NR North Dakota Rifle

[NDGuy]

I think theres a fairly good size portion of North Dakotans who agree with that sentiment. But, there's a lot that don't. In a landscape of shrinking opportunity, the question for North Dakotan's is, do we want to decrease the only real opportunity we have? Which is followed by a substrate of questions. Questions like, how many bow hunters is too many? How big of a deer is big enough to satisfy rifle hunters? Why are archers asked to make a sacrifice when rifle hunters take more deer off the landscape? Why is it okay for there to be 6k+ rifle hunters in the badlands over 16.5 days but not have a potentially similar amount of bow hunters spread out through the fall? Why should bowhunters have to sacrifice so rifle hunters can shoot bigger bucks?

Personally, I'm very much on the fence about the issue. But I am fully aware, if archery mule deer in ND continues to grow like it has over the last 10-15 years, then a change will have to be made. Period.

Yep, well stated. I understand the pros and cons for sure. I'd like a little more research/surveys to be taken to really look at the current state. To see how much if any change is needed.

Counting on option harvest reporting is not the way.

 

[Jamen]

Yep, well stated. I understand the pros and cons for sure. I'd like a little more research/surveys to be taken to really look at the current state. To see how much if any change is needed.

Counting on option harvest reporting is not the way.

I wish they would have mandatory surveys at the end of the year and as simple as species, sex, date of kill, and what unit it was in. I for one would not be a fan if they made you pick a specific unit for bow if they kept the units the same as they are now for rifle. I have 3 different places i bow hunt all within 15 minutes of each other and are in 3 different units. I could get behind like an eastern or western bow tag.

 

[brocksw]

Yep, well stated. I understand the pros and cons for sure. I'd like a little more research/surveys to be taken to really look at the current state. To see how much if any change is needed.

Counting on option harvest reporting is not the way.

2022 season will be the 3rd season that the GF has their beta version archery survey in the wild. It is supposed to gather more information about archery harvest rates, days afield, etc. The old survey was flawed in that it could not give a firm number on what ND archery hunters focused on. You could have hunted 30 days for mule deer and came home to Fargo and shot a whitey the first night in the treestand and when you recorded your hunter days, their survey would've allocated all 31 days to whitetail hunting and vice versa. This new survey is supposed to help correct that and provide more granularity.

My suspicion is that the first 2 weeks of archery season looks incredibly similar to the 16.5 day rifle season, in terms of hunters on the landscape in the Badlands.

Personally, I would support mandatory surveys/reporting as well.

 

[Cattleman]

Do yourself a favor and look into this: https://gf.nd.gov/licensing/lotteries/summary/deer-nonresident#2021

Look at how many people have 5+ points (their entries are cubed) in 4B, 4C & 4D. For example, 4B antlered mule deer there was 48 applicants that had 10+ points. If the 48 applicants all had exactly 10pts they would have 48,048 entries for 3 tags, and you would have had ONE entry. It is a true bonus point system so there is always a chance but if you actually want to hunt mule deer with a rifle i would look elsewhere.




-Note that in years 2, 3 and 4, the points are doubled; and, for years 5 and beyond, they are cubed to increase the applicant's chances of drawing a permit
-An applicant can miss applying for a year without losing points; however, the applicant loses bonus points by failing to apply for two consecutive years.

 

[NDGuy]

exactly 10pts they would have 48,048 entries for 3 tags, and you would have had ONE entry.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Do yourself a favor and look into this: https://gf.nd.gov/licensing/lotteries/summary/deer-nonresident#2021

Look at how many people have 5+ points (their entries are cubed) in 4B, 4C & 4D. For example, 4B antlered mule deer there was 48 applicants that had 10+ points. If the 48 applicants all had exactly 10pts they would have 48,048 entries for 3 tags, and you would have had ONE entry. It is a true bonus point system so there is always a chance but if you actually want to hunt mule deer with a rifle i would look elsewhere.

View attachment 233174


-Note that in years 2, 3 and 4, the points are doubled; and, for years 5 and beyond, they are cubed to increase the applicant's chances of drawing a permit
-An applicant can miss applying for a year without losing points; however, the applicant loses bonus points by failing to apply for two consecutive years.

Good post.

