Deer gun licenses down in North Dakota, wildlife chief explains why

BISMARCK — The North Dakota Recreation and Fish Division issued 64,200 deer gun licenses for this yr’s season, 8,000 fewer than final yr. The deer gun season in North Dakota opens at midday Central time on Friday, Nov. 4.

Host Mike Anderson, together with North Dakota Recreation and Fish wildlife division chief Casey Anderson, preview the season on this week’s phase of North Dakota Open air.

The principle motive for the lower in tags was an EHD outbreak in 2021 in white-tailed deer in central North Dakota.

“Fortunately, this yr, we by no means noticed an EHD deer this yr that got here by our lab. And so, that was excellent news with the moist climate and stuff, habitat on the bottom, anecdotally to date, we’re seeing respectable fawn manufacturing the place there have been deer on the panorama,” Casey Anderson says. “Clearly, a bounce again from a illness like that’s based mostly on the quantity of habitat and the standard of habitat.”

Casey Anderson says on statewide stage white-tailed deer are doing pretty effectively.

“We had good habitat, we got here out of our drought lastly. And so, the habitat that was there was of fine high quality and, so, that clearly helps lots. Helps replenish physique situation and issues like that. After which additionally the flexibility to boost and conceal a fawn to carry them into the inhabitants is elevated enormously by the standard of habitat on the market,” he says.

Mule deer numbers are additionally wanting fairly good this yr, too.

“We’ve been steady to growing in most models, and this yr we gave out a number of extra licenses in a few of these models. However total, mule deer are doing fairly good,” Casey Anderson says.

There are a number of adjustments to this yr’s rules deer hunters want to concentrate on. Hunters are inspired to go surfing or examine their looking information to verify they know which models they’re in and which models have any restrictions that could be in place.

For extra data on the 2022 deer gun season in North Dakota, go to the Recreation and Fish Division’s web site at

gf.nd.gov