The Daily News

Last week, I reported on a plan by the U.S. Forest Service to closed hundreds of miles of roads on federal lands in the badlands of western North Dakota. The plan was far too encompassing and would have restricted access to many thousands of acres of your land. Even the N.D. Game and Fish Department was deeply concerned and opposed the plan as written.

I, and the rest of the media, was alerted and we wrote columns explaining the issue and asked all those outdoors men and women who enjoy the public lands of western North Dakota to send letters and e-mails to the U.S. Forest Service opposing the new road management plan.

Well, if you were one of those who did your part and responded you can feel good about your efforts. The Forest Service received enough comments to warrant a re-evaluation of the current proposal and they’re going back to the drawing board. Let’s hope they take a closer look at the impact their actions will have on public use of public land. That land in the west was not put there to provide profits for oil and gas companies and ranchers. When it comes to management and access, the public interest should be the first considered, not the last.

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Good job people. Keep it up.

ND WATERFOWL

North Dakota’s waterfowl season has finally been set and there are no major changes other than a doubling of the daily pintail limit from one bird to two. The full daily limit remains six ducks of which only five may be mallards and only two can be hen mallards. You’re allowed three wood ducks, two scaup, two redheads, two pintails and/or one canvasback in that limit. The possession limit is twice the daily limit.

As expected, opening day for resident waterfowlers will be Saturday, Sept. 25 and nonresidents can start hunting on Oct. 2. The regulations for geese are identical to last year so read them carefully before going afield.

The youth waterfowl season will be held the weekend of Sept. 18-19. Both resident and nonresident youths 15 years old and under may hunt that weekend as long as they’re accompanied by a licensed adult. The daily limit is the same as the regular season.

YOUTH HUNTS

The Red River Area Sportsmen’s Club is again accepting applications for their two youth hunts this fall. They will conduct a youth waterfowl hunt on Saturday, Sept. 18 and the kids will be hunting over decoys in sloughs somewhere near the Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge.

The club’s youth pheasant hunt will take place on Saturday, Oct. 2, taking advantage of the youth pheasant opener which occurs a week earlier than the regular season. That hunt will take the kids to various locations in Richland, Sargent and Ransom counties.

If you know a youngster who would like to participate call the Wahpeton Rec. Department at 642-2811. Adult mentors are also needed and you can call the same number if you would like to help out.

DOVES

The hunting seasons get cranking Wednesday, Sept. 1, when the mourning dove season opens in both North Dakota and Minnesota. Doves are somewhat under-appreciated here in the North Country. Dove hunting is much more popular down south. Maybe it’s because hunters here aren’t quite in the mood for shotgunning yet or maybe they feel doves are a waste of their time. I can tell you from experience that a mess of filleted dove breasts cooked in cream of onion soup is an outstanding meal. Besides, if you’re a shotgunner you shouldn’t need much of an excuse to get out and blow the dust out of your scattergun. Just remember you will need a Harvest Information Program (HIP) number to go with your licenses. That’s because doves are a migratory bird. If you plan to hunt any kind of waterfowl you’ll need a HIP number also.

TUNDRA SWANS

The lottery for tundra swan licenses in North Dakota has been completed and there are still more than 450 licenses remaining. These licenses are available first-come, first-served only to those who do not already hold a swan license. The cost is $5 for residents and $25 for nonresidents and the best way to get one is online at gf.nd.gov. The statewide swan season opens on Oct. 2 and runs through Jan. 2.

BOWHUNT

On Friday, Sept. 3, at noon, the archery deer season opens in North Dakota but there’s something missing this year. Typically, both the deer and pronghorn antelope archery seasons open on the same day but this year the antelope season was closed for both the bow and rifle seasons due to declining antelope numbers.

For those hunters who love to travel to western North Dakota to hunt both species on the same hunt this closure stings a little but that’s the funny thing about hunters. They know when game populations are down and need a chance to rebuild it’s something that has to be done. They don’t argue, or they shouldn’t, and they just turn their attention to other things. They may increase their focus on deer or maybe take more time to hunt waterfowl, but when the antelope population comes back, and it will, they’ll be ready to chase pronghorns again.

Deer bowhunters will have their work cut out for them in the far southeastern corner of the state. We have a depressed deer population in this region along with what seems like millions of acres of standing corn. That tends to disperse the deer so finding a concentration and discerning a pattern of movement can be a real challenge. Warm weather and mosquitoes contribute to that challenge in the early season but if you can find a buck that’s traveling in a consistent pattern, probably to a bean field right now, you may be able to intercept him.

All deer hunters, including those who hunt with a rifle and a muzzleloader, should hope this dry spell continues so the farmers can get that corn harvested in a timely manner. The late, and in some cases nonexistent, corn harvest last year really impacted the deer hunting and not in a good way.

MN GUN CLASS

A Minnesota Firearms Safety Class will be held at the Breckenridge Fire Hall with the first class on Sept. 14. Subsequent dates will be Sept. 16, 21, 23, 28 and 30 and the hours will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. each night. The “range” date will be set later. Both Minnesotans and North Dakotans can sign up, the cost is $10 and the class is limited to 24 kids. If you’re interested you can pre-register by calling 218-643-4374.

Wells is a hunter and columnist for the Daily News. He can reached at: curtawells@msn.com

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