NDGF Newsletter for June 22nd

[Swany]

Spring Duck Index, Water Conditions Up
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual spring breeding duck survey showed an index of more than 4 million birds, an increase of 18 percent from last year and 87 percent above the long-term average (1948-2008). The 2009 index is the eighth highest on record.
Pintail (up 157 percent and the highest since 1972) and northern shovelers (up 102 percent and the highest on record) showed significant increases. All other dabbling ducks except for gadwall (-42 percent) showed increases from last year (blue-winged teal, +53 percent; mallards, +43 percent; wigeon, +44 percent; and green-winged teal, +14 percent).
All diving ducks except canvasback (+96 percent) decreased from last year (scaup, -60 percent; redhead, -16 percent; and ruddy ducks, -10 percent). However, all species were well-above the long-term average.
The spring water index showed the largest single-year turnaround in the 62-year history of the survey, according to Mike Johnson, game management section leader. The index was up 293 percent from 2008 and 69 percent above the long-term average. It was the eighth highest in survey history and the highest since 1999.
Johnson cautions that the water index is based on basins with water, and does not necessarily represent the amount of water contained in wetlands. “Water conditions were generally lower than we had expected, given the exceptional snow conditions this past winter,” Johnson added. “However, the spring was fairly dry, and considerable drying had occurred in wetland basins between the snow melt and the time of the survey.”
Additional reports indicate that much of the Prairie Pothole Region from South Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan and Manitoba is experiencing significantly improved water conditions due to late winter/early spring precipitation. “Thus ducks have a much larger landscape providing good water conditions than in recent years,” Johnson said.
However, nesting cover in North Dakota continues to decline. Since the beginning of 2007 North Dakota has lost more than 500,000 Conservation Reserve Program acres, and projections for the next two years indicate up to another 500,000 acres could be converted to cropland.
“This loss of one-third of our critical nesting cover will be disastrous for breeding ducks and hunting opportunities in North Dakota,” Johnson said.
The July brood survey will provide a better idea of duck production and insight into what to expect this fall. Observations to date indicate that production will be improved across the state due to improved water conditions and increased wetland availability for brood production.
 
Party Fishing, Culling Illegal
North Dakota anglers are reminded of two fishing regulations that some anglers often ignore and might not even realize are illegal.
Greg Power, fisheries chief for the state Game and Fish Department, said party fishing and culling is common practice with some anglers. “These acts are prohibited and anglers will get cited for these violations,” Power said.
Anglers must catch their own fish while on the water, much like hunters must harvest their own game while in the field. “The same rule applies,” Power said. “An angler cannot help another angler fill a limit by harvesting more fish than their own daily limit.”
In addition, anglers may not cull fish. “Replacing one that is already in possession, such as on a stringer or in a livewell, for a freshly caught fish is not allowed,” Power said. “In some states, this is an accepted practice so that anglers can catch and keep larger size fish over the course of a fishing outing. However, in North Dakota this practice has never been permitted.”
Anglers should refer to the 2008-10 North Dakota Fishing Guide for a complete list of regulations, or access the Game and Fish Department website at gf.nd.gov.
 
Fall Turkey Applications Due July 1
Prospective turkey hunters are reminded that applications for this fall’s season must be in the mail and postmarked before midnight July 1.
Interested hunters can submit a lottery application online, or print out an application to mail, at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Applications are also available at Game and Fish offices, county auditors and license vendors, or by calling (800) 406-6409. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply in the first lottery.
Individuals mailing applications to the department are advised to mail early because some post offices use the following day’s postmark for parcels received after regular hours. The department’s online application feature will be deactivated July 1 at midnight.
 
Online Licensing a Convenient Process
North Dakota hunters and anglers who are looking for a more convenient way to purchase licenses and apply for lotteries need look no further than the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website, gf.nd.gov. This online service allows people to purchase licenses and apply for lotteries, with some additional benefits.
“There are some real advantages to using it,” said Paul Schadewald, the Game and Fish Department’s administrative services division chief. “If they ever lose a license they can just go back online and for no cost, print it, and they can get multiple copies.”
No additional costs or fees are added if a license is purchased online, and the process is easy to follow. Also, some license vendors around the state are starting to use the electronic system rather than the old paper books of licenses, Schadewald said. That way, “if you don’t have web access at home you can go to a vendor that has electronic licensing.”
The transition is also more convenient for the Game and Fish Department and vendors. Online licensing eliminates excess paper work and the system helps catch mistakes. “The system is smart and it helps collect accurate data and that’s very beneficial,” Schadewald said.
The service is currently most popular with those who are applying for lotteries. For the upcoming deer lottery, more than 60 percent of the applications came in online. Overall use of the online licensing system has grown about 10 percent every year. When the number of online applications reaches around 80 percent, Schadewald said the Game and Fish would like to consider switching to an entirely electronic licensing system, “but it’s going to be several years before we eliminate the paper all together,” he said.
Some licenses are already exclusively online, including all small game and waterfowl licenses for nonresidents. All resident licenses are still available in the paper version, but the department would like to see an increase in online numbers. “The licenses that we sell a lot of, like resident fishing licenses and resident small game licenses, those are the ones we’d like to see more electronic licenses,” Schadewald said.
The convenience of online licensing is its accessibility anytime, day or night, with internet access. It eliminates lost license problems with a few clicks of a mouse, and Schadewald said it only takes one experience of taking the time to make a special trip to a license vendor to realize that there is a quicker way to do it. “Once they try it then they’re hooked,” he said.
A direct link to the Game and Fish Department’s licensing page is gf.nd.gov/licenses.