note at this time only the regular applications are available. We will also be providing an online application for preferential landowner moose and elk but are still working out some minor issues. We hope to have this available within the next few days.
To enter, go to our online services page here and click "apply online"

NDG&F August 23rd Newsletter

PLOTS Guide Available Online, at Vendors in Early September
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen Guide is available online at the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. In addition, PLOTS Guides will be available at most license vendors throughout the state in early September.
The guide will feature about 1 million PLOTS acres, a level reached in 2007 and maintained each year since.
Because the guide is printed in August and distributed in early September, some PLOTS tracts highlighted in the guide may have been removed from the program since the time of printing. There will also be some PLOTS tracts that will remain in the program, but the habitat and condition of the tracts will have changed significantly. Conversely, Game and Fish may have added new tracts to the program after the guide went to press.
To minimize possible confusion, Game and Fish will update PLOTS map sheets weekly on its website at gf.nd.gov.
Hunters can also view the guide, and find a list of vendors where guides are available, on the website.
The PLOTS Guide features maps highlighting these walk-in areas, identified in the field by inverted triangular yellow signs, as well as other public lands.
The guides are free, and available at county auditor offices and license vendors in the state; by walk-in at the Game and Fish Department’s Bismarck office; and at district offices in Riverdale, Harvey (Lonetree), Williston, Dickinson, Jamestown and Devils Lake.
The guides are not available to mail, so hunters will have to pick one up at a local vendor, or print individual maps from the website.

Agencies Prohibit Hunting over Bait
Hunters are reminded that hunting big game over bait is prohibited on all state owned or managed wildlife management areas, all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, U.S. Forest Service national grasslands, and all North Dakota state school, state park and state forest service lands.
In addition, the governor’s proclamation relating to chronic wasting disease includes a provision that prohibits hunting big game over bait on both public and private land in deer Unit 3F2, where a deer carrying CWD was harvested last fall.
Hunting over bait is defined as the placement and/or use of baits for attracting big game and other wildlife to a specific location for the purpose of hunting.
Baits include but are not limited to grains, minerals, salts, fruits, vegetables, hay or any other natural or manufactured foods. It does not apply to the use of scents and lures, water, food plots, standing crops or livestock feeds being used in standard practices.

Deer Archery Season Opens Sept. 3
North Dakota’s deer archery season opens Friday, Sept. 3 at noon, and bowhunters are reminded that additional concurrent season antlerless deer gun licenses can be used with a bow during the archery season in the designated hunting unit.
Bowhunters must follow all regulations of the managing agency when using tree stands on public hunting areas, including displaying the owner’s name, address and telephone number on tree stands left unattended on North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife management areas.
The Game and Fish Department annually receives inquiries from bowhunters regarding tree stands that are stolen, moved or tampered with. Tree stands are private property and theft constitutes a criminal violation that should be reported to the local sheriff's department.
Bowhunters are also reminded that hunting big game over bait is prohibited on both public and private land in deer Unit 3F2, where a deer carrying chronic wasting disease was harvested last fall.
The archery season is open through Jan. 2, 2011. Hunters should refer to the 2010 deer hunting guide for season information and regulations.

Youth Outdoor Festival in Fourth Year
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department, local wildlife clubs and other sponsors will usher youngsters into fall during the fourth annual Youth Outdoor Festival in Minot.
The event is Sept. 2 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds, Game and Fish Pond area.
Department outreach biologist Greg Gullickson, Minot, said this event illustrates the importance of wildlife clubs in introducing youth to all the different outdoor activities North Dakota has to offer. “The Minot area clubs are a showcase of different groups getting together with one common goal – providing today’s youth with fishing and hunting opportunities in the outdoors,” Gullickson said.
Kids will have an opportunity to experience a number of activities, including archery, fishing, waterfowl and upland game. “It doesn’t matter if your passion is ducks, deer, fish or pheasants,” Gullickson said. “The Conservation and Outdoor Skills Center at the fair provides the perfect setting.”
Prizes will be awarded and food provided for young outdoor enthusiasts.

Instructors Family Fun Shoot photos

(click on picture to view larger image)

The NDHEA sponsored an Instructors family fun shoot again this year (8th Annual) in August at Zap, ND. The shoot was organized by Lori Sweigert with the cooperation of the Zap Gun Club at their fine facilities which is located just outside of Zap.
We once again ended a beautiful summer day with a steak supper that was grilled to perfection. During this time door prizes were given out. Thanks to those who came and donated to the cause for the shoot. Also thanks again to the members of the Zap Gun Club for allowing us the use of their site and help in running the equipment.
For an Instructor and family shoot there is stiff competition going on during this family event and we want you and your family to consider coming.
I would like to encourage any and all of you to practice shooting and to come out in August next year to join everyone for a day of shooting, food, and fellowship. You can contact Lori Sweigert at your convenience as she is planning the next event as this is published.

