North Dakota’s early Canada goose season is set, and bag limits and licensing requirements are the same as last year.

The season will open Aug. 15 and continue through Sept. 15, except in the Missouri River Zone where the season ends Sept. 7. The early Canada goose season has a limit of 15 daily and 45 in possession.

Limits and shooting hours for the early season are different from the regular season. Shooting hours during the early season are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily.

Residents need a $5 early Canada goose license and a general game and habitat license. Also, residents age 16 and older need a small game license. Nonresidents need only a $50 early Canada goose license, and the license is valid statewide without counting against the 14-day regular season license.

A federal duck stamp for hunters age 16 and older, and Harvest Information Program certification, is required beginning Sept. 1.

Hunters may notice an increase in license fees, which were established and set by the 2013 state legislature. The general game and habitat license increased to $20, the small game license is $10, and the combination license, which includes general game and habitat, small game, furbearer and fishing, increased to $50.

Hunters who purchase a license through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website atgf.nd.gov, or instant licensing telephone number 800-406-6409, can easily get HIP certified. Otherwise, hunters can call 888-634-4798 and record the HIP number on their fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate. Those who registered to hunt the spring light goose season in North Dakota do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required only once per year.

Waterfowl rest areas, closed to hunting during the regular season, are open during the early season. Most land in these rest areas is private, so hunters may need permission to hunt.

The early hunting season is intended to reduce local Canada goose numbers. Despite liberalized regulations the past several years, with longer seasons, large bag limits and expanded shooting hours the statewide population remains high, with numbers well above population goals.

For additional information and regulations, hunters should refer to the Game and Fish Department website.

Pronghorn applicants are reminded the deadline for submitting applications for the 2014 hunting season is Aug. 6. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply.

Hunters are encouraged to apply online at the State Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. People who have accumulated preference points and choose not to apply this year will not lose their points.

A new state law requires residents age 18 or older to prove residency on the application by submitting a valid North Dakota driver’s license number or a North Dakota nondriver photo identification number. Applications will not be processed without this information.

The season is open only in unit 4-A, the far southwestern corner of the state. A total of 250 any-pronghorn licenses are available, and the season is split into an early “bow-only” portion, and a later gun/bow season.

Youth angler Brayden Selzler’s catch on July 25 shattered a state record for goldeye that’s been in the books for 16 years.

The 9-year-old Velva angler reeled in a 4-pound, 12-ounce goldeye from Lake Audubon.

The previous record of 3 pounds, 13 ounces was established in 1998 by Craig Unser, a Mandan angler who was fishing New John’s Lake.

North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel recently wrapped up stocking walleye in a record 133 lakes across the state.

Jerry Weigel, fisheries production and development supervisor, said thanks to the excellent walleye fingerling production from the Garrison Dam and Valley City national fish hatcheries, these waters received nearly 10 million fingerlings.

“With a record number of fishing waters across the state, the demand to stock these new waters with hatchery fish has greatly increased,” Weigel said. “We’ve increased our efforts to make sure we meet the record production demands.”

Game and Fish works with both federal hatcheries, providing operational funding and temporary staff, as well as collecting all the eggs and transporting fish to all the fishing waters across the state.

Most recently, the department partnered with the Fish and Wildlife Service to make improvements to the 50-year-old Valley City hatchery, which resulted in a hatchery record 2.5 million walleye fingerlings produced this year.

Stocking conditions were optimal this year, Weigel said, with cooler weather and increasing water levels at many lakes. The stocked 30-day-old fingerings averaged about 1.25 inches in length.

“They should find lots of food and good survival conditions which bodes well for future fishing opportunity,” Weigel added. “Later this fall fisheries personal will sample walleye lakes to access the success of this year’s walleye stocking, as well as what Mother Nature provides.”

One common observation fish haulers noted while traveling across the state, Weigel said, was the amount of fishing taken place, both from shore and from a boat. “There has never been a better time to fish for walleye,” he added. “Statewide, there are a lot of great opportunities, and a very good chance of success.”

The July issue of North Dakota Outdoors magazine is out and has a great piece on the crappie of Jamestown Reservoir & Pipestem Reservoir. It’s an excellent read and you’ll learn more about the work being done by Game and Fish fisheries managers and biologists. Check this story and more for free in the full July issue  available right here: or here

http://www.gf.nd.gov/magazines/july-2014

The next guide and outfitter written examination is Aug. 9 at 1 p.m. at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department office in Bismarck. The test is given periodically to anyone interested in becoming a hunting guide or outfitter in the state.

In addition to passing a written exam, qualifications for becoming a guide include a background check for criminal and game and fish violations; certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and standard first aid; and employment by or contract with a licensed hunting outfitter.

Hunting outfitter eligibility requirements include the guide qualifications, as well as an individual must have held a hunting guide license for two years; and must have proof of liability insurance.

Interested individuals are required to preregister by calling the Game and Fish Department’s enforcement office at 328-6604.

The North Dakota Cooperative Fur Harvester Education Program is sponsoring fur harvester education classes for anyone interested in trapping or hunting furbearers.

Courses in Bismarck and Jamestown are set for Aug. 12, 14 and 16.

