Swan hunters who are interested in applying for a 2017 license must submit an online application through the state Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. Paper applications are not available this year.

North Dakota residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply. The resident swan license is $10, while the nonresident fee is $30. The deadline for applying is Aug. 16.

The statewide tundra swan hunting season is Sept. 30 – Dec. 31. A total of 2,700 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. However, the west boundary of the Missouri River Canada Goose zone, north of N.D. Highway 200, is extended to N.D. Highway 8.

The season will open Tuesday, 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, are both required beginning Sept. 1.

Hunters who do not HIP certify when they buy a North Dakota license, can add it later through the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov, or by calling 888-634-4798 and recording the HIP number on their printed license. 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 in each state 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.

In 2016, North Dakota early Canada goose season hunters bagged more than 36,000 birds – the sixth consecutive year hunters reached that number. Top counties for total harvest were Ramsey, McIntosh, Kidder, Benson and Stutsman.

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.

Adults and children looking to take a hunter education class in 2017 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 already held, but 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.”

Interested students must click on the Buy and Apply link, hunter education and then “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.

Individuals interested in receiving a notice by email when each hunter education class is added can click on the “subscribe to news and alerts” link found below the news section on the Game and Fish home page. Check the box labeled “hunter education” 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.

Have You Seen? North Dakota Outdoors Webcast – 07/20/2017

Watch the video right here on a North Dakota  salmon update

Lake Sakakawea has some very deep, cold water that is unused by most fish, so in 1970 the Department began stocking salmon in the lake. Now, each year from about mid-July through August, anglers can enjoy some great salmon fishing in Lake Sakakawea. Learn more about the lake’s salmon and the salmon stocking program in this week’s webcast.

North Dakota’s 2017 pronghorn hunting season is set, with 410 licenses available in five open units.

Bruce Stillings, big game management supervisor for the state Game and Fish Department, said the recently completed aerial survey indicated the pronghorn population is down 14 percent from last year. “Numbers were a bit disappointing, but not unexpected due to a combination of a tough winter and extreme drought conditions,” Stillings said.

A total of 30 licenses are available in 2B, 25 in 3A, 80 in 3B, 225 in 4A and 50 in 4C. All licenses are valid for any pronghorn. Units 1A and 2A, which were open to pronghorn hunting in 2016, are closed this year.

“We just don’t have the numbers to support a season in those two units this year,” Stillings said.

On the bright side, Stillings said the fawn-to-doe ratio of .74 to 1 was the highest since 2002. The buck-to-doe ratio of 38 bucks per 100 does remained stable.

“This year’s high fawn production is encouraging for future population growth,” Stillings said. “A moderate winter, with average fawn production next summer, may provide conditions needed for pronghorn population growth to support additional hunting opportunities in 2018.”

Similar to last year, each unit will have a season that is split into an early bow-only portion, and a later gun/bow season.

The bow-only portion of the season is from Sept. 1 (noon) – Sept. 24. Anyone who draws a license can hunt pronghorn with a bow in the unit printed on the license.

From Oct. 6 (noon) – Oct. 22, hunters who still have a valid license can use legal firearms or bow equipment, and again must stay in the assigned unit.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply for a 2017 pronghorn license. Hunters who have accumulated bonus 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 Dec. 31, 2017 to apply for a license.

Applicants can apply online at the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.govstarting Thursday, July 20. Paper applications will be available the week of July 24 for printing off the website, and from license vendors, or by calling 800-406-6409.

The pronghorn license fee is $30 for ages 16 and older, and $10 for under age 16. The deadline for submitting applications is Aug. 2.

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

Courses in Bismarck and Jamestown are set for Aug. 22, 24 and 26.

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

Students will learn the history of the fur trade in the Dakotas, furbearer identification, tools and techniques for harvesting furbearers in North Dakota, as well as proper handling (skinning, fleshing and boarding) of furbearers.

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 visit the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website at gf.nd.gov, click on buy and apply, and “list of education courses” under the hunter education heading.

Governor Doug Burgum has appointed Cody Sand of Forbes and Beau Wisness of Keene to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s advisory board.

The governor appoints eight Game and Fish Department advisors, each representing a multi-county section of the state, to serve as a liaison between the department and public.

Sand fills the expiring term of Joel Christoferson, Litchville, in District 6, which includes Barnes, Dickey, Foster, Griggs, Logan, LaMoure, McIntosh, Stutsman and Wells counties.

Wisness fills the expiring term of Jason Leiseth, Arnegard, in District 1, which includes Divide, McKenzie and Williams counties.

In addition, the governor recently reappointed District 5 advisory board member Duane Hanson, West Fargo, to another term.

Four members of the advisory board must be farmers or ranchers and four must be hunters/anglers. Appointments are for a term of four years. No member can serve longer than two terms.

Advisory board members host two public meetings, held each spring and fall, to provide citizens with an opportunity to discuss fish and wildlife issues and ask questions of their district advisors and agency personnel.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will host thousands of visitors to its free Conservation and Outdoors Skills Park July 21-29 at the State Fair in Minot.

Visitors will be treated to an array of activities, exhibits and useful information as the park is open from 1-7 p.m. daily. Pathways to Hunting, Fishing, Trapping and Archery are major attractions where interested kids and adults participate in each outdoor activity.

In addition to hands-on outdoor learning opportunities, the area offers a live fish display, furbearer exhibit and native prairie plantings. Two information centers staffed by Game and Fish Department personnel bookend the Conservation and Outdoors Skills Park, which is located on the north end of the fairgrounds near the State Fair Center.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department advises outdoor enthusiasts to be cautious with their dogs around water this time of year, due to potential health hazards associated with blue-green algae.

Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Dan Grove said it only takes a few hot days for blue-green algae to bloom. “We have experienced many days like this already this summer, and with warmer temperatures yet to come, conditions are right for lakes, ponds and wetlands to become contaminated by toxins produced by blue-green algae,” he said.

Shallow, stagnant water, with moderate to high nutrient content, provides an optimum environment for blue-green algal growth. Water or wind movements often concentrate blue-green algae along the shoreline, and eventually the bloom appears as a blue-green “scum” floating on the surface. The threat diminishes, but is not completely eliminated, once the weather cools.

Dogs shouldn’t drink or swim in discolored water or where algal blooms are apparent. If dogs practice retrieving in these conditions, Grove said they should be rinsed off immediately and shouldn’t be allowed to lick their coat.

For additional information about the effects of blue-green algae blooms visit the North Dakota Department of Health website at ndhealth.gov, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Division at 701-328-2655, or a local veterinarian.