Search Results for ‘general hunting’

I've hunted pronghorn in southwestern North Dakota, and seen them in the wild in McIntosh County and Sargent counties, east of the Missouri River and well away from their population center in the state. I've also heard of people spotting them in Steele and Traill counties in years past, and no...

Most hunters don't apologize if their conversations drift to the coming fall hunting season while they are still enjoying summer fishing, camping or one of many other outdoor activities. We're prone to keeping one eye on the bobber and another on the calendar while our imagination ponders what...

Crankbaits are a great way to catch summer fish for several reasons. Mike Frisch trolled this crankbait summer walleye up on a Salmo Hornet. Crankbaits allow an angler to cover lots of water in a short period of time. Crankbaits appeal to most species of gamefish regardless of where you're...

Here it is barely summer--the calendar says summer began June 21-- and a lot of us are already looking ahead to what the fall hunting season might provide. While some prospects are risky to try to pin down just yet, spring weather conditions can give us some ideas about how various species have...

By Doug Leier Every so often I catch myself with a few pieces of news and notes that might not generate a full column, but are worthy of passing along as reminders. Here's what I've got for you this week. Tracking North Dakota Legislation The ND Game and Fish Department has initiated a...

By Doug Leier Looking ahead to 2015, it's hard not to get excited, or stay excited, about the excellent fishing prospects that lie ahead for North Dakota. None of us who are anglers today have ever lived through a time when the state has had more fishing waters than it does right now. None...

By Doug Leier It's that time of year again when a lot of us take a look back at the past 365 days. For me it's an enjoyable exercise as I can sift through my weekly columns to see how the year unfolded from an outdoors perspective. Winter 2014 wasn't particularly snowy and that played a...

By Doug Leier Many of my outdoors destinations tend to attract higher use than a secluded badlands nook, a Turtle Mountains hideout or even a tucked away Missouri Coteau wetland. While we typically associate littering problems with warmer weather seasons, it happens in the winter, too I...

By Doug Leier Hunting conversations sometimes have a number of words that are owned and defined by the hunter and the context in which they are used. What each person strives for is time outdoors that fills their definition of a quality experience. How that's defined, only you decide. For...

by Bob Jensen I got to fishing again this past week. My friend Mike Gottheardt and I were chasing smallmouth bass on a river in eastern Wisconsin. We caught 'em good: Lots of smallmouth and some nice ones at that. Nothing that would be considered a trophy, but some healthy bass that fought...

By Doug Leier As North Dakota gives pause to acknowledge its 125th anniversary of statehood, much will be made of its history, and thoughts of how the state will age into the future. During the early years of statehood people often hunted for their daily meals, but recognized the pursuit as...

By Doug Leier The popularity of North Dakota's Private Land Open to Sportsmen program has created somewhat of an expectation for hunters. While PLOTS acres and other public access areas are popular with North Dakota hunters, those who want to broaden their opportunities will work to...

By Doug Leier With fall hunting seasons rolling out almost every week now since Labor Day weekend, I field, hear and read many discussions on rules, regulations, poaching and "what if" scenarios. Sometimes they're as simple as what to do or who to call if you witness something suspicious, like...

By Doug Leier The first official hunting season of 2014 has been open since Aug. 9 when the fall crow season began. The 2013 early season Canada goose harvest was about 48,000 birds While I'd venture to guess that very few people gathered the evening before to strategize for the crow...

By Doug Leier The much anticipated annual North Dakota Private Land Open To Sportsmen or PLOTS Guide is now available. The PLOTS program has about 735,000 acres for 2014, which is down slightly from 760,000 acres last fall The printed version likely won't hit the usual outlets such as...

By Doug Leier I've tried to really determine if my wandering outdoor excursions are a genetic characteristic or just learned behavior that I enjoy. This summer the Game and Fish Department has rolled out some new tools for mobile hunters and anglers Some of my favorite trips out hunting...

by Doug Leier In terms of sheer hunter interest and popularity, the question of, "How'd the deer and pheasants make it through the winter?" is asked more often than, "What's the latest on the bighorn sheep population?" It's not because people don't care about bighorn sheep. On the contrary...

by Doug Leier Most of us would already assume that April is a busy month for fisheries biologists, as ice-out brings pike spawning, then walleye spawning and initiation of all the other management work that corresponds to open water. Perhaps not so well known is that April is also a busy...

by Doug Leier I've always enjoyed the arrival of spring. I've lived in a number of towns and areas in just about every corner of North Dakota, and whether it's Williston, Bottineau, Bismarck or West Fargo, each has its own special draw. While all of us in the Midwest are fortunate to have...

by Doug Leier In case you missed it at the time, when temperatures were sub-zero and the countryside was white, North Dakota's spring light goose season opened Feb. 15 and continues through May 18. At the same time, while most people probably wouldn't have anticipated the first sightings of...