The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering 1,720 licenses in 15 open units for this year’s fall pronghorn season, down slightly from last year, when the department offered 1,790 licenses.
Prospective hunters can apply for a license on the Game and Fish Department website at gf.nd.gov. The deadline for submitting applications is Wednesday Aug. 11.
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More than 6,000 North Dakota antlerless deer tags will be available beginning July 28 Residents and nonresidents who have not already received a lottery or landowner license are eligible to apply online by visiting the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov. Hunters who want to purchase additional licenses will be able to do so at 8 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, Aug. 18, the Game and Fish Department said.
Bruce Stillings, big game management supervisor for the Game and Fish in Dickinson, N.D.,, said pronghorn numbers are down slightly from last year, which prompted the license reduction.
“Doe/fawn licenses will be issued in unit 3B for the first time in several years to address areas of high pronghorn density and provide additional hunting opportunities,” Stillings said.
The recently completed aerial survey indicated the pronghorn population is down 8% from last year. The fawn-to-doe ratio was 52 fawns per 100 does, down from 61 fawns per 100 does last year. The buck-to-doe ratio of 34 bucks per 100 does remains stable and above the population objective, Stillings said.
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Each unit will once again have a season that is split into an early bow-only portion, and a later gun/bow season.
The bow-only portion of the season opens at noon Friday, Sept. 3, and continues through Sunday, Sept. 26. Anyone who draws a license can hunt pronghorn with a bow in the unit printed on the license.
Beginning at noon Friday, Oct. 1 and continuing through Sunday, Oct. 17, hunters who still have a valid license can use legal firearms or archery equipment, and again must stay in the assigned unit.
Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply for a pronghorn license. Hunters who have accumulated bonus points and choose not to apply this year will not lose their points, but they will not accrue a point for next year. However, hunters who do not want a license in 2021 have the option to purchase a bonus point on the application.
The pronghorn license fee is $30 for ages 16 and older, and $10 for hunters under age 16. Applicants for a pronghorn lottery license must be at least 12 years of age on or before Dec. 31, 2021.
