North Dakota hunting and fishing laws

Persons born after December 31, 1961 must complete a certified state or provincial hunter education course and provide a hunter education number to the license vendor to purchase a North Dakota hunting license.

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The apprentice hunting license requires the hunter to be born after Dec. 31, 1961, be at least 12, and not hold a hunter education certificate. An apprentice hunter validation covers only one license year in a lifetime, is limited to small game and deer, and requires direct supervision by a properly licensed adult at least 18.

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North Dakota sets no general minimum hunting age. Children under 12 may hunt only under the direct supervision of a parent, guardian or an adult the parent authorizes, and must hold the licenses required for the species. Anyone born after 1961 needs hunter education before getting a firearm or bow license, unless using the one-time apprentice validation (age 12 and up, accompanied by a licensed adult).

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Applies to: Big game

You must wear both a hat and outer garment above the waistline totaling at least 400 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange. Camouflage blaze orange is not acceptable. Orange clothing is required of all bow hunters and those accompanying apprentice license holders during the deer gun season. Blaze pink is not recognized in the agency wording.

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No Sunday hunting restriction appears in the agency regulations.

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Shooting hours run from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, with season openers at noon Central Time as specified in the regulations.

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Applies to: Big game

It is unlawful to hunt big game over bait, or place bait to attract big game for the purpose of hunting, on both public and private land in a specific list of deer units. The unit list is revised periodically, so check the current regulations rather than a fixed list. Baits include grains, minerals, salts, fruits, vegetables, hay, or other natural or manufactured foods.

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Applies to: Big game

Hunting over bait or placing of bait for any purpose is also prohibited on Department wildlife management areas, and on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges, national grasslands and forests, Army Corps of Engineers lands, and state trust, park and forest lands.

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Applies to: Big game

It shall be illegal to engage in shining for big game with any artificial light for the purpose of locating or observing big game between sunset of one day and sunrise of the next. Night vision and thermal imaging equipment are prohibited while hunting. NDCC 20.1-01-08 also bars taking any wildlife between sunset and sunrise with the aid of any artificial light.

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Applies to: Furbearers

Red fox, gray fox and coyote may be hunted at any hour during the night hunting season (late November into spring) with firearms or pre-charged air guns, and with archery gear starting in early January. Night hunters must be on foot. Artificial light, night vision, thermal and infrared are banned for hunting game except for beaver, raccoon, fox and coyote during their open night season.

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Applies to: Big game

Immediately after the kill, cut out the month and day on the license tag and attach it to the base of an antler on antlered deer or through a slit in the ear on antlerless deer. The head must accompany the carcass or boned meat to the final place of storage, unless you take time-stamped photos of the whole tagged animal and a close-up of the readable tag; if you leave the head, cut off the tagged ear or antler and keep it with the meat.

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North Dakota is a posting state and posting can be physical or electronic. No person may hunt or pursue game, or enter for those purposes, upon legally posted land belonging to another without first obtaining the permission of the landowner, which means unposted private land may be hunted without permission. Hunting posted land without permission brings at least a one-year suspension.

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Physical posting means signs alongside the public highway or the land, with the owner's name in legible characters, not more than 880 yards apart; posting all gates of a fully enclosed parcel posts the whole enclosure. Electronic posting requires annual enrollment in the window set in the regulations. It is also illegal to hunt within 440 yards of an occupied building without consent.

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