Articles written by Doug Leier
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 80
North Dakota Outdoors: Private Land Open to Sportsmen (PLOTS)
The goal of the Private Land Open To Sportsmen program is to provide walk-in public access for hunting on private land. Just because hunters are allowed access doesn’t mean it’s open for any type...
North Dakota Outdoors: The importance of pollinators
I've always appreciated the complexities of nature, including the connection of individual fish and wildlife species to food, water, space and where they call home. If you hunt upland game, the...
North Dakota Outdoors: Spring Snow Goose spotted nearby
I saw my first Canada goose of the year on a sunny Tuesday afternoon on February 7 about 4:30 p.m. Yes, I know the exact date and time as I texted a friend who spends more time outdoors than I do...
North Dakota Outdoors: The reality of winter and wildlife
When the phone rings or the inbox pings, it's reminiscent of unwrapping a Christmas present. I literally have no idea what's behind the rings and pings. It's one part of my job that truly keeps me on...
North Dakota Outdoors: Life and death of wild in winter
I quit blaming Mother Nature years ago for nasty weather and started pointing the finger at Old Man Winter. Not that it mattered but it seemed fair, even though we have no control over the weather....
North Dakota Outdoors: There's no party hunting allowed in North Dakota
From deer to ducks and pike to perch, hunters and anglers must take only their own daily limit or fill their own deer tag. For as long as I can remember, party hunting, group fishing or any...
North Dakota Outdoors: Staying safe hunting this fall
In any given year about 100,000 individuals put in for the regular deer gun lottery. Safe to say, even if you don’t deer hunt there’s someone in your house, at work or next door that either will...
North Dakota Outdoors: Taking a closer look at North Dakota Chronic Wasting Disease (DWD) regulations
I played a part on the Game and Fish Department's chronic wasting disease task force and out of everything I learned, what stuck with me most, is how much I'd forgotten. Which is why review of rules,...
North Dakota Outdoors: Jerry Kobriger has nearly six decades of gathering wildlife data
I'm a fan of numbers and statistics to a point where they fascinate me. Not just what the numbers say but how the numbers are generated. When I took my college statistics course, I knew going in I...
North Dakota Outdoors: July 4, 2022
The single most important factor in maintaining or growing wildlife populations – ducks, deer, pheasants, you name it – is habitat. If you’d like more deer tags available, find more pheasants...
North Dakota Outdoors: April 25, 2022
May conjures up images of the first meadowlark on the prairie, stray migrating snow geese and spring turkey season wrapping up. We’ll also likely spot the first brood of Canada geese and find a few...
North Dakota Outdoors: March 28, 2022
Many people are a little surprised and often enlightened when they visit with a North Dakota game warden and learn more about the people behind the badge. A hunter may not realize the time and...
North Dakota Outdoors: March 21, 2022
It’s hard to believe that the first spring light goose conservation order in North Dakota arrived more than 20 some years ago when I was working as a game warden. Time flies. The purpose then ...
North Dakota Outdoors: Nov. 22, 2021
My neighbor taught me another new word. Locavore. I wasn’t sure if it was in Websters, or if it was slang. But, the meaning hit home. There’s a growing interest in fishing, hunting or even...
North Dakota Outdoors: Nov. 15, 2021
When it comes to deer season questions and answers, the best advice I can give is if you don’t know, ask. The best person to ask a specific question on rules and regulations is the game warden in th...
North Dakota Outdoors: Sept. 13, 2021
Hunters can play an important role this fall across the tinder-dry landscape. First and foremost, consider this advice: If you see something you think needs to be reported, pick up the phone and call....
North Dakota Outdoors: August 30, 2021
The North Dakota legislature in 2021 passed a bill to allow electronic posting of private land, giving landowners another option for posting private property. It’s another option. If landowners woul...
North Dakota Outdoors: August 23, 2021
August is no longer just about winding down the fishing season, and planning and preparing for upcoming hunting seasons. While North Dakota has long had a crow season that got its start in...
North Dakota Outdoors: August 16, 2021
Sipping coffee early in the morning and talking fishing is about as close as it gets to enjoying fishing without wetting a line. Truth is, I spend more time talking about fishing than actually...
North Dakota Outdoors: Aug. 9, 2021
Hints of North Dakota’s fall duck and pheasant populations were revealed in spring. For starters, the pheasant population index was about the same as last year, according to the state Game and Fish...
North Dakota Outdoors: August 2, 2021
Food waste is a hot topic, with an effort to raise awareness of the changing mindset from allowing food to rot, spoil, or in some cases, even just taking more than you need or will eat. For many here...
North Dakota Outdoors: July 26, 2021
Every other year in North Dakota, elected officials gather at the state capital to propose, review, debate, and ultimately vote on legislation that will set the course for the state and its citizens....
North Dakota Outdoors: July 12, 2021
From the end of spring goose and turkey seasons until the mid-August early Canada goose opener, North Dakotans find themselves in a stretch of about three months with no gamebird season open. While...
North Dakota Outdoors: June 21, 2021
One of the most widely discussed topics and legislative issues this year is commonly referred to as “electronic posting.” In short, the 2021 state legislature passed a bill to allow electronic...
North Dakota Outdoors: June 7, 2021
I'll never be mistaken for a master gardener, and that’s OK. Beyond borrowing the neighbor’s tiller and breaking up the ground each spring, I lose interest in the garden even before the first...