The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has scheduled an examination to select candidates for the position of game warden pilot. The test is scheduled for Aug. 21 at 10 a.m., at the department’s main office in Bismarck.

Applicants must register to take the exam no later than Aug. 19, by submitting an online application through the North Dakota State Job Openings website.

Game warden pilot applicants must have a commercial pilot’s license for a single engine land with an instrument rating, and hold an FAA Class II medical certificate. Candidates also must have a minimum of 200 hours total flying time and have a clean record without any felony convictions. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, have a valid driver’s license and a current North Dakota peace officer license, or be eligible to be licensed.

Job duties include day and night flights, involving enforcement and administrative flight activities. Responsibilities also include enforcing game and fish laws and other related regulations.

Salary through training is $3,800 per month. Upon successful completion of training, the salary is $4,136 – $6,894 per month. Wardens also receive the state benefits package, including travel allowance. Uniforms and other equipment are provided.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has scheduled an examination to select candidates for the position of game warden pilot. The test is scheduled for Aug. 21 at 10 a.m., at the department’s main office in Bismarck.

Applicants must register to take the exam no later than Aug. 19, by submitting an online application through the North Dakota State Job Openings website.

Game warden pilot applicants must have a commercial pilot’s license for a single engine land with an instrument rating, and hold an FAA Class II medical certificate. Candidates also must have a minimum of 200 hours total flying time and have a clean record without any felony convictions. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, have a valid driver’s license and a current North Dakota peace officer license, or be eligible to be licensed.

Job duties include day and night flights, involving enforcement and administrative flight activities. Responsibilities also include enforcing game and fish laws and other related regulations.

Salary through training is $3,800 per month. Upon successful completion of training, the salary is $4,136 – $6,894 per month. Wardens also receive the state benefits package, including travel allowance. Uniforms and other equipment are provided.

The online application for North Dakota’s 2015 tundra swan license lottery is available on the State Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for applying is Aug. 19.

Paper applications will be available the end of July from Game and Fish offices, county auditors and license vendors. Hunters can also apply by calling 800-406-6409. A service fee is added for license applications made by phone.

North Dakota residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply. The resident swan license is $10, while the nonresident fee is $30.

The statewide tundra swan hunting season is Oct. 3 – Jan. 3, 2016. A total of 2,200 licenses are available. Successful applicants will receive a tag to take one swan during the season. Since swans are classified as waterfowl, nonresidents may hunt them only during the period their nonresident waterfowl license is valid.

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 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.

2015 Small Game and Furbearer Regulations Set

North Dakota’s 2015 small game and furbearer regulations are set and most season structures are similar to last year.

Prairie chicken and sage grouse seasons will remain closed due to low populations.

Only North Dakota residents are permitted to hunt waterfowl from Sept. 26 – Oct. 2. Nonresidents are allowed to hunt waterfowl in North Dakota beginning Oct. 3. Other waterfowl season details will be finalized in mid-August in the waterfowl amendment to the small game and furbearer proclamation.

In accordance with state law, nonresidents are not allowed to hunt on Game and Fish Department wildlife management areas or conservation PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) areas from Oct. 10-16.

Hunters should refer to the North Dakota 2015-16 Small Game and Furbearer guides (available mid-August) for more details on small game and furbearer seasons. Waterfowl regulations will be available in early September.

This week’s North Dakota Game and Fish Department webcast, Outdoors Online, is now online at http://gf.nd.gov. North Dakota Game and Fish big game management supervisor Bruce Stillings talks about the 2015 pronghorn season. Click here to Watch!   To learn more about pronghorn, elk, moose, and bighorn sheep in North Dakota, visit the Game and Fish Department’s web portal on big game here: http://gf.nd.gov/hunting

Recent hunter education graduates and their families are invited to attend the Brownells/National Rifle Association Day Camp at the Moffit Gun Range on Saturday, July 25.

The shooting sports activity runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and includes rifle, shotgun, pistol, muzzleloading and archery target shooting, hunting and safety information and demonstrations.

All equipment is provided, along with a free lunch and door prizes. For more information on the day camp contact Jack Kavaney at 701-220-8564, email Missouri Valley Shooting Sports Association at mvssa@btinet.net, or visit their website at mvssa.com.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters program, which provides grant dollars to help local communities and organizations fund events that promote youth hunting and shooting sports, is a primary sponsor of the event. For more information on the Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters program, contact outreach biologist Pat Lothspeich at 701-328-6332.

Adults and children looking to take a hunter education class in 2015 are reminded to enroll at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov.

Hunter education coordinator John Mazur said the majority of classes were held by the end of May. However, he said classes will still be added throughout the year as they become finalized.

“Our volunteer instructors will be adding classes, but not nearly as many as we move toward the fall,” Mazur said. “That’s why it is important to monitor our website and to act quickly when a class suits your needs.”

To register, click on the hunter ed enrollment link and “list of hunter education courses.” Classes are listed by city, and can also be sorted by start date. To register for a class, click on “enroll” next to the specific class, and follow the simple instructions. Personal information is required.

Those who do not have access to the Internet and want to sign up for a class can call the hunter education program in Bismarck at 701-328-6615.

Individuals interested in receiving a notice by email when each hunter education class is added can click on the “subscribe to news, email and text alerts” link found below the news section on the department’s home page. Check the box labeled “hunter education class notification” under the education program updates.

In addition, SMS text notifications of new classes can be sent directly to a cell phone. Simply text “NDGF HunterClass” to 468311 to subscribe to this feature.

State law requires anyone born after December 31, 1961 to pass a certified hunter education course to hunt in the state. Hunter education is mandatory for youth who are turning 12 years old, and children can take the class at age 11.

The July  issue of North Dakota Outdoors magazine is available FREE online right now. It’s highlighted by an in depth story on Lake Sakakawea Bounces Back by fisheries biologist Dave Fryda. Five years ago North Dakota Outdoors featured an article that outline the reasons for great optimism for the future of Lake Sakakawea. The optimism of 2010 is a reality in 2015. It’s important to look back to discuss how critical water levels and water management are to the fishery.

There’s a great piece of how some of the waters you fish have been named. Ron Wilson shares his findings on how places like Crooked Lake, Flooded House Lake and Paris Lake were named.   Check these stories and more for free in the full July issue  available right here: or here http://gf.nd.gov/publications