Family-Outdoors

North Dakota’s dove season opens statewide  Sept. 1 , and hunters are reminded to register with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting. The daily limit is 15 and possession limit is 45. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. The season is open through  Oct. 30 . All dove hunters must possess a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate and a general game and habitat license, regardless of age. In addition, hunters ages 16 and older need a small game license. Hunters who purchase a hunting license through the State 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. Those who registered to hunt the spring light goose season in North Dakota do not ...

Two mild winters in a row were not in the cards. Iowa’s winter seemed mild through middle February, but March was the coldest since 1975 and snowiest since 1998, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship weather report for March. Only northwest Iowa had below normal snow fall amounts. Statewide, Iowa received an average of 31.3 inches of snow from Dec. 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013, an increase from 17.4 inches for the previous winter. What does that mean for Iowa’s pheasants? In years following similar amounts, there was little improvement in pheasant numbers. The next critical time period is spring nesting season. If April and May are above normal for temperature and normal to below normal for rainfall, pheasant counts may increase. If temperatures are below normal and rainfall is above normal, pheasant counts are likely to decrease. While this is a statewide perspective based on weather and population change, the northwest region with below normal snowfa...

DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has released its plan looking at the future of outdoor recreation in Iowa. The Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan was developed through a series of meetings across the state last fall asking Iowans what recreation activities they would like to participate in, what amenities or conveniences would help them participate more often and what should the state focus on when it comes to outdoor recreation. The plan, which is a partnership with the County Conservation Boards and Cities, will serve as a guide for future projects developed by the Iowa DNR. The plan will be available for public comment through April 15 at www.iowadnr.gov/InsideDNR/GrantsOtherFunding/StateConservationRecPlan.aspx The DNR will review the public comments and submit a final plan to the National Park Service in 2013. Related articles Grant applications are available for outdoor recreation projects (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com) Iowa Dnr to Ho...

Applications for this spring’s turkey season must be in the mail and postmarked before midnight Feb. 13. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply. Prospective hunters can submit a  lottery application online , or  print an application , at the Game and Fish Department’s website,  gf.nd.gov . Applications can also be submitted by calling  (800) 406-6409 . Online or phone applications must be logged before midnight Feb. 13. Application forms are also available at most license vendors, county auditors and Game and Fish offices. The spring turkey season opens April 13 and continues through May 19. Game Wardens Association to Give Scholarship The North Dakota Game Wardens Association has a $300 scholarship available for a graduating high school senior entering college in fall 2013 who enrolls in fisheries or wildlife management with an emphasis on law enforcement. Applicants must be North Dakota residents and have maintained a 3.25 grade poin...

Blue-winged Teal(Photo credit: Wikipedia) The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual spring breeding duck survey showed an index of 4.8 million birds, up 16 percent from last year and 112 percent above the long-term average (1948-2011). The 2012 index is the third highest on record. All species were well above the long-term average. Wigeon (+88 percent) and green-winged teal (+221 percent) were at record highs. Mallards, gadwall, blue-winged teal, shovelers, redheads and ruddy ducks exceeded the long-term average by more than 100 percent. Only pintails, shovelers and canvasbacks were down more than 10 percent from last year, and mallards were essentially unchanged. Blue-winged teal were at their highest level since 2001, missing the record high by less than 1 percent. “Excellent production last summer brought many breeding pairs back to the state,” said Mike Szymanski, waterfowl biologist. “Fortunately, there was still enough habitat to attract them to North Dakota....