The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering free seed for the 2022 growing season to landowners interested in planting wildlife food plots for pheasants.
Department private land section leader Kevin Kading said rather than a traditional corn or sunflower food plot, Game and Fish is offering a seed mix that provides increased plant diversity, including flowering plants from spring through fall, which will attract insects, the major diet component of pheasant chicks. Additionally, he said the mix will provide needed cover during spring and summer, as well as a winter food source. Other wildlife species will also benefit from this mix.
“Most Game and Fish food plots are part of the department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen program,” Kading said. “This food plot campaign does not require a PLOTS contract, but we are asking participating landowners to allow reasonable public access, which could mean simply providing access permission to hunters from time to time, putting up ‘Ask Before You Enter’ signs around the area, or not posting the surrounding land.”
Kading added that landowners participating in this promotion cannot charge a fee for hunting.
The department will provide enough seed to cover up to a maximum 5-acre planting at no cost to the landowner.
Landowners interested in receiving the food plot seed must sign up online by April 1. Seed will be available in April at Game and Fish offices in Bismarck, Jamestown, Devils Lake, Harvey, Dickinson, Williston and Riverdale.
Game and Fish private land biologists can provide technical assistance on food plot location and site preparation.
Landowners interested in additional financial incentives may be considered for the PLOTS program as well. More information is available by contacting a private land biologist at any Game and Fish office in the state, or email ndgf@nd.gov.
Local clubs or communities interested in receiving a grant to support a high school trap shooting team must have the application in before April 1. Existing teams that have received a grant in the past are not eligible.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department offers a grant of up to $1,000, with funds designed to purchase gear such as eye and hearing protection, vests, shell bags and magnetic barrel rests.
Interested applicants can print out the high school trap league grant application online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
For more information, contact Game and Fish education section leader Marty Egeland at 328-6612, or email megeland@nd.gov.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department will have 810 any-deer bow licenses available to nonresidents in 2022.
Applicants can apply online beginning March 15 on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline for applying is April 15.
Up to five hunters can apply together as a party. A lottery will be held if more applications are received than licenses available. A total of 1,767 people applied in 2021.
The number of nonresident any-deer bow licenses available is 15% of the previous year’s mule deer gun license allocation.
