North Dakota Waterfowl Hunting News and Camping Restrictions
Duck Brood Index Up from Last Year
North Dakota's 2012 fall duck flight is expected to have twice as many birds as last year.
Mike
Johnson, game management section leader for the State Game and Fish
Department, said the fall flight estimate is a combination of the
breeding duck survey and the brood survey.
Results
from the breeding duck survey in May indicated the duck index was up 16
percent from 2011 and exceeded the long-term average by 112 percent.
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The
mid-July waterfowl production survey revealed the duck brood index was
up 110 percent from 2011 and 155 percent above the long-term average.
Average brood size was 6.9 ducklings, down 0.8 from last year. The
long‑term average is 7.1 ducklings per brood.
The water index in mid-July was down 48 percent from last year, but still 10 percent above the long-term average.
The
index does not count every water body or duckling in the state.
Instead, representative transects across the state are sampled each
year. Over time, survey results provide biologists with trend
information that allows annual comparisons of waterfowl production in
the state.
HIP Certification Required for Migratory Bird Hunters
Migratory
game bird hunters are reminded to register with the Harvest Information
Program prior to hunting in North Dakota this fall.
HIP
certification is required for all migratory bird hunters, regardless of
age, before hunting ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, coots, cranes,
snipe, doves or woodcock.
Hunter
compliance is essential in order to obtain reliable national and
regional estimates of annual harvest of all migratory game bird species.
These estimates provide information biologists need to make sound
decisions concerning hunting seasons, bag limits and population
management.
Hunters who purchase a license through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s electronic licensing system (gf.nd.gov) or instant licensing telephone number at (800) 406-6409 can easily get HIP certified.
Otherwise, hunters can access the department’s website, or call (888) 634-4798 and record the HIP number on their fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate.
WMA Camping Restrictions Spread to Southwest
Some
wildlife management areas in southwestern North Dakota now have the
same camping restrictions adopted earlier this spring on similar public
lands along Lake Sakakawea.
The
State Game and Fish Department has now included the following WMAs
where overnight camping is prohibited on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except
holidays: North Lemmon Lake in Adams County; Bull Creek in Billings
County; Alkali Creek and Spring Creek in Bowman County; Killdeer
Mountains in Dunn County; Camels Hump Lake in Golden Valley County;
Indian Creek in Hettinger County; Storm Creek in Morton County; and
Cedar Lake and Speck Davis Pond in Slope County.
In April, the Game and Fish Department applied the same restrictions on the following WMAs along Lake Sakakawea: Audubon,
Custer Mine, Deepwater Creek, deTrobriand, Douglas Creek and Wolf Creek
in McLean County; and Beaver Creek and Hille in Mercer County.
In addition, camping is not allowed at all, including holidays, at the following WMAs: Antelope
Creek, Big Oxbow, Lewis and Clark, Neu’s Point, Ochs Point, Overlook,
Sullivan and Tobacco Garden in McKenzie County; Van Hook in Mountrail
County; and Hofflund and Trenton in Williams County.
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