The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual midwinter waterfowl survey in early January showed 279,000 birds, a record high for the number of ducks and geese wintering in the state.

Mike Szymanski, migratory game bird biologist, said an estimated 90,000 Canada geese were observed on the Missouri River, and another 70,500 were scattered on Lake Sakakawea, which was completely open east of the Van Hook Arm. After summarizing the numbers, a record 190,000 geese were tallied statewide.

“This year’s survey was highly abnormal, and numbers of waterfowl within the state were probably underestimated because of the open water and lack of snow statewide,” Szymanski said. “The lack of snow cover was especially important in keeping these birds around.”

A mild, dry fall with record-setting warm temperatures kept the birds here longer than usual, Szymanski said, with snow geese remaining in the southern half of the state until early December.

In addition to the record number of geese, mallards reached an all-time high as 88,000 were counted statewide, with 31,000 on Devils Lake.

Survey conditions were generally good, Szymanski said, with record-setting high temperatures in January bringing daytime highs of 15-30 degrees above normal.

“This year’s survey results are a dramatic turnaround from the last three severe winters when less than 36,000 total waterfowl were observed statewide each year,” Szymanski said.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Midwinter North Dakota Waterfowl Survey Reveals Record Numbers

The state Game and Fish Department is offering 5,795 wild turkey licenses for the spring hunting season, a decrease of 925 from last year. The decrease is a result of additional winter mortality the last three years and poor production during spring 2011.

Ten of the 22 hunting units have fewer spring licenses than in 2011, while 11 remain the same. Unit 21 (most of Hettinger and Adams counties) is again closed in 2012 due to lack of turkeys in the unit.

Successful spring turkey applicants must purchase a 2012-13 hunting license, as last year’s 2011-12 licenses expire March 31. In addition to the spring turkey license, hunters must have a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate, and a general game and habitat license. Also, hunters ages 16 and older must possess a small game license, or combination license.

First-time spring turkey hunters ages 15 or younger are eligible to receive one spring license valid for the regular hunting season in a specific unit. To be eligible, the youth hunter must be 15 or younger on opening day of spring turkey season, and have never received a spring turkey license in North Dakota.

Spring turkey applicants can apply online at the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Applications can also be submitted by calling (800) 406-6409.

Application forms will also be available by Feb. 1 at most license vendors, county auditors and Game and Fish offices. The deadline for applying is Feb. 15. Online or phone applications must be logged before midnight that day.

Spring turkey licenses are available only to North Dakota residents. The spring turkey season opens April 14 and continues through May 20.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - North Dakota Spring Turkey Season Set, Online Apps Available

SportDOG Brand, a leading manufacturer of remote dog training products, has announced the recipients of five conservation grants totaling $21,000. The annual grant program is part of the company’s SportDOG Brand Conservation Fund program.

SportDOG Brand created its Conservation Fund program in 2007, and introduced the annual grant program in 2008.

“It’s rewarding to see this program continue to grow,” said Lance Tracy, SportDOG Brand VP. “Each year has seen an increase in the number of applicants for these grants. We believe it’s important for us to continue giving something back to the conservation initiatives our employees and customers care about.”

The 2011 awards include four $5,000 grants and one special $1000 youth grant. Recipients are as follows:

North Dakota Game and Fish Department – The grant will help fund the department’s study and evaluation of sharp-tailed grouse nesting ecology inside and outside of gas and oil development areas in three areas of western North Dakota.

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks – To assist with the department’s prescribed-burn program, part of a quail habitat enhancement initiative.

Pheasants Forever, Inc. – Funds will be used toward the purchase of a no-till native grass drill for creating and enhancing wildlife habitat within the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota.

Delta Waterfowl – Grant funds will support a study of more than 10,000 waterfowl nests to determine the effects of landscape features on nest survival. Results from this large data set will help steer future management efforts.

Marion County Pheasants Forever (Youth Grant) – This Iowa-based PF chapter will use its grant to help fund activities that educate youth on the importance of building habitat and the importance of conservation.

To find out more about SportDOG Brand’s Conservation Fund or propose a project for grant consideration, visit www.sportdog.com and click on Conservation Fund in the About tab.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - SportDOG Announces Grant Recipients

State Game and Fish Department officials are confirming that a rural western North Dakota homeowner shot and killed a 38-pound mountain lion kitten inside his home on Wednesday evening.

According to chief game warden Robert Timian, upon returning to his farmstead northwest of Grassy Butte Wednesday, the homeowner discovered the mountain lion kitten lying on his couch. The man then grabbed a .22 pistol kept near his doorway, shot the animal, and then contacted Game and Fish.

Timian said the initial investigation revealed the garage door was open during the day, and the door from the garage into the house was open when the owner returned home. Since the lion apparently killed four domestic cats in the house, and other domestic cats were present, it’s possible the lion was attracted to the house by cat scent coming through the open door, Timian added.

“This is a very unusual situation,” Timian said. “The homeowner probably wasn’t in any danger from the small lion, and he was well within his rights to dispatch it.”

The home is located in an area of North Dakota where mountain lions are present. While Game and Fish periodically gets reports of lions in or near farmsteads, Timian said this is the first one that has entered a home. The fact that it was a young animal may have been a factor in its presence around a dwelling.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Mountain Lion Kitten Shot in Rural Western North Dakota Home

North Dakota waterfowl hunters are reminded that Canada goose hunting in the Missouri River Zone is open through Dec. 30, while the remainder of the state closes Dec. 22.

