2026 Deer Season Set

[LBrandt]

I know exactly where you live. About 14 or 15 yrs ago. You had a herd of close to 150 Deer about 5 miles North and 3 miles West of your place. There were lots of Coyotes in the area. But 60 - 70 where your located is a lot of Deer. And not much cover.

I get a group of bachelor bucks of about 6 or 7, some old bucks that tend to stay by themselves an now all the does spread out to have their fawns

 

[Rut2much]

NR archery tags for white tail are unlimited ….

Have read this thread up until this point thusfar and this is a major problem I've preached since us residents started getting the shaft decades ago. Makes no freaking sense whatsoever but should be crystal clear to all resident sportsmen and gnf who reside in this state. #frustratingAF

 

[lunkerslayer]

Nope. Was a slow death for most. Now those are swallowed up by the bto’s. That’s why you guys can bitch about farmers now. Your crp You love so much was the catalyst for the conditions you find now. Those big guys give two shits whether they leave habitat.

Yep and the insurance companies i can bet pushed the chronic waste disease bullshit because it gave the gnf reason to slaughter whole herds

 

[Fritz the Cat]

Yep and the insurance companies i can bet pushed the chronic waste disease bullshit because it gave the gnf reason to slaughter whole herds

In 2023 GnF asked the legislature for an appropriation to hire a grant writer for federal CWD money. Six million dollars per year. Less deer on the landscape equals less deer potentially shedding prions.

Also, in 2023 GnF asked the legislature for an appropriation to hire two grant writers for the Recovering Americas Wildlife Act. $26 million per year for more habitat. More habitat equals more deer.

When it comes to the money, NDGF will go both ways.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

35 of your ND deer herd may be dead soon.

https://www.facebook.com/chronic.wasting.dis.ease

 

[CatDaddy]

Montana requires a license to hunt rocks. Not kidding.

Whoops! Is it considered "capturing rocks" instead of "hunting rocks" if I didn't kill them?

 

[CatDaddy]

I maybe saw 60-70 all winter long total. Much different from before 2020 when you could see a field with 100-300 once herded up. Since the die off of 2023 it's not very common to see more than 10 together in the winter. Sure one rancher 5mi away had a fair number again around the farm but even he said there weren't that many and the neighbor 1mi away that rents our pasture didn't have very many in and around his cattle or bales, cousin 4mi away says numbers are still way down, father in-law and other in-laws over by Enderlin / Sheldon it's pretty bleak (all hunters), Walcott to Mcloud I heard the same story of much much lower numbers, pretty much all of these are ranchers out everyday with their cattle on open ground not feed lots.

The only way to correct this is to stop the youth hunt. Why can't they just apply like the rest of us when they reach an agreed upon age? They're destroying the herd and must be stopped!!

I'll be right back - grabbing my popcorn

 

[Davy Crockett]

I think they should add a senior citizens season and they should priority over license , them old timers only have a few hunts left , youth have a whole lifetime of hunts ahead of them.

 

[CatDaddy]

I think they should add a senior citizens season and they should priority over license , them old timers only have a few hunts left , youth have a whole lifetime of hunts ahead of them.

Well, I identify as both child and senior - would I get 2 tags to go along with my biological identity of middle-aged?

 

[Prairie Doggin']

Obviously, the middle aged guys who are just realizing they can’t do as much as they could a few years ago should get the tags. Old guys have had enough, young kids can get theirs later.

 

[Davy Crockett]

NDGF whitetail deer changes for 2027.

Two tag lottery for senior citizens only, any antlered deer, one to be given to youth of choice. Youth must accompany senior citizen and field dress dress and skin his/her deer for expierence before youth may shoot his/her deer. Senior citizens must also accompany and guide youth hunters but if seniors so choose, they may appoint a middle age hunter with at least 5 years of expierence. win win win that should make everyone happy.

 

[Lycanthrope]

not a fan of changing archery to buck only, most of the deer ive harvested with my bow have been for meat and herd reduction. I can see doing it in some units, where 0 doe tags are being offered, but statewide seems overly broad.

 

[Icepirate]

I get a kick out of people blaming non-residents for our low deer numbers haha. 1% of rifle tags are available to non-residents and a few hundred archery mule deer tags. sure there's a few thousand white tail archery tags, but over all they're not the problem. When it comes to big game tags, North Dakota is probably the least friendly state in the country for non-residents.

 

[luvcatchingbass]

I get a kick out of people blaming non-residents for our low deer numbers haha. 1% of rifle tags are available to non-residents and a few hundred archery mule deer tags. sure there's a few thousand white tail archery tags, but over all they're not the problem. When it comes to big game tags, North Dakota is probably the least friendly state in the country for non-residents.

You just got me thinking about me and bow hunting, it's been 5yrs or more since I shot a deer with my bow and that wasn't even around home. I just kind of look at it as a donation I guess.
Now if I can pull a turkey tag this fall I think I will be setting up my one bow again with as a decapitation setup, i built specific arrows just to do it a few years ago and just haven't got to let one fly yet.

 

[KDM]

Habitat will not be improving anytime soon fellas. Between drain tile, slough removal, and the shelterbelt removal I've seen in the last 2 years, the critters have dwindling supplies of habitat to be in and I've only seen one tree belt planted in the last 5 years and it's right along I-94 by tower city. The state has only so much dirt to work with and any private land with deer cover is locked up tight and rabidly defended by the landowner and only shared with a select few. Myself included. I'm not a debbie downer, just calling it like I see it.

 

[guywhofishes]

I've only seen one tree belt planted in the last 5 years and it's right along I-94 by tower city.

Must be a state-funded program? There are several between Fargo and Dickinson.

I wish that I-94 and I-29 were tree-rowed end to end. Just a tiny % of the fraud that goes on would make it happen.

 

[wslayer]

You are spot on @KDM .
Hated the thought of selling our land many yrs ago but majority (10) ruled in the trust inheritance to sell. Was pasture land and hayland but could have been made into something and had somewhere for the grand nephews/nieces to hunt.
If different circumstances would have been available, I would have bought it from the family. Land prices are out of the question to even think of doing something different these days.
If you got it, you better hold onto it. . .

 

[Tymurrey]

My 8 year old has been asking me about bow hunting and going with lately. Might be time to restring the bow and start practicing again. I quit when ehd hit and havent bow hunted since. I let a youth hunter shoot a buck with a bow last year and a few youth rifle hunters try to get their bucks. No does until we have a good population again. I have just under 4,000 trees planned to be planted this year, 9 rows wide and about 3200' in length. Crappy thing is that it will take a decade before any real benefits to it are noticed besides maybe for a few pheasants.

 

[Icepirate]

Habitat will not be improving anytime soon fellas. Between drain tile, slough removal, and the shelterbelt removal I've seen in the last 2 years, the critters have dwindling supplies of habitat to be in and I've only seen one tree belt planted in the last 5 years and it's right along I-94 by tower city. The state has only so much dirt to work with and any private land with deer cover is locked up tight and rabidly defended by the landowner and only shared with a select few. Myself included. I'm not a debbie downer, just calling it like I see it.

Sadly i think you're right. at this point this is the new norm for deer hunting in ND.

 

[Shockwave]

I wish I had Elon Musk money. I would start buying every chunk of land I could get my hands on and turn it back into habitat. I'd close it to hunting while the habitat builds and then come up with a program to open it to a certain amount of hunters each year. Of course I'd save some of it for family and friends only.