Amid the excitement of the North Dakota deer gun opener, enforcement is just as important

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - The deer gun season in North Dakota opened at noon Central time on Friday, Nov. 8. During the deer season, arguably North Dakota’s most popular pursuit among hunters, there are some common violations game wardens see every year.

“Some common violations that we encounter during the deer season are having a loaded gun in a motor vehicle, driving off an established trail and failure to immediately tag an animal after it is killed,” said Scott Winkelman, NDGF Chief Game Warden.

There are some safety measures hunters must take when hitting the field.

“All hunters who are in the field hunting deer are required to wear at least 400 square inches of solid fluorescent orange, plus an orange hat,” said Winkelman.

And if you’re lucky enough to harvest a deer, there are some steps you must follow.

“A deer, once it’s harvested in the state, needs to be tagged immediately by notching the tag with the date, and tagging it around the antler of an antlered animal or through the ear of an antlerless animal,” said Winkelman.

If a person who isn’t the hunter wants to transport someone else’s deer, you need to have a permit.

“A transportation permit needs to be obtained from either a game warden or another law enforcement officer,” said Winkelman.

There are some off-trail restrictions during the deer hunting season.

“For the purposes of deer hunting in North Dakota vehicles need to stay on an established trail, which is a road that is regularly used for travel throughout the year and it does not include temporary agricultural trails,” said Winkelman.

It’s the hunter’s responsibility to make sure they have permission to hunt on private lands in North Dakota.

“Hunters, when they’re out, need to be responsible for checking for posted land. Land can be posted either with physical signs or electronically. And all hunters should respect landowners and their property and ask for permission if it is posted,” said Winkelman.

The most important thing this season is….

“Everybody have a safe and enjoyable deer season,” said Winkelman.

If you happen to witness a Game and Fish violation, call the Report All Poachers number at 701-328-9921.