Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 1015
Outdoor notes: *Reminder that most roads and trails closed to hunting if posted on both sides. *Check all PLOTS signage before driving on with vehicles when waterfowl hunting to ensure landowner allows vehicles. *Hunters reminded to put identification on tree stands and blinds when set up on N.D. Game & Fish Dept. WMAs. *Waterfowl hunters reminded to follow ANS regulations when hunting from boats. *Nov. 7: Fall crow season closes. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, Nov. 1: 1,449.28 feet above...
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 be deer hunting or wishes they were. When it comes to deer hunting safety (or pheasants, waterfowl, you name it), there’s basic tenets for hunters and others in the field: • Treat every firearm with the same respect due a loaded firearm. • Control the direction of your firearm’s muzzle. • Be sure of yo...
If I could find a way to zap a pheasant in the air without killing it, to have a second or two to hold it and look over its feathers and admire their sheen and the length of the tail growing late into the season before it wakes up and takes flight out of my hand, I probably would. However, the hard work of my dog, the limits of our technology afield, and the nature of the hunt itself produce a sense of obligation to pull the trigger which results in a finality that is both sweet in the form of...
Outdoor notes: *Reminder that most roads and trails closed to hunting if posted on both sides. *Check all PLOTS signage before driving on with vehicles when waterfowl hunting to ensure landowner allows vehicles. *Hunters reminded to put identification on tree stands and blinds when set up on N.D. Game & Fish Dept. WMAs. *Waterfowl hunters reminded to follow ANS regulations when hunting from boats. *Nov. 3: Elk unit E6 closes. *Nov. 4: Deer gun season opens. *Nov. 7: Fall crow season closes....
There's nothing so clear and so adrenaline inducing as seeing a deer through the reticle of a scope. The movements of the animal are magnified, and if from the right position of concealment at a distance, natural and without knowledge, until the last moment, that the hunt is on. In those seconds leading up to the shot, knowing a scope is dead on can make all the difference between success and failure and these days ahead of the firearms deer opener give one final chance to make sure that both it...
The first half of this week we couldn't have asked for better fall fishing weather. For me, the week was spent both on the Missouri River and on Devils Lake. Unfortunately, I was going to fish Lake Sakakawea later in the week, but Mother Nature said otherwise. I'll start with Devils Lake since I did get 3 awesome days on it this week. The walleye fishing was exceptional! We caught good numbers and quality. I spent two days trolling leadcore line and smaller crankbaits like Salmos, flicker...
With firearms deer seasons opening up across the United States, rolling down from the north in the next couple of weeks as the cool weather of mid-fall settles in and sparks rutting behavior across the map on into the southern states later this season, Chief Conservation Officer Kip Adams of the National Deer Association (NDA) thinks deer hunting as a whole is the best the nation has seen in more than a century. As part of his group's efforts to educate hunters and arm them with biological...
A rather startling headline made its way around the internet last week regarding a staggering drop of almost 70 percent of all wildlife species worldwide over the past 50 years. Far beyond clickbait, the story detailed results of the Living Planet Report, an annual survey conducted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London, which showed declines on all major continents in the populations of wildlife since 1970. In the graphs contained within the report, it showed...
Outdoor notes: *Check all PLOTS signage before driving on with vehicles when waterfowl hunting to ensure landowner allows vehicles. *Hunters reminded to put identification on tree stands and blinds when set up on N.D. Game & Fish Dept. WMAs. *Waterfowl hunters reminded to follow ANS regulations when hunting from boats. *Applications such as Onyx now have updated electronic posting information for the 2022 hunting season. *Oct. 28: James Valley Pheasants Forever fundraising evening, Club 1883,...
I was all ready to spend the week up at Devils Lake for three guide trips last week, but after watching the news and seeing winds anywhere from 25 to 45 mph, I decided it wasn't worth it. As I've gotten older, I have come to realize I don't hate walleyes that bad. The good news is we rescheduled for the following week, the bad news is I only got out a couple of times on the Missouri River near Bismarck before the winds rose. I had a decent Monday and a decent morning of scouting the river. I wil...
Only five percent of the U.S. population hunts. That leaves 95 percent of the population as non-hunters. They are our neighbors, family, friends, or friends of friends, and so on. That population will ultimately decide if hunting is allowed to continue. If someone who hasn't been closely exposed to hunting from a friend or family member watches or sees a hunting show, a video on YouTube, or a "grip and grin" Instagram post, how will they view hunting? Now, suppose that same person asked you why...
Report violations with RAP The North Dakota Game and Fish Department encourages hunters, anglers and landowners who witness a fish or wildlife violation to file a report with the Report All Poachers program. Witnesses should report a violation by calling RAP at 701-328-9921. Witnesses should note the vehicle description, including make, color, license plate number and state issued. Description of the violator should also be considered. The RAP line offers rewards – from $100 to $1,000 depending on the nature and seriousness of the crime – for...
Outdoor notes: *Check all PLOTS signage before driving on with vehicles when waterfowl hunting to ensure landowner allows vehicles. *Hunters reminded to put identification on tree stands and blinds when set up on N.D. Game & Fish Dept. WMAs. *Waterfowl hunters reminded to follow ANS regulations when hunting from boats. *Applications such as Onyx now have updated electronic posting information for the 2022 hunting season. *Oct. 22: Mink, muskrat, & weasel trapping seasons open. *Oct. 23:...
