North Dakota
NDGF gives preview of 2025 seasons and reflects on 2024
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – 2024 was a great year for wildlife activities in North Dakota. North Dakota Game and Fish preview what’s in store for 2025.
Whitetail deer numbers in 2024 were still slowly rebounding from previous bad winters and disease, but upland game bird numbers looked pretty good.
“I think hunters experienced a really good upland game bird season, especially the combination of pheasants, sharptailed grouse, partridge,” said Jeb Williams, Director of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
Fishing continues to be good on many waterbodies in North Dakota.
“Fisheries, again, another great year. I think one of the challenges of open water season in 2024 was that we had an exceptional open water 2023. So the expectations I think were really high and sometimes that’s very hard to meet,” said Williams.
Weather always plays an important role in wildlife populations.
“So 2024 started out really good as far as moisture-wise, but in a lot of areas of the state, got pretty tough come middle part of July. And that’s definitely has carried into where we’re at now. So it’s going to be have to be something that we will have to monitor and know that it can and have some impacts on wildlife if that drought persists,” said Williams.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is always looking to partner with private landowners to create wildlife habitat and hunting access.
“Working in partnership with those individuals and for voluntary conservation programs where maybe the piece of property isn’t as productive from an agriculture standpoint, but has some opportunities and benefits when it comes to conservation,” said
And how are things looking heading into 2025 for our state’s wildlife populations?
“Numbers-wise from bird perspective are very good. Obviously, from a big game perspective, deer, we’re at a period of time where we’re kind of in rebuilding mode for some of these areas. But there’s some opportunities out there if people are willing to take advantage of things that are currently on the high of the roller coaster ride that we have in North Dakota with some of our outdoor opportunities,” said Williams.
Another highlight in 2024 was the PLOTS program, which added an additional 40,000 acres for hunting access.
Copyright 2025 KFYR. All rights reserved.
North Dakota
The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor – North Dakota Attorney General
04 Mar The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor
in Opinions
March 4, 2026
Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210
BISMARCK, ND – It is the opinion that federal law does not prevent the state from auditing P&A and even though P&A possesses confidential records, N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22.1 and 42 C.F.R. § 51.45(c) authorize the state auditor and the employees of the auditor’s office, to review the records without detriment to P &A.
Also, whether Rule 1.6 of the North Dakota Rules of Professional Conduct for licensed attorneys prohibits P&A from disclosing to the State Auditor the contents of a client file for the purpose of conducting a non-financial performance audit under N.D.C.C. ch. 54-10 when the requested file includes information about individuals and businesses in the private sector who chose to contact P &A.
This issue was already addressed in a 1995 opinion of this office regarding P&A. The 1995 opinion highlighted that P&A has authority to contract with private attorneys to represent private individuals. 17 During that performance audit, auditors asked to see billings from the contracted attorneys. 18 P&A redacted the names of the individuals represented by the contract attorneys under the rules for attorney-client privilege or attorney-client confidentiality. 19 The names of individuals seeking services of P&A are protected under N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3. The opinion stated:
Thus, P&A’s records which indicate to whom its services were provided are available to the State Auditor for performance audit purposes. The State Auditor has
been given access by P&A to its records other than the attorney’s billings. Therefore, the State Auditor already has access to the names of the persons to whom P&A
provides services. State law requires that the State Auditor and his employees must keep such information confidential.
Here, P&A has not identified a specific record. Given that, I rely on the past opinions declaring that records made confidential by N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3-10 are available under N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22 to the State Auditor and the Auditor’s employees for audit purposes.
Link to opinion 2026-L-01
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North Dakota
Angler may have broken North Dakota’s perch record on Devils Lake
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A Wisconsin angler may have reeled in a new North Dakota state record yellow perch on Devils Lake.
Alan Hintz of Stevens Point, Wis., caught the fish while fishing with Perch Patrol Guide Service’s Tyler Elshaug. North Dakota Game Warden Jon Peterson weighed the perch at 2.99 pounds and measured it at 16.5 inches at Woodland Resort.
The current state record perch of 2 pounds, 15 ounces was caught by Kyle Smith of Carrington, N.D., also on Devils Lake, on March 28, 1982.
The catch is still considered unofficial. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department requires a four-week waiting period to verify all details before officially recognizing a new state record.
Steve Dahl with Perch Patrol Guide Service confirmed the details to Valley News Live. Dahl said overall perch numbers on Devils Lake are down this year, but anglers are seeing more fish weighing over 2 pounds.
Devils Lake is one of North Dakota’s most popular ice fishing destinations, known for producing trophy-sized perch.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
North Dakota
The Democratic Spirit: Reflections on North Dakota History and the Declaration of Independence at 250 – America250
A state and national public forum comprising a lecture, and then a question-answer session. Kwame Anthony Appiah’s lecture commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and explore its enduring significance in American life. Appiah’s scholarship on ethics, identity, and cosmopolitanism offers a unique lens for examining democratic ideals in a diverse society. By connecting these themes to North Dakota’s historical narrative, the forum fosters civic engagement, intellectual discourse, and cultural understanding within our community.
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