Remaining Deer Licenses for 2010

[marine_man]

From the GNF:

Remaining Deer Licenses Available Online

More than 16,000 antlerless deer gun licenses are still available after the North Dakota Game and Fish Department recently completed its lottery drawing. These remaining licenses will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no limit to the number of licenses a hunter can receive.

All hunters, including gratis applicants, can apply online at the Game and Fish Department HSOforum, gf.nd.gov. Paper applications will be available by Sept. 1 from Game and Fish offices, county auditors and license vendors. Hand delivered applications will not be processed at the department while the applicant waits. Residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply.

Additional concurrent season doe licenses can be used during the archery season with a bow; the deer gun season with a bow, rifle, or muzzleloader; or during the muzzleloader season with a muzzleloader. These licenses must be used for antlerless deer only, and hunters must stay in the unit to which the license is assigned.

In addition, hunters ages 14 and 15 who have special youth season licenses may purchase additional concurrent season doe licenses to use during the youth season.

The archery season opens Sept. 3, youth deer Sept. 17, regular deer gun Nov. 5 and muzzleloader Nov. 26.

marine_man

[marine_man]

For any non-residents who have ever wanted to experience ND Deer Hunting this is a great opportunity... granted you're limited to Does, but the license price is somewhere around $60 which is quite a bit cheaper than usual since it's the licenses are first come first serve.

I wish MN would do the same thing!

marine_man

[marine_man]

To further bolster the opportunity here... the GNF is matching hunters with Landowners to fill Doe Tags:

Landowners Seek Doe Hunters

North Dakota Game and Fish Department big game biologist Bill Jensen is currently working with 33 landowners in 20 hunting units across the state who would like to host antlerless deer hunters in 2010.

“The current list of landowners has more than 400 openings for doe hunters,” Jensen said. “We will continue to add landowners and doe hunters over the next several months, and by time the season is over with we could match more than 500 antlerless deer hunters with perhaps 40 landowners.”

Landowners currently participating in 2010 are located in hunting units 2C, 2D, 2G2, 2I, 2J2, 2K2, 3A2, 3A4, 3B3, 3D1, 3D2, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1, 3F2, 4A, 4B, 4D, 4E and 4F.

“The program is designed to direct antlerless hunters to specific areas to reduce deer depredation problems in the future,” Jensen said. “It is not intended for buck hunters.”

The Game and Fish Department first started working with landowners in developing a contact list in 2006, and the program has been very successful, Jensen said. “In fact, several landowners have now dropped out of the program because they have either gotten on top of their depredation problems and/or developed solid relationships with hunters over the past few years that they now welcome them back every year,” he added. “This is how we intended it to work.”

Interested hunters can get their name on a list of possible participants by accessing the Game and Fish Department’s HSOforum at North Dakota Game and Fish Hunter Contact. Hunters who do not have Internet access can call the department’s main office in Bismarck at (701) 328-6300.

Hunters will provide their address, hunting unit(s) where they hold valid antlerless licenses, and if using rifle, muzzleloader or bow. From this list the department will select the number of hunters landowners have agreed to host. These hunters will be sent the landowner’s name, phone number and any information relating to the landowner’s specific situation.

Not everyone who signs up will end up with a new place to hunt, Jensen said, because not everyone’s schedule will match up with a landowner’s, and more people will likely put their name on the list than there are openings with landowners.

North Dakota’s 2010 regular deer gun season runs from Nov. 5-21. In addition, the archery season extends from Sept. 3 through Jan. 2, 2011; the youth season is from Sept. 17-26; and muzzleloader runs from Nov. 26 – Dec. 12.