dleier's blog
Paddlefish Snagging Season to Close to Additional Harvest Friday Afternoon
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department announced today that the state's 2012 paddlefish snagging season will close to any additional harvest at 1 p.m. Central Daylight Time, Friday, May 11, to protect the population level of the fish. The additional seven-day snag-and-release season will begin Saturday, May 12 and run through Friday, May 18.
Deer Season Set, Online Apps Available May 9
North Dakota’s 2012 deer season is set, with 65,300 licenses available to hunters this fall, 44,650 fewer than last year and the lowest since 1988.
Randy Kreil, wildlife chief for the State Game and Fish Department, said the decline in the deer population is a result of increased adult mortality and reduced fawn production following the severe winters of 2008-10. In addition, the extreme winter conditions followed nearly a decade of aggressive deer management featuring large numbers of antlerless licenses in many units.
Game Warden Exam is May 18
Individuals interested in taking the game warden exam scheduled for May 18 are reminded to submit a letter of intent to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department before 5 p.m., May 17.
Letters of intent should be addressed to chief game warden Robert Timian, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND 58501‑5095. The test will be given at 10 a.m., May 18 at the department's main office in Bismarck.
Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and have a bachelor’s degree. Other requirements are a current North Dakota peace officer license, or eligibility for a license, and a valid driver’s license. Candidates must have excellent interpersonal skills in communications and writing, and must not have a record of any felony convictions.
Game wardens enforce game and fish laws and related regulations in an assigned district and other locations as determined by the department. Wardens normally work alone under varied conditions, at all hours of the day, night and weekends. In addition to law enforcement duties, wardens assist in the areas of public relations, education programs, and hunter and boat safety education.
Game warden duties also require the ability to perform physically demanding tasks involving lifting and carrying large, heavy objects, walking and running over uneven terrain and tolerating adverse weather and other environmental conditions.
Selection procedures following the test may include an evaluation of the application, a structured oral interview, background and reference checks, and psychological and medical examinations.
The salary for beginning game wardens through training is $3,000 per month. Upon successful completion of training, the salary is $3,550 per month. Wardens also receive the state benefits package, including travel allowance. Uniforms and other equipment are provided.
North Dakota’s paddlefish snagging season opens May 1 and is scheduled to continue through the end of the month. However, depending on the overall harvest, an early in-season closure may occur with a 36-hour notice issued by the state Game and Fish Department.
North Dakota’s NASP State Archery Tournament Scheduled in Bismarck
The state Game and Fish Department invites all North Dakota schools participating in the National Archery in the Schools Program to register for the annual state tournament. The 2012 tournament is held April 13-14 at the VFW Sports Center in Bismarck.
Whooping cranes are in the midst of their spring migration and sightings will increase as they make their way through North Dakota over the next several weeks. Anyone seeing these birds as they move through the state is asked to report sightings so the birds can be tracked.
As expected, North Dakota deer hunters took fewer deer last fall than in previous years, according to harvest statistics recently finalized by the State Game and Fish Department.
Slightly more than 95,000 hunters took more than 49,000 deer during the 2011 deer gun season. Hunter success was 51 percent, down from 64 percent in 2010 and well below the annual average of 70 percent during the past decade.
North Dakota’s 2012 moose, elk and bighorn sheep proclamation has been finalized and applications are available at the State Game and Fish Department’s website. The deadline for applying is March 28.
A total of 301 elk licenses are available to hunters this fall, 200 fewer than last year.
The 2012 spring wild turkey lottery has been held and more than 700 licenses remain in nine units. The governor’s proclamation allows a maximum of two licenses, and hunters who did not apply in the first drawing are also eligible.
2011 Bighorn Sheep, Moose and Elk Harvests
Harvest statistics released by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department show overall hunter success during the 2011 season for bighorn sheep was 100 percent, 88 percent for moose and 50 percent for elk.
Four bighorn sheep units were open in 2011. Game and Fish issued one license in unit B1/B2, two licenses in unit B3, and two licenses in unit B4. One additional auction license holder was able to hunt any open area. All six hunters tagged adult rams.
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