Prairie Chicken Applications Due Aug. 9
North Dakota will again hold a prairie chicken hunting season in October, and regulations for the 2006 season will be similar to last year.

The prairie grouse hunting season - good for either sharp-tailed grouse or prairie chickens - will be held Oct. 14-22 in two hunting units, one in Grand Forks County (north unit) and the other in southeastern North Dakota (south unit). Fifty licenses will be awarded to resident hunters in each unit.

Applications for the 2006 season must be in the mail and postmarked no later than Aug. 9. To apply for the prairie grouse season, hunters need to send a 3x5 postcard containing their name, address, phone number and choice of hunting unit (north or south) to Prairie Chicken Application, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, N.D. 58501.

Only one application per postcard and one application per hunter is permitted. Successful applicants will be notified through the mail.

A total of 45 prairie chickens and 127 sharp-tailed grouse were taken during the state's 2005 prairie chicken hunting season. Forty-two hunters bagged 25 prairie chickens and 15 sharptails in the north unit, while 45 hunters took 20 prairie chickens and 112 sharptails in the south unit.

The department received 390 applications in 2005 - 229 for the north unit and 154 for the south unit.

Spring Duck Index Remains Above Long-Term Average
The number of breeding ducks in North Dakota continues to remain above the long-term average, according to the state Game and Fish Department recent spring breeding duck survey.

The 59th annual spring survey, conducted May 8-11, showed an index of nearly 3.7 million birds, 11 percent lower than last year but still 76 percent above the 1948-2005 average, according to Mike Johnson, migratory game bird management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

Duck indices were up from 2005 for mallards (10 percent), and pintail (7 percent). Indices for all other species were unchanged or below 2005. The most significant decreases were for scaup (48 percent), and a category labeled "other" species comprised mostly of ring-necked ducks (31 percent).

All species except pintail remained above the 1948-2005 average. The index for mallards was 137 percent above the long-term average. Although scaup declined significantly from the record high of 2005, they remained 136 percent above the long-term average. Pintails, which have declined to low numbers continentally, were down 13 percent.

While the 2006 water index was down from last year, it still remained 3 percent above the 1948-2005 average. However, according to Johnson, the remarkable wet cycle which began in 1993 appears to be waning. "Changes in water indices were highly variable across the state, as water conditions were at or below average on all transects except in the Red River Valley," Johnson said. "Although the departure from average water conditions on the seven western transects is rather modest, wetland conditions are considered to be much worse than indicated.

"This is because the survey counts water areas, not the amount of water contained in the wetland," he continued. "Thus, wetlands with even a trace of water contribute as much to the index as those that are full. Many seasonal wetlands contained only minimal water and water levels in most semi-permanent wetlands were well below the highs we have experienced since the wet period began in 1993."

The July brood survey will provide a better idea of duck production, and a better insight into what to expect this fall, Johnson said. "Our observations to date indicate that production may be lower in much of the state due to extreme dry conditions and reduced wetland availability for brood production," he added. "Despite the large populations of ducks and prospects for at least an average production year, fall weather always has a big impact on the success of the hunting season."

Transporting Packaged Fish Must be Done Properly
Anglers in North Dakota should be aware of regulations regarding packaging and transporting of fish.

"Too often anglers are just freezing a bunch of fish together instead of packaging each fish individually," said Robert Timian, chief of enforcement for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

North Dakota fishing regulations state that any dressed fish to be transported, if frozen, must be packaged individually. Two fillets are counted as one fish.

"There is a need to be able to reasonably count the number of fish," Timian said, "and if they are all frozen into one large block, it cannot be done. When we have to take the frozen block and thaw it, it is not very convenient for the angler or the warden."

Timian also says it is important that anglers properly interpret daily and possession limit regulations. The daily limit is a limit of fish taken from midnight to midnight, and no person may possess more than one day's limit of fish while on the water or actively engaged in fishing.

The possession limit is the maximum number of fish that an angler may have in his or her possession during a fishing trip of more than one day. "If you are fishing at a lake for four consecutive days, it is still considered a single fishing trip," Timian said, "and therefore you could only have a possession limit with you on your return drive home."

Hunting Guide and Outfitter Test Set for Aug. 12
The next guide and outfitter written examination is Saturday, Aug. 12 at 1 p.m. at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department office in Bismarck. The test is given periodically to anyone interested in becoming a hunting guide or outfitter in the state.

In addition to passing a written exam, qualifications for becoming a guide include a background check for criminal and game and fish violations; certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and standard first aid; and employment by or contract with a licensed hunting outfitter.

Hunting outfitter eligibility requirements include the guide qualifications, as well as an individual must have held a hunting guide license for two years; and must have proof of liability insurance.

Interested individuals are required to pre-register by calling the Game and Fish Department's enforcement office at 328-6604.

Mountain Lion Killed Sunday in Western North Dakota
A female mountain lion was killed on a ranch in western North Dakota early Sunday morning east of Watford City in the badlands, according to Brent Schwan, state Game and Fish Department district game warden, Watford City.

According to Schwan, the rancher heard a commotion involving his dogs and went to investigate, saw a mountain lion treed about 50 yards from his house, went in the house to get a rifle, and upon returning the lion was on the ground in a confrontation with his dogs. The lion was then shot.

The rancher immediately contacted Schwan, who was on the scene an hour later. Schwan retrieved the carcass and transported it to Dickinson where it is being stored in a freezer until a full examination can occur.

The lion appeared to be a young female weighing approximately 80 pounds. The Game and Fish Department will be doing an analysis of the carcass later this week to obtain all pertinent biological information.

Schwan said the rancher was well within the law in killing the lion. State law specifically allows the killing of mountain lions to protect individuals or their property. The law also requires the Game and Fish Department must be notified - which the rancher did.

The Game and Fish Department implemented the first experimental mountain lion season in North Dakota last fall to learn more about the current status of these animals in North Dakota, and to gather biological information on mountain lions in the state. The season opened Sept. 2, 2005 and ended Jan. 15 after a predetermined quota of five cats was reached.

A second experimental season will be held this year. The season is tentatively set to open Sept. 1 and continue through March 11, 2007, or until a predetermined quota of five cats has been filled. The animal taken this weekend near Watford City will not be included in the quota for the upcoming season.