ND GNF Weekley Newsletter 28-Jul-06

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Pronghorn Season Set, Applications Available

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is recommending a total of 3,810 pronghorn licenses for the 2006 hunting season, a decrease of 1,905 from the record total in 2005, according to Randy Kreil, wildlife division chief.

The 2005 season offered the most doe/fawn licenses ever in the state, Kreil said, which reduced pronghorn numbers toward management objectives. “The state’s pronghorn population estimate increased from 4,000 in 1998 to nearly 15,000 in 2005,” Kreil said. “Currently, the statewide population is estimated at 12,565, which is slightly above the objective.”

A total of 1,955 any-pronghorn licenses and 1,855 doe/fawn licenses are available in 2006. Applicants should note that the second choice option should only be used for doe/kid licenses as all any-pronghorn licenses will be issued in the first choice drawing.

The number of pronghorn in areas east and north of the Missouri River is still below a point that would sustain a harvest, and these areas will remain closed to pronghorn hunting.

Prospective hunters are encouraged to apply online, or print out an application to mail, at the Game and Fish Department HSOforum, gf.nd.gov. Regular license fees apply and no service charge is added.

Applications will also be available from Game and Fish offices, county auditors and license vendors, or by calling 800-406-6409. A service fee is added for license applications made over the phone.

Deadline for submitting applications is Wednesday, Aug. 9. Mailed applications must be postmarked before midnight. Hand-delivered applications are due at the department’s Bismarck office by 5 p.m. Applications should be mailed early because some post offices use the following day’s postmark if received after office hours.

Only North Dakota residents are eligible for pronghorn gun licenses. Archery season is open to residents and nonresidents. Gun season dates are Oct. 6 (noon) – Oct. 22. Pronghorn bow season runs Sept. 1 (noon) – Oct. 8.

Game and Fish Recaps 2005 Pheasant Season

North Dakota’s expanding pheasant population brought out a record number of hunters last fall, according to statistics recently finalized by the state Game and Fish Department.

While the corresponding total harvest was not anywhere near a record, it was still the highest in 60 years and nearly 40 percent higher than in 2004.

“Our pheasant population continues to increase because of good nesting habitat on the landscape as a result of the Conservation Reserve Program, and a series of mild winters,” said Stan Kohn, Game and Fish Department upland game biologist.

Prospects for 2006 are promising as well, Kohn added, though biologists are concerned about how hot, dry conditions over much of the pheasant range will affect pheasant reproduction.

In 2005, North Dakota had 92,801 pheasant hunters, about a 9 percent increase over 2004. The number of resident hunters increased 9 percent and the number of nonresident hunters increased more than 8 percent.

The total bag was 809,775 roosters, compared to about 587,500 in 2004. In comparison, the pheasant harvest was about 135,000 in 1997, following a severe winter. The record harvest was 2.4 million in both 1944 and 1945.

Birds bagged per hunter increased from 6.8 to 8.7, and each hunter spent an average of 5.8 days afield last year. Annual pheasant harvest statistics are determined by a mail survey of resident and nonresident hunters.

Counties with the highest percentage of harvest of pheasants by resident hunters included McLean (9.7 percent), Burleigh (7.4 percent), Hettinger (5.8 percent), Emmons (5.2 percent), and Morton (4.9 percent). Top counties for nonresident hunters were Hettinger (19.5 percent), Dickey (9.1 percent), McIntosh (6.6 percent), Emmons (6.0 percent) and Bowman (5.6 percent).

“What we’ve experienced over the last several years is a nice expansion of the pheasant range in North Dakota,” Kohn noted. “We’re seeing hunters harvest good numbers of pheasants in counties that at one time barely registered on our surveys. Pheasant hunters have a lot more opportunities now, over a much larger area, than was the case 10 years ago.”

Following a mild winter in 2005-06, with minimal winter mortality, Kohn said, the 2006 spring crowing count indicated a 39 percent increase statewide in the number of pheasants heard crowing compared to last year.

Pheasant crowing counts are conducted each spring by observers driving standardized 20-mile routes throughout North Dakota. The number of rooster pheasants heard crowing is recorded and compared to previous years’ data. The index does not measure actual numbers or population density, but is an indicator of the population trend of breeding roosters in the state, Kohn explained.

Crowing counts were up about 50 percent in the northeast, southwest, and southeast districts, and essentially unchanged in the northwest.

While crowing counts identified an increase in spring numbers, the fall pheasant population largely depends on reproductive success and survival of young birds in June through mid-August, Kohn said.

“Presently, we have a large area of southwestern and south-central North Dakota experiencing severe drought conditions,” Kohn said, “and we do not know what effect this condition may have on the survival of pheasant chicks.

“Although the present outlook looks promising for this fall’s season, we will have more information regarding fall pheasant numbers after completion of production surveys in August.”

Fall Turkey Licenses Remain

The 2006 fall wild turkey lottery has been held and nearly 3,000 licenses remain in 15 units. Licenses are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and are available beginning July 26 to hunters who do not already have a license, or for those who want additional licenses, reports Carrie Whitney, licensing supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

Licenses remain for the following units: Unit 03, portions of Benson, Towner, Pierce and Ramsey counties, 167 licenses; Unit 04, portions of Billings and Golden Valley counties south of Interstate 94, 153; Unit 06, Bowman County, 50; Unit 13, Dunn County, 438; Unit 15, Emmons County, 83; Unit 17, portions of Billings and Golden Valley counties north of Interstate 94, 786; Unit 19, Grant and Sioux counties and a portion of Morton County, 40; Unit 25, McHenry County and portions of Pierce and Ward counties, 268; Unit 27, McKenzie County, 338; Unit 30, portion of Morton County, 146; Unit 31, Mountrail County, 37; Unit 44, Slope County, 69; Unit 45, Stark County, 74; Unit 51, Burke County and portions of Renville, Bottineau and Ward counties, 107; and Unit 99, Mercer and Oliver counties, 223.

Resident and nonresident hunters can apply online, or print out an application for mailing, at the Game and Fish HSOforum, gf.nd.gov. Applications are also available from the department’s Bismarck office and county auditors. There is no limit to the number of licenses a person can receive.