NDHEA members involved at NDG&F Jamestown classes

Ernie Trudeau and Stephen Stensgard instructing students at the Jamestown Game & Fish Building classroom.

Moose, Elk and Bighorn Sheep Seasons Set

North Dakota’s 2010 moose, elk and bighorn sheep proclamation has been finalized and applications are available at the state Game and Fish Department’s website. The deadline for applying is March 17.
A total of 561 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, the same as in 2009.
Units E1 and E2 license holders are able to hunt during the bow and regular seasons. Prior to this year, applicants had to choose either the archery or firearms option. Hunters must use legal archery equipment during the bow season, but can use either legal firearms or archery equipment during the regular season. However, hunters are restricted to unit and type of elk as designated on license.
Similar to 2009, units E3 and E4 will each have a September and October any-elk season, an extended season for all any-elk license holders in November and December, and a season for antlerless elk beginning in September and continuing through December.
E3 and E4 lottery license holders must hunt in their unit for the first three days of the season. After the first three days, lottery license holders may hunt either unit. Landowner preference license holders may only hunt in their unit.
Unit E5, which includes the remainder of the state not included in units E1-E4, is open to all lottery license holders. Hunters may only take the type of elk designated on their license.
A total of 173 moose licenses are available in 2010, an increase of 25 from last year. All moose hunters are allowed to hunt during the bow and regular seasons with the appropriate legal archery equipment or firearm. Hunters are restricted to unit and type of moose as designated on license.
The boundary for moose hunting units M10 and M11 has been adjusted to focus more hunting pressure on the Missouri River bottoms area south of Williston where moose numbers have been increasing. Unit M11 has been reduced in size with the northern boundary now U.S. Highway 2. Unit M10 has been expanded west to the Montana border.
Unit M1C will remain closed due to an extremely low moose population in the northeastern portion of the state.
The bighorn sheep season will open two weeks later in October to coincide with the rut, allowing hunters a better opportunity to harvest an adult ram. Six licenses, an increase of one from 2009, are available in three units – one license in Units B1 and B3, three in Unit B4, and one license auctioned through the Midwest Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation. The bighorn sheep hunter drawn in Unit B1 is also eligible to hunt in Unit B2.
To apply online, or to print out an application to mail, access the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. License vendors are scheduled to have paper applications by March 8.
Bighorn sheep, moose and elk lottery licenses – including second choice cow elk licenses – are issued as once-in-a-lifetime licenses in North Dakota. Hunters who have received a license through the lottery in the past are not eligible to apply for that species again.

Bismarck Family Fun Shoot

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Mentoring Program Successes!

Devils Lake, Bismarck and Jamestown. Three of the locations to organize family gun range days. The weather for the Jamestown Family Fun Shoot was perfect. The shoot brought 25 shooters to the benches to try their hand at handguns, muzzleloaders, center fire, rimfire and shotguns. Archery was also very popular and the foam deer and turkey are guaranteed quite dead.

Keith Domke and Rodney O'Clair chose the Saturday of Labor Day weekend as a day that fit into schedules of two classes they were leading, and would give the public something to do on a long weekend. The down side of a holiday weekend is getting volunteer help but that problem did not develop. The bigger issue was having a range to use as the spring flood threat at the Pipestem Dam meant the current range was dismantled. Volunteers from Stutsman County Wildlife Club and Jamestown's United Sportsmen worked to get the range functional for the shoot. The public was anxious to get their guns sighted in as well but honored the NDHEA sponsored shoot and delayed their practice until the shoot had ended.
Finding ammunition was one of the obstacles to overcome but the Jamestown Police Officers dug into personal stockpiles and provided rim fire and center fire handgun ammunition in an adequate supply. Missouri Valley Shooting Sports organization assisted with targets, tables and guns. There is always more worry than needed but the organizers were pleased with the response for their efforts.

NDG&F at ND State Fair!

Click here to view some pictures from the NDF&G area at the State Fair!

Officers page updated

You can find the latest list of officers on our updated officers page by clicking here!

Welcome to the new NDHEA website!

We have done a makeover on our site. We hope you will find it easier to navigate and to find what your looking for. We have a page now dedicated to our NDHEA newsletter here where you can find current and past newsletters. We have added a page where you can find previous North Dakota Fish and Game weekly newsletters. We are in the process of updating the Event calendar so you will have one place to go to find out the what, when and where of any events, meetings and gatherings that you might be interested in. You can see our constitution and by-laws, who your officers are and district reps and information so you can contact them. There is a archived news page that we will publish previous articles that you can peruse.

New NDG&F newsletter!

Click here to view the latest issue!

NDF&G Quarterly newsletter now available electronically.

The North Dakota Fish & Game has begun putting out their quarterly newsletter out through email in a .pdf format. Click here to download the newsletter!