2023 ND deer season set with about 10,000 fewer licenses

BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota’s 2023 deer season is about. 53,400 deer gun licenses had been made out there to hunters on this yr’s deer lottery, 10,800 fewer than final yr.

“We’ve a fairly good discount in deer licenses, in all probability primarily as a result of the winter, and likewise slightly bit to do with the situation of deer as they got here into winter. Clearly, the higher reserves they’ve, the higher they’ll final by way of a winter, however this winter was six months, primarily of winter, and that doesn’t occur to us fairly often,” mentioned Casey Anderson, North Dakota Recreation and Fish wildlife division chief.

Whitetail deer populations had been slowly on the right track after the winters of 2009, ‘10, ‘11, however the mixture of a significant EHD Outbreak in 2021 in central North Dakota and this yr’s excessive winter situations impacted their populations.

“Statewide whitetail populations are clearly down, but it surely wasn’t equal throughout the state, particularly the way in which winter got here throughout the state. You realize, that southeast quarter of the state was in all probability the worst,” mentioned Anderson.

Historic blizzards and excessive winter situations had been additionally exhausting on mule deer populations.

“The mule deer surveys, we simply accomplished flying, and they’re down throughout the Badlands about 26% to 29%,” mentioned Anderson.

How do huge recreation biologists provide you with the variety of licenses to make out there to hunters other than aerial surveys?

“We use harvest surveys that we ship to hunters. After which additionally simply subject observations, subject observations from our recreation wardens, from our different workers. After which our people work with fairly a couple of people on the bottom, on the panorama all through winter. And we get a fairly good image of what winter die offs appear to be and issues like that,” mentioned Anderson.

It’s going to take some assist from the next supply to get deer populations on the right track.

“The most important factor goes to be Mom Nature goes to want to offer us some assist. We get one other winter like this, and we’ll be struggling so far as wildlife goes. However actually, it’s habitat. Habitat goes to let you know how briskly they bounce again,” mentioned Anderson.

You possibly can apply for a deer gun license at gf.nd.gov. The deadline is June 7.

Copyright 2023 KFYR. All rights reserved.