Articles

New outdoor activities develop long-lasting memories

I have had the opportunity to hunt many different places and species across North Dakota, much of it a result of having lived in more than 10 different zip codes across the state. It’s those places, and the people who go with them, that often account for the best memories. While we always remember the biggest deer or a limit of fish, the best stories come from the one that got away, or getting stuck, lost or a having a late-night windstorm blow through camp.

• Doug Leier

Leier: Sage grouse recovery plan efforts starting to get off the ground

Because of a long-term population decline throughout their native range, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considered in 2010 listing sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act.

Leier: Meeting season a good time to get valuable outdoors information

While many hunters and anglers associate spring and summer with fishing season and fall with hunting season, truth be told, in North Dakota fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days each year.

Harvest surveys are an important tool

After a couple of cups of coffee and the usual bantering about weather at my favorite corner convenience store, a recent discussion turned to North Dakota Game and Fish Department surveys.

Leier: There's plenty to look forward to in 2012

The older I get, the faster time seems to pass. My neighbor and friend Mick explained a few years ago it’s a function of the percentage of life.

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Leier: Statistics offer useful perspectives when reviewing deer season

I’ve never been much of a numbers guy, which is evidenced by my grades in calculus, statistics and about any college math course I took.

Leier: A few helpful steps to avoid venison faux pas

Each year, it seems I somehow wind up as part of a large number of hunters who receive a recycled email joke about making beef taste like venison. Most who read it find themselves nodding their head and chuckling, as the masses who’ve hunted deer can relate to the uneasy truthfulness of many of the “steps.”

Leier: Deer hunting opener questions answered

For more than a decade I’ve searched for column topics, but each year as deer season approaches the same questions arise, and the answers bear repeating:

Leier column: A safe hunt is a successful hunt

North Dakota hunters have it pretty good. While a lot of conversations this fall relate to somewhat lower deer and pheasant populations, our wildlife numbers are still high compared to a few decades ago, when hunters applied for a first-drawing doe license just to have a chance to hunt in November, and a single morning rooster was something to crow about.

Leier: Don't shy away from trying something new on next outdoors excursion

Every day after my alarm clock goes off, my first order of business is to start the coffee. And no matter what time I turn in at night, the last step is to double-check to make sure the doors are locked and the kids are tucked in.

Columns

Leier: Plenty discussed at advisory meetings

Fargo - For many hunters and anglers, the close of the regular deer season triggered a change.

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Leier: Each Hunter defines success differently

Fargo - Quality and success are two of the more difficult terms with which fisheries and wildlife managers struggle. In fact, many hunters and anglers would probably nod in agreement that defining quality and success is about as easy as explaining a normal weather pattern.

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Leier: The number of people enjoying the outdoors is on the rise

Fargo - From algebra and geometry in high school to statistics and calculus in college, my earned “C” was treated like a “B” or even an “A” in my mind. No matter the amount of studying and preparation, it just never seemed to add up.

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Leier: Number of people enjoying outdoors is on the rise

Fargo - From algebra and geometry in high school to statistics and calculus in college, my earned “C” was treated like a “B” or even an “A” in my mind. No matter the amount of studying and preparation, it just never seemed to add up.

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Leier: Common questions as deer season approaches

Fargo - Even with fewer deer licenses available this year, tens of thousands of hunters are looking forward to Friday, Nov. 9 at noon when the regular deer gun season begins.

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Leier: The need to report poaching violations hasn't changed

Fargo - I’m not certain of the exact date, but I remember my first observation of a hunting violation like it was yesterday.

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Hunters should use extra caution due to dry fall

Fargo - A little over a year ago on a random early fall hunting trip, I pulled over to the side of the road near a wildlife management area and surveyed the scene, assessing the ground and field conditions.

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Leier: While not as plentiful, pheasants are still the state's most popular bird

Fargo - Check the annals of Lewis and Clark during their time in what is now North Dakota, and you’ll find references to native grouse, elk and pronghorn, and even about 10 entries related to grizzly bear. Don’t believe me?

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Leier: Even without a license, deer hunting season can still be enjoyable

As a game warden and then an outreach biologist serving North Dakota’s most populated county and two of the five largest cities over the past 15 years, I have been kept hopping with the fall hunting seasons.

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Leier: A good rapport between hunters, landowners is vital

Throughout a few decades of hunting on my own and also working for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, I have heard many stories relating to hunting access, and I’ve also experienced a few.

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