Mike Szymanski, waterfowl biologist for the State Game and Fish Department, said the Missouri River Zone was created in 2008 to provide additional late season hunting opportunities on migrant Canada geese. “Even in years with mild weather conditions through December, a vast majority of the Canada geese that are in the state remain in the Missouri River Zone,” Szymanski said.

North Dakota is allowed 107 days for Canada goose hunting as provided by federal framework guidelines, and Szymanski said all those days are accounted for. “Since we take the maximum, the early season in the Missouri River Zone is closed eight days earlier in September than the rest of the state,” he added. “That is why we are able to add those days on to the end of the season.”

Hunting during the early season in August and September is targeted toward Canada geese that cause depredation problems during early summer, Szymanski said, while in late December it’s about providing opportunities for hunters.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Missouri River Zone Open for Canada Geese Through Dec. 30 in North Dakota

The third mountain lion was taken during the late-season in zone 1 over the weekend. If one more is taken from zone 1 before March 31, 2012, the late-season quota of four will be reached and mountain lion hunting in zone 1 will close immediately.

Zone 1 includes land south of ND Highway 1804 from the Montana border to the point where ND Highway 1804 lies directly across Lake Sakakawea from ND Highway 8, crossing Lake Sakakawea then south along ND Highway 8 to ND Highway 200, then west on ND Highway 200 to U.S. Highway 85, then south on U.S. Highway 85 to the South Dakota border.

The mountain lion season in zone 2, which is the rest of the state outside zone 1, has no quota and is open through March 31, 2012.

The mountain lion season is open only to North Dakota residents. A furbearer or combination license is required.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Third Cat Taken During Late Season in North Dakota, One More Closes Zone 1

North Dakota waterfowl hunters are reminded the statewide duck and white-fronted goose seasons close Dec. 4. However, duck hunting in the high plains unit reopens Dec. 10 and continues through Jan. 1, 2012.The high plains unit is that portion of North Dakota found west of the following line: beginning at the South Dakota border, then north on U.S. Highway 83 and I-94 to ND Highway 41, then north on ND Highway 41 to ND Highway 53, then west on ND Highway 53 to U.S. Highway 83, then north on U.S. Highway 83 to U.S. Highway 2, then west on U.S. Highway 2 to the Williams County line, then north and west along the Williams and Divide county lines to the Canadian border.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - North Dakota Duck and White-fronted Goose Seasons Close Dec. 4

A mule deer taken from unit 3F2 during opening weekend of the deer gun season has tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

Dr. Dan Grove, North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife veterinarian, said a hunter shot a doe in western Grant County and submitted the head for testing as part of the hunter-harvested surveillance program. Testing was performed at Michigan State University. As of Tuesday, Nov. 22, Game and Fish was awaiting verification of initial tests results from a lab at Iowa State University.

“According to the hunter, the animal looked healthy,” Grove said. “It showed no visible signs of having any health issues.”

This is the third deer to test positive for CWD, and all three were from taken from unit 3F2 in southwestern North Dakota. The first two were during the 2009 and 2010 deer gun seasons. All three were within 15 miles of each other.

“The latest positive emphasizes the importance of continued monitoring along with current and expanding CWD restrictions in and around this unit,” Grove said.

The hunter-harvested surveillance program annually collects samples taken from hunter-harvested deer in specific regions of the state. In addition to unit 3F2, samples during the 2011 deer gun season were collected from units in the central third of the state.

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Another 3F2 Mule Deer Tests Positive for CWD in North Dakota

North Dakota hunters are reminded that several national wildlife refuges open to late-season upland game bird hunting the day after the deer gun season closes.

Arrowwood, Audubon, Des Lacs, J. Clark Salyer, Lake Alice, Lake Zahl, Long Lake, Lostwood, Tewaukon (pheasants only), and Upper Souris NWRs open Nov. 21.

However, portions of each refuge are closed to hunting. Hunters should contact refuge headquarters for map leaflets designating closed areas and other restrictions: Arrowwood (701) 285-3341; Audubon (701) 442-5474; Des Lacs (701) 385-4046; J. Clark Salyer (701) 768-2548; Lake Alice (701) 662-8611; Lake Zahl (701) 965-6488; Long Lake (701) 387-4397; Lostwood (701) 848-2722; Tewaukon (701) 724-3598; and Upper Souris (701) 468-5467.

National wildlife refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hunters are reminded that use of nontoxic shot is required on all USFWS lands. State regulations found in the North Dakota 2011-12 Small Game Guide apply. Seasons for pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge and ruffed grouse close statewide on Jan. 8, 2012.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - Some North Dakota Refuges Open to Late-Season Upland Game

North Dakota’s muzzleloader deer season opens at noon Friday, Nov. 25 and continues through Dec. 11. Hunters with a lottery muzzleloader license can hunt white-tailed deer statewide.

In addition, unfilled second, third or other concurrent season any-antlerless, antlerless whitetail or antlerless mule deer licenses are still valid, but only in the unit to which the license is assigned. Hunters with these licenses must use a muzzleloader and hunt only the species printed on the license.

Outdoor Hub, The Outdoor Information Engine - North Dakota Muzzleloader Season Opens Nov. 25