Doug Leier: Learning more about North Dakota’s PLOTS program

WEST FARGO – Hunters in North Dakota have lengthy loved the chance the Sport and Fish Division Non-public Land Open To Sportsmen (PLOTS) program has supplied. It’s exhausting to consider this program started again in 1997, and hunters who had been about 10 years previous could keep in mind paging via the paper map information on the lookout for locations to chase pheasants, deer and geese.

Older hunters then and now generally comment, “You don’t understand how good you’ve received it now.” As with many issues in life, the sensible, veteran hunters aren’t flawed. Even if you happen to don’t need to admit it.

The North Dakota Sport and Fish Division’s mission “is to guard, preserve and improve fish and wildlife populations and their habitats for sustained consumptive and nonconsumptive use.”

The division’s Non-public Lands Initiative is the first mechanism for making use of this mission on the personal panorama of North Dakota.

The PLI has three most important targets:

• Conservation of habitats for fish and wildlife populations.
• Present landowners fascinated by wildlife conservation with cost-share help for growing and defending wildlife habitat.

• Present public alternatives to entry fish and wildlife assets on personal land.

Q: What’s PLOTS?

A: Non-public Land Open To Sportsmen is a element of the division’s Non-public Lands Initiative.

Q: Why is PLOTS essential?

A: It will be significant for the division to work with personal landowners to handle wildlife and supply habitat and entry. Entry to personal land is important to make sure hunter retention and to welcome the following era of hunters.

Q: How is PLOTS funded?

A: PLOTS is funded by hunters. In 1997, the North Dakota Legislature’s passing of HB1395 created the Non-public Land Habitat and Entry Enchancment Fund, which is funded by gross sales of looking licenses and curiosity accrued from the division’s Basic Fund steadiness.

• All Non-public Land Open To Sportsmen property is open just for public walk-in entry for the aim of looking inside authorized looking seasons, or as signed. Stroll-in entry is outlined as a person touring by foot with any authorized weapon, gear, equipment and provisions for the needs of looking.
• All different actions require written permission from the property proprietor.
• Searching weapons, gear, equipment or provisions is probably not left unattended on PLOTS with out written permission of the property proprietor.
• Any one that violates this part is responsible of a noncriminal offense.

In case you discover an space listed as a PLOTS tract, however that isn’t marked with yellow triangular PLOTS indicators from the division, we propose that you simply err on the facet of warning and keep away from getting into the realm till you have got checked it out with us.

In accordance with North Dakota Century Code 20.1-08-04.9, nonresidents could not hunt any sport in the course of the first seven days of the pheasant season on North Dakota Sport and Fish Division wildlife administration areas or on Conservation PLOTS areas.

Lastly, what hasn’t modified for the reason that starting is for all hunters to deal with PLOTS tracts as in the event that they had been their very own:

• Take away all trash and empty shells.
• Don’t block area approaches or gates with automobiles.
• Clear sport properly away from ditches and approaches.
• Keep away from livestock.
• Report unlawful acts to Report All Poachers at (701) 328-9921.