North Dakota Game and Fish Department News: June 19, 2023

New legislation

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department tracked 20 outdoors-related bills during the 2023 legislative session; 12 passed both chambers and signed into law.

The following bills take effect Aug. 1, except Senate Bill 2297 carries an emergency clause, and House Bill 1538 begins the following licensing year, April 1, 2024. A complete list of bills is on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.

HB 1014 – Provides an appropriation for defraying the expenses of the industrial commission and agencies under its control. This includes Outdoor Heritage Fund at $15 million.

HB 1134 – Nonresident current North Dakota national guard members are eligible to receive resident licenses, except lottery permits.

HB 1224 – Allows a dog handler to carry a handgun in the recovery of a big game animal while in the presence of a dog. The dog handler cannot use the handgun to assist in the recovery of the animal and must have permission from the landowner or individual authorized by the landowner before entering private land for the recovery of a big game animal.

HB 1233 – Allows an 11-, 12- and 13-year-old antlerless white-tailed deer youth hunter to also hunt during the regular deer gun season.

HB 1260 – Develops agreements to compensate private landowners for the development of habitat on private property for addressing fish and wildlife populations. In addition, allows the Game and Fish director to issue special antlerless elk depredation management licenses to landowners upon payment of the fee required for a resident big game license. To be eligible for this license, a landowner cannot charge a fee for elk hunting and must allow reasonable public access as determined by the director.

HB 1366 – Allows an individual engaged in barefoot skiing or surfing to wear a wet suit. A life preserver must be on board the towing vessel for an individual barefoot skiing or surfing.

HB 1409 – A nonresident youth who is less than 16 years of age may purchase a resident general game hunting license and may hunt small game and waterfowl, except swans and wild turkeys, during the entire regular small game and waterfowl seasons. The accompanying adult family member or legal guardian does not have to be licensed.

HB 1538 – Relates to fishing. Established a $50 entry fee for a fishing contest, an application fee of $75 for all tournaments, a conservation fee of an amount to be determined between the tournament sponsor and a representative of the fishing tournament (except for nonprofits), post contest reporting requirements, Game and Fish establishes a fishery conservation fund, and a surcharge of $5 on each nonresident fishing license. Effective April 1, 2024.

SB 2017 – Establishes an appropriation of $107,611,466 to the Game and Fish Department for the biennium beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2025.

SB 2097 – Requires a political subdivision to notify the Game and Fish director, among others, before engaging in meetings with federal agencies to have any water body in the state designated a wild, scenic or recreational river under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

SB 2297 – Certified game and fish volunteer instructors who have maintained active status in the state for 30 years are eligible to receive complimentary fishing and certain hunting licenses. Emergency clause carried; effective immediately.

SB 2382 – Provides clarity to the motorboat numbering exemptions section of the North Dakota Century Code.

Boat North Dakota course

North Dakota state law requires that youth ages 12-15 who want to operate a boat or personal watercraft with at least a 10-horsepower motor by themselves must pass the state’s boating basics course.

The course is available for home-study by contacting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at 701-328-6300, or [email protected]. Two commercial providers also offer the course online, and links to those sites are found on the boat and water safety education page on the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov.

While the home-study course is free, students are charged a fee to take it online. The online provider charges for the course, not the Game and Fish Department. The fee remains with the online provider.

The course covers legal requirements, navigation rules, getting underway, accidents and special topics such as weather, rules of the road, laws, life saving and first aid.

Leave baby animals alone, watch for deer

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department offers a simple message to the well-intentioned who want to pick up and rescue what appear to be orphaned baby animals this time of year: don’t touch them. Whether it is a young fawn, duckling, cottontail rabbit or a songbird, it is better to leave them alone.

Often, young animals are not abandoned or deserted, and the mother is probably nearby. Young wildlife are purposely secluded by adults to protect them from predators.

Anytime a young wild animal has human contact, its chance of survival decreases significantly. It’s illegal to take wild animals home, and captive animals later returned to the wild will struggle to survive without possessing learned survival skills.

The only time a baby animal should be picked up is if it is in an unnatural situation, such as a young songbird found on a doorstep. In that case, the young bird can be moved to the closest suitable habitat.

Citizens should also steer clear of adult wildlife, such as deer or moose that might wander into urban areas. Crowding stresses animals and can lead to a potentially dangerous situation.

In addition, motorists are reminded to watch for deer along roadways. During the next several weeks young animals are dispersing from home ranges, and with deer more active during this time, the potential for car‑deer collisions increases.