A course in Velva is scheduled for Aug. 19, 21 and 23.

Audubon National Wildlife Refuge is hosting a course Sept. 16, 18 and 20.

Courses are free and take 16 hours to complete over a three-day period.

Students will learn about traps, trapping and snaring techniques, furbearer biology and fur care. A field day allows students to make a variety of land, water and snare sets.

Upon completion, graduates are issued a certification card that is recognized by any state requiring trapper education prior to purchasing a license.

Anyone interested in signing up for the class should access the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website at gf.nd.gov, click on the online services link, and “online course enrollment” under the hunter education heading.

The recent discovery of curly leaf pondweed in Raleigh Reservoir in Grant County serves as a reminder for anglers to take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species.

North Dakota Game and Fish Department ANS coordinator Fred Ryckman said a fisheries crew discovered the unwanted plant in late June.

“This does not come as a total surprise since curly leaf is found in the Missouri River,” Ryckman said, noting the close proximity of the Missouri River to Raleigh Reservoir.

Current law states no aquatic vegetation, or parts thereof, shall be in or on watercraft, motors, trailers and recreational equipment when out of water. Time out of the water needed to remove aquatic vegetation at the immediate water access area is allowed.

In addition, all water must be drained from watercraft prior to leaving a water body, including livewells. This means fish, including bait, cannot be transported in a livewell containing water. However, bait buckets and/or any container of 5 gallons or less in volume can be used to transport legal live baitfish or other bait in water. All other fish species may not be held in water and/or transported in bait buckets/containers when away from a water body. Transportation of fish in or on ice is allowed.

According to Game and Fish Department records, game wardens in 2013 reported 35 ANS violations across the state.

North Dakota will have a limited pronghorn hunting season this fall for the first time since 2009.

Randy Kreil, wildlife chief for the State Game and Fish Department, said the season is open only in unit 4-A, the far southwestern corner of the state. A total of 250 any-pronghorn licenses are available, and the season is split into an early “bow-only” portion, and a later gun/bow season.

The bow-only portion of the season is from Aug. 29 (noon) – Sept. 28. Anyone who draws a license can hunt pronghorn with a bow, only in Unit 4-A, during this period.

From Oct. 3 (noon) – Oct.19, hunters who still have a valid license can use legal firearms or bow equipment.

“We are opening the hunting season in unit 4-A to take advantage of a surplus number of bucks in that area, and to provide hunting opportunity while still encouraging population growth,” Kreil said. “While we aren’t issuing any statewide pronghorn archery licenses this year as we did in the past, hunters who do draw a license can use a rifle, bow or both, depending on their preferences.”

Game and Fish biologists surveyed more than 11,000 square miles, 100 percent of the 21 survey units in the state, in early July. Statistics indicate a statewide population estimate of 5,700 pronghorn, with 1,650 in the area open to hunting.

“The number of pronghorn observed in Unit 4-A falls within our regional population objective of having a limited season, while all other units do not,” Kreil said.

In addition, unit 4-A has a high buck-to-doe ratio, Kreil said, which is typical of a population that has not been hunted. The fawn-to-doe ratio is also the highest since 2007.

“While some people may have expected more units to be open, we need to proceed conservatively with this valuable wildlife resource and let pronghorns rebound to a level that can sustain harvest. The good news is that we are poised to see additional units open next year, providing Mother Nature cooperates with a moderate winter,” Kreil said.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply for a 2014 pronghorn license. Kreil said people who have accumulated preference points and choose not to apply this year will not lose their points.

In addition, state law allows youth who turn age 12 on or before December 31, 2014 to apply for a license.

Online applications for regular and gratis licenses will be available the week of July 21 at the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Paper applications will also be available from Game and Fish offices, county auditors and license vendors, or by calling 800-406-6409.

The pronghorn license fee is $30, and the deadline for submitting applications is Aug. 6.

Two separate cases involving citations issued to out-of-state anglers for exceeding the possession limit on walleyes are perfect examples of public participation in helping enforce game and fish laws.

North Dakota Game and Fish Department chief of enforcement Robert Timian said one anonymous caller reported a case through the department’s enforcement office in Bismarck, while the other contacted a local district game warden.

“Both cases were very similar, and resulted from tips where anglers were catching and keeping more fish than the daily limit allows,” Timian said.

One investigation involved five adults cited for 100 walleyes over the possession limit. The other implicated eight individuals – six apprehended in North Dakota and two cited with cooperation from law enforcement officers in the state where the anglers reside – with an over-possession limit of 84 walleyes.

“Our hunters and anglers are passionate about protecting their resource,” Timian said. “These people took the appropriate actions by reporting the violations.”

Timian said violations can be reported through Report All Poachers, a local game warden or law enforcement agency, or a Game and Fish office.

RAP is a cooperative project between the Game and Fish Department, State Radio Communications and the North Dakota Wildlife Federation. The RAP line offers rewards – from $100 to $1,000 depending on the nature and seriousness of the crime – for information that leads to conviction of fish and wildlife law violators. Callers can remain anonymous.

Witnesses reporting a violation by calling RAP should call 800-472-2121. RAP will then contact the local game warden immediately. If the witness gives the RAP operator a phone number, the witness will be contacted right away.