BISMARCK – Issues involving the state’s deer herd were among the topics discussed at a Game and Fish Advisory Board meeting held here Tuesday. Each year Game and Fish holds a series of eight Advisory Board meetings across the state each spring and fall to receive input from the public.
Action taken by Game and Fish against possible spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, including the banning of using bait to attract deer for hunting purposes, was questioned by a member of the public who made the claim that there was “no such thing as a prion.” Game and Fish says CWD infected deer leave prions on the ground that can infect other deer.
In his response Jeb Williams, Game and Fish Director, said, “That is your opinion, and you are welcome to that, but it’s not something shared by the science community across the country. I'm sorry.”
Another sportsman asked whether Game and Fish had considered the option for people to apply for an “any deer” tag rather than specify buck or doe.
Williams responded that the idea has some positives but also presents some drawbacks, saying, “We would lose some of that management whether white-tailed deer or mule deer, bucks or does.”
A landowner/rancher who resides northeast of Bismarck told the gathering that 17 deer were killed on the highway with at least three vehicles involved in deer collisions being completely totaled due to baiting drawing deer onto the roadway. Game and Fish said they were aware of the situation, contacted the party doing the baiting, and resolved it.
Further discussion with the public was held regarding the number of deer licenses issued in units affected by outbreaks of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD. In certain areas of the state EHD accounted for extremely high mortality in deer.
Williams pointed out the while EHD certainly decimated deer in some locales, it did not necessarily affect the entire deer hunting unit. He acknowledged that EHD made determining the number of permits to be allowed in a particular unit to be a challenge.
An inquiry was made about avian bird flu amid reports of waterfowl dying while migrating through the state. State Veterinarian Charlie Bahnson responded.
“Bird flu was introduced into North American in 2021. In the spring of 2022, we saw a lot of dead birds falling out of the sky, especially snow geese,” said Bahnson. “Two weeks ago, we had more reports in North Dakota with about 2,000 dead geese near Braddock. It was limited to there.”
The change from printed hunting and fishing guides to electronic means was detailed by G&F personnel. Assistant Director Casey Anderson noted that successful deer license applicants did not receive a printed copy of the deer hunting guide for the first time this year.
“We didn’t receive a huge amount of backlash about it,” remarked Anderson. “The demand is going down. People are getting used to using mobile phones for information. We saved money and stopped printing.”
Instead, noted Anderson, deer hunters received an insert along with their license which directed them to the Game and Fish website to obtain necessary information. Anderson said the department was exploring adding a QR code to future mailings so that recipients could simply add an app to their phone to acquire the pertinent information.
Fisheries Division Chief Greg Power stated that the state’s Fishing Guide, published every two years, has shrunk from 50 pages and 120,000 copies to fewer pages and 35,000 copies as people turn to their electronics for information.
“It’s a sign of the times,” said Power.
