North Dakota’s 2022 pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge harvests were up from 2021, according to the state Game and Fish Department.
Upland game biologist R.J. Gross said the overall harvest was likely a result of more hunters and good production.
“We were somewhat surprised that harvest was up despite slight declines during our spring 2022 surveys and the early end to most upland seasons when winter showed up in November,” Gross said. “The increase in harvest indicates good reproduction, perhaps even better than what we saw during our brood routes. The statewide blizzards that occurred in spring of 2021, combined with spring showers, were followed by a rapid vegetation response, so late-season nesting cover was exceptional. In addition, brood survival benefited from a warm and dry late summer with abundant insects.”
Last year, 51,270 pheasant hunters (up 9%) harvested 286,970 roosters (up 10%), compared to 47,020 hunters and 259,997 roosters in 2021. Counties with the highest percentage of pheasants taken were Hettinger, Divide, Bowman, Williams and Stark.
A total of 20,461 grouse hunters (up 29%) harvested 62,640 sharp-tailed grouse (up 37%), compared to 15,762 hunters and 45,732 sharptails in 2021. Counties with the highest percentage of sharptails taken were Mountrail, Burke, Bowman, Divide and McKenzie.
Last year, 19,125 hunters (up 36%) harvested 54,553 Hungarian partridge (up 22%). In 2021, 14,013 hunters harvested 44,822 Huns. Counties with the highest percentage of Hungarian partridge taken were Mountrail, Ward, Bottineau, Williams and Divide.
North Dakota state law requires youth ages 12-15 who want to operate a boat or personal watercraft by themselves with at least a 10-horsepower motor must pass the state’s boating basics course.
The course is available for home-study by contacting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at 701-328-6300, or ndgf@nd.gov. Two commercial providers also offer the course online, and links to those sites are found on the boat and water safety education page on the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov.
While the home-study course is free, students are charged a fee to take it online. The online provider charges for the course, not the Game and Fish Department. The fee remains with the online provider.
The course covers legal requirements, navigation rules, getting underway, accidents and special topics such as weather, rules of the road, laws, life saving and first aid.
