Hunt Fish Protect

09/06/2026

Fish I Look at Differently Now: Bigmouth and Smallmouth Buffalo

During my dedicated bowfishing days, I harvested my fair share of buffalo. At the time, I honestly had no idea just how old some of those fish could be or how difficult it can be for them to successfully replace themselves.

Buffalo aren't carp. They are native North American species, and the largest member of the sucker family. They're commonly mistaken for common carp, but the two aren't even closely related.

And their life history is pretty incredible.

Researchers have documented bigmouth buffalo living more than 100 years, including an age validated Minnesota fish that reached 112 years old. Research has also shown that successful recruitment, the survival of young fish long enough to join the adult population, can be extremely sporadic.

A University of Minnesota Duluth study at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge really puts that into perspective. Researchers examined nearly 400 adults and found a median age of 79 years. Only one of the 390 fish studied was from a hatch year after 1971. More than 95% of the population had hatched before the 1960s.

The interesting part is that the fish were still migrating and spawning. Young buffalo were actually being produced, but researchers found those young fish disappearing by later in the summer, likely because of predation and other factors. In other words, spawning doesn't necessarily mean successful recruitment.

Think about that the next time you see a giant buffalo.

That fish might not simply be a big fish. It could potentially be much older than the person holding the bow and it may have come from one of the relatively rare year classes that successfully survived to adulthood.

That knowledge has changed my approach.

I still enjoy bowfishing and I'm not saying nobody should ever harvest a buffalo. I still occasionally harvest them myself. But today I'm much more selective.

Instead, I tend to focus more of my bowfishing effort on common carp, which are nonnative or even gar when I'm looking for something to bring home to eat. And before anyone automatically dismisses gar as table fare, they're actually pretty darn good. Get through the armor, remove those boneless backstraps and you might be surprised.

Conservation doesn't always mean giving something up or adding another regulation. Sometimes it simply means learning more about the resource and adjusting how we choose to use it.

I harvested plenty of buffalo before I understood just how remarkable their life history was. Now that I know more, I look at those giant fish a little differently.

Hunt Fish Protect

09/05/2026

As hunting seasons get underway, I want to take a moment to thank the landowners who provide hunting access.

Whether you open your land through PLOTS, grant permission to hunters who ask or allow friends and neighbors to hunt, your generosity creates opportunities that would not otherwise exist.

Hunters, remember that access is a privilege. When in doubt, ask permission, follow the landowner’s rules, close gates, avoid damaging roads and crops, pick up your trash and leave the property better than you found it. A simple thank you can go a long way toward keeping access available in the future.

To every landowner who shares their property with hunters: thank you. Your willingness to provide access is appreciated more than you may realize.

Hunt Fish Protect

09/04/2026

Well I did not have this one on the invasive species bingo card.

A 10-year-old girl found dozens of jellyfish near a reservoir in Montana, an unexpected and rare discovery for a landlocked state. https://www.kfyrtv.com/2026/09/04/10-year-old-finds-extremely-rare-freshwater-jellyfish-lake/

09/04/2026

Here’s a quick video from the public range demonstrating the difference between CCI Stingers and CCI Subsonic .22 LR fired through a suppressed R***r 10/22.

You can definitely hear the difference, but what really stands out is the change in trajectory. At 100 yards, the subsonics were hitting much lower than the Stingers.

Just a good reminder that changing ammunition can change a lot more than how a firearm sounds. Know where your rounds are hitting before taking them into the field.

Hunt Fish Protect

09/04/2026

I see a lot of posts online from people who have been unable to contact the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for various reasons. They may be calling an office outside regular business hours or trying to reach a specific game warden who is busy, outside cell service or on a scheduled day off.

Whether you are reporting a violation, injured wildlife or have a time sensitive question, call North Dakota State Radio. Dispatch can forward the information to the appropriate available game warden.

Statewide toll free: 1-800-472-2121
Bismarck Mandan area: 701-328-9921

For routine questions during regular business hours, you can also call the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at 701-328-6300.

For an immediate emergency, call 911.

09/04/2026

North Dakota’s archery deer season kicks off today!

If you send an arrow and the hit doesn’t go as planned, or you would simply like help recovering your deer, check out the ND Tracking Dog Group. A trained tracking dog could make the difference in recovering your game.

Well, today is the day, folks...

Aim small, miss small, but if things go sideways, get ahold of us!

We are once again promoting the TRAKR app to reach trackers. There are a bunch of new features and very user friendly. It is on both the IOS and Android platforms, or at gettrakr.com.

You can still message our page for a track request also. One of the admins will get back to you as soon as possible.

Several of our trackers are also listed on the United Blood Trackers website as well, along with some being members of either Minnesota Tracking Dogs, or Rocky Mountain Big Game Recovery.

As we say every year, Time and Patience are your best friends when things go sideways... Slow down, focus on the details. What did the animal do after the shot? Jump up, tail high, running fast? Tail tucked, hu**ed up, moving slow? These are some of the things we're going to ask.

Give. These. Animals. Time. To. Die...
Go grab a bite to eat, go grab a cool drink and calm down. Help us, help you. You may not like all our answers or the wait times we give you, but we're trying to give you honest info without having an emotional investment in it initially. We're trying to stack the odds in favor of a recovery. We chat with literally hundreds of hunters and other trackers every season. This is the 7th season this has been legal, so we've chatted with a few people...

All of us trackers are volunteers. NO ONE that we know of does this full-time in ND. We have families, jobs, hobbies, and more, just like all of you, but we will certainly try our hardest to help you.

Please reference our pinned posts on the page for the current regulations for the tracking law, among other info about what to do after the shot.

Also note, while very popular in other states, thermal drones are still currently illegal to use for big game recovery in ND to our knowledge. That is just an FYI, not us do***ng on drones. Reference our lengthy post about drones from last winter.

Good luck to All!

09/03/2026

Anyone else have a dog that needs a mid hunt snack whenever they know they cant be seen?

Ranger, my chocolate lab, loves hunting doves, he’s just occasionally better at “not finding them” than retrieving them. The feathers stuck to his face tell another story

09/02/2026

Went out to the local public range to make sure a few things were still zeroed and ready to go.

I’ve got a couple tags to fill this fall and if I miss, at least I know it wasn’t the gun’s fault.

Here’s a little slow motion muzzleloader action from the range.

Hunt Fish Protect

09/02/2026

I’m out on the back deck working on dinner for the next few days and wanted to bring another product I truly appreciate to your attention if you’ve never heard of it.

I discovered Everglades Seasoning during my fishing trips to Florida and now I buy it by the tub online. I even used the rub making pulled pork for my wedding. My favorites are the Original All Purpose, Fish & Chicken, and Rub.

If you’ve never tried it, it’s definitely worth a go. No, I’m not sponsored, but if is interested, I sure wouldn’t turn them down!

09/02/2026

Heading into the field this weekend? Hunters and landowners, keep an eye out for dead deer. 👀

We are monitoring scattered reports of dead white-tailed deer and pronghorn, including some confirmed cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD).

If you come across a sick or dead deer, please report it as soon as possible. Fresh carcasses may be needed for testing, and your report helps biologists track the extent and severity of EHD.

👉 Report sick or dead deer: gf.nd.gov/wildlife/diseases/mortality-report