NDHEA November Newsletter now available!

Click here to view our latest newsletter!

NDF&G Fargo Area Regional Workshop - Click here for details!

NDF&G Deer Hunting Gun Giveaway!

The North Dakota Fish & Game is giving away 5 muzzleloaders and 100 Sagen Saws for people who donate Deer heads for the purpose of CWD and TB testing.  Tagged Adult Bucks and Does only.  For more information click here to download a flyer with drop off locations!

NDHEA members involved at NDF&G Jamestown classes

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

Severe Winter Weather Awareness Week Nov. 2-6

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.

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.

4th Mountain Lion harvested

The 4th mountain lion of the season was harvested today (23 Oct 2009) by Andrew Wiseman (Bismarck) near Lone Butte in McKenzie county. The harvest was a healthy 3-yr-old female weighing 92 lbs. Wiseman called the mountain lion in using a rabbit distress call. Additionally, Wiseman harvested a mountain lion last year in the same area using the same method. 
I appreciate the help of Brett Wiedmann and Dale Repnow in coordinating the collection of information from the harvest.

Stephanie

Stephanie Tucker, Furbearer Biologist
North Dakota Game & Fish Department
100 N. Bismarck Expressway
Bismarck, ND 58501
(701) 328-6302
satucker@nd.gov

NDF&G at ND State Fair!

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

NDF&G February 1st Newsletter

Website Benefits Hunter Education Students and Graduates
A website designed to promote the importance of hunter education and gun safety benefits both potential students and graduates, according to Jon Hanson, hunter education coordinator for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
Hunterexam.com provides a free online hunter education study guide, complete with narration and interactive flash exercises. “This is not an online course and you will not receive your certification, it is only intended for studying the course material and hopefully used as a refresher by all hunters,” Hanson said.
Customized with information specific to North Dakota, the study guide offers quizzes with detailed illustrations to help students better understand the question, and uses animations from different hunter education tools. “Interactive features include identifying parts of a rifle or shotgun, adjusting sights and shooting at targets,” Hanson said.
Potential hunter education students and graduates are encouraged to establish a free account. “This will allow us to determine its effectiveness by gathering data on demographics and use, and allow the user to take the end-of-chapter quizzes,” Hanson said.
To access the website, enter hunterexam.com into the browser, select USA and click on North Dakota.

Game and Fish Completes Midwinter Waterfowl Survey
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual midwinter waterfowl survey revealed 25,400 Canada geese wintering on the Missouri River in early January.
Waterfowl biologist Mike Szymanski said harsh winter conditions beginning in mid-December pushed most waterfowl out of the state. “A mild fall allowed a significant number of smaller-sized Canada geese and snow geese to move through the state before Thanksgiving, but there was not a pronounced movement of large-sized Canada geese through the area,” he said.
Last year’s severe winter broke the pattern of more geese staging on the Missouri River in North Dakota, when only 9,700 geese were counted during the midwinter survey. Prior to that, several years of unseasonably mild winter weather allowed numbers of Canada geese using the river through winter to increase.
“Since 2005 a new record was established every year, reaching 175,000 geese in 2008,” Szymanski said. “But geese could not tolerate the severe weather last winter, thus the dramatic drop in numbers.”
From 1998 to 2004, the number of Canada geese on the river during the midwinter survey was between 2,000 and 89,000. Prior to 1998, the count was rarely more than 10,000.
Szymanski said it takes years for geese to establish a migratory pattern, and that’s why it may take several more years of favorable staging conditions before the record high numbers of the mid-to-late 2000s are reached again. “It’s really important for those birds to maintain a positive energy balance,” he added. “Otherwise, we may not regain the numbers of geese we had several years ago.”

Spring Turkey Applications due Feb. 10

Applications for this spring’s turkey season must be in the mail and postmarked before midnight Feb. 10. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply.
Prospective hunters can submit a lottery application online, or print an application, at the Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. Applications can also be submitted by calling (800) 406-6409. Online or phone applications must be logged before midnight Feb. 10.
Application forms are also available at most license vendors, county auditors and Game and Fish offices.
Anyone with an apprentice hunting license in 2009 must pass a certified hunter education course to apply for a 2010 spring turkey license. The apprentice hunting license expires March 31, and the spring turkey season opens April 10

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!

Bismarck Family Fun Shoot

(click on pictures to view larger image)

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.