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, regulations and restrictions is so important for all of us. North Dakota's archery deer season opened in early September and with the growing interest in bowhunting for all big game, reviewing some of the specific transportation rules and regulations is necessary. Yet, no matter if you're hunting...
In the dry, crackling brown of a cattail slough is one of my favorite places to be in the fall. When the stand of dense vegetation is about chest high – tall enough to provide a good screen and cover for pheasants, but short enough to allow for a clear shot when they flush – that’s about as perfect as things can get. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment but plowing through that kind cover to me is enjoyable, especially after a couple of months back on the workout train ahead of hunting season,...
I've written about the lack of forage the smaller fish may have in Lake Oahe in a few reports as of late. While this is the case downstream on the main body of the flow, I'm not so sure this is the case up here in the river portion of Lake Oahe. The last few days, I've been scouting the river. I've seen what feels like millions of small baitfish in the river. While I'm not sure what it is, I am sure it's a great food source for our smaller walleyes in Lake Oahe. It's my personal feeling the...
Until I became an active hunter, leg day was the worst day in a workout routine. Usually falling on a Friday morning early in the weight room, it was the easiest one to skip and opt for sleeping in and starting the weekend a bit early. However, as I've gotten older and found greater joy in those long walks into way back places to find birds and deer, I've looked forward to what was once the most dreaded workout of the week. By focusing on glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves, I've found the...
Outdoor notes: *Check all PLOTS signage before driving on with vehicles when waterfowl hunting to ensure landowner allows vehicles. *Hunters reminded to put identification on tree stands and blinds when set up on N.D. Game & Fish Dept. WMAs. *Waterfowl hunters reminded to follow ANS regulations when hunting from boats. *Applications such as Onyx now have updated electronic posting information for the 2022 hunting season. *Oct. 13: Devils Lake Ducks Unlimited banquet, KC Club, 5:30 p.m. Fishing:...
Each fall, the North Dakota Game & Fish offers a special youth season for hunters ages 11-15. It's a great opportunity for young hunters to gain experience before the frenzy of rifle season sets in. For these young hunters, their practice in 4-H Shooting Sports paid off. Not only did they put meat on the table, they did so with confidence. These hunters overwhelmingly stated, "One shot was all it took." The nine-and-a-half-day youth deer season is open to residents who are 11, 12 or 13 in 2022....
I’m a fan of end-of-the-world movies, particularly those incorporating the zombie genre into their plot. There’s something that piques my interest in those scenarios where nothing is left but a handful of hardy survivors taking on what remains of a hardened and structureless society of scavengers scraping by amidst the hordes of mindless cannibalistic ghouls. I wonder if I’d make it that far – six months, a year, or longer – in such a situation, but I figure probably not. I’d likely get tetanus...
Outdoor notes: *Hunters reminded to put identification on tree stands and blinds when set up on N.D. Game & Fish Dept. WMAs. *Waterfowl hunters reminded to follow ANS regulations when hunting from boats. *Applications such as Onyx now have updated electronic posting information for the 2022 hunting season. *Oct. 6: Finley Fire & Ice Ducks Unlimited, Rumors Tavern, Finley, 5 p.m. *Oct. 7: Elk season opens for lottery license holders in units E1, E2, E6, and E1W. *Oct. 7: Moose season opens for...
Grass equals birds. Habitat equals deer. Clean water equals fish. These are the things I along with many other hunters and anglers have come to know in the outdoors. I can recall once cutting from corner to corner on a dirt field to grab the pickup truck and collect my dog and hunting buddy who were finishing off a walk, and there in the middle of nothing but black dust and wheat stubble a covey of partridge flushed, surprising me straight out of my early autumn evening thoughts with enough...
If you follow me on my Snapchat you know there are two things I absolutely hate. One is the beet juice they use on our streets in Bismarck in the winter, the other is wind. As you can guess by the time of year, I haven't been complaining about the beet juice yet. The wind on the other hand, that's another story. It's been a battle trying to guide with the heavy winds we have had the last month or so. Now for this week's fishing report. Even with the heavy winds, both Devils Lake and Lake...
The nights have been cold over the past week, and we are losing just about a degree per night in water temperature on the Red River. Right now, we are just under 60 degrees, meaning there really isn't much time left for the good catfish bite of 2022. Not much has changed in pattern over the past week, however. The fish are hanging out in the deeper off-current holes. Fish off the drop off of the inside bends where the current is pushing away from you. In the morning plan on at least a 30-minute...
With the youth pheasant weekend on tap in just a few days on Sat. Oct. 1, and the general pheasant opener just a week later on Oct. 8, hunters are checking their boots, loading shells in their vests, and figuring out which parcels of their favorite hunting grounds they'll hit when their opportunity opens and the first rooster flushes. According to North Dakota Game & Fish (NDG&F) Upland Game Biologist RJ Gross, a general increase across the board in all four major pheasant categories – brood s...