Nothing wrong with throwing your name in a hat especially when the application fee is cheap. But putting any considerable effort into planning for a ND mule deer rifle tag as a NR with 0 points right now seems like a poor choice in the big scheme of NR mule deer hunting opportunity.

 

[brian flatlander]

Your optimism is admirable

its all i got i also apply in utah lol

 

[8andcounting]

Lots of units that say they have a few NR rifle tags never actually issue any to NR. If you look at the stats some units all tags go to landowners and residents. So you may be applying for a unit you literally have 0 chance in

 

[Cattleman]

Lots of units that say they have a few NR rifle tags never actually issue any to NR. If you look at the stats some units all tags go to landowners and residents. So you may be applying for a unit you literally have 0 chance in

Exactly, i have personally talked with the head of licensing many times trying to do a public data request and they won't do it. The resident gratis tags come out of the resident tag pool but there is also a NR gratis tag that comes out of the NR tag pool. So as @8andcounting said there is some units that you literally never have a tag because they all go to the NR gratis. For the last 3 years I have tried getting the the NR gratis statistics and they wont supply them to me, i told the guy all i want to know is how many NR gratis applications are for each unit annually.

 

[Jamen]

Exactly, i have personally talked with the head of licensing many times trying to do a public data request and they won't do it. The resident gratis tags come out of the resident tag pool but there is also a NR gratis tag that comes out of the NR tag pool. So as @8andcounting said there is some units that you literally never have a tag because they all go to the NR gratis. For the last 3 years I have tried getting the the NR gratis statistics and they wont supply them to me, i told the guy all i want to know is how many NR gratis applications are for each unit annually.

Did they give you a reason to why you cannot have that information even when you do a data request?

 

[Jamen]

so for example, unit 2A has 6 NR tags. the NR gratis come out of that first then what is left after that is available to NR? That is interesting i never knew that but i guess i also never researched it since i am from here.

 

[Jamen]

Exactly, i have personally talked with the head of licensing many times trying to do a public data request and they won't do it. The resident gratis tags come out of the resident tag pool but there is also a NR gratis tag that comes out of the NR tag pool. So as @8andcounting said there is some units that you literally never have a tag because they all go to the NR gratis. For the last 3 years I have tried getting the the NR gratis statistics and they wont supply them to me, i told the guy all i want to know is how many NR gratis applications are for each unit annually.

so it took me a moment to figure it out but you can get that information if you want on your own it looks like. On their website it shows lottery statistics and how many tags are allocated in each unit. They break it down to total license per unit, gratis reduction, NR deduction, and total issued in Resident drawing. so for which ever unit you are trying to see how many NR gratis tags what i did was i took that NR deduction number and then there is a separate page for the NR statistics for who drew a tag at how many points. i took that number minus the NR deduction and i got my answer. For example unit 4B NR deduction there were 5 total NR tags for that unit but when i pulled up the stats for how many NR drew that tag last year only 3 NR drew the tag, leaving me to believe there were 2 NR gratis tags.

 

[Cattleman]

so for example, unit 2A has 6 NR tags. the NR gratis come out of that first then what is left after that is available to NR? That is interesting i never knew that but i guess i also never researched it since i am from here.

last year 4 NR drew 2A any antlered with 22 applicants. The NR deduction was 6 so that tells us 2 tags went to the NR gratis.

 

[Cattleman]

so it took me a moment to figure it out but you can get that information if you want on your own it looks like. On their website it shows lottery statistics and how many tags are allocated in each unit. They break it down to total license per unit, gratis reduction, NR deduction, and total issued in Resident drawing. so for which ever unit you are trying to see how many NR gratis tags what i did was i took that NR deduction number and then there is a separate page for the NR statistics for who drew a tag at how many points. i took that number minus the NR deduction and i got my answer. For example unit 4B NR deduction there were 5 total NR tags for that unit but when i pulled up the stats for how many NR drew that tag last year only 3 NR drew the tag, leaving me to believe there were 2 NR gratis tags.

yes i know that of course. you need to look at both charts. That is not the information I want; anybody can figure that out with basic math looking at both charts. I requested the number NR GRATIS applicants per unit per year. Loook at 2E any antlered deer and see how many NR landowner applicants there was?
And also take this into consideration (this was also part of my data request):

 

[8andcounting]

yes i know that of course. you need to look at both charts. That is not the information I want; anybody can figure that out with basic math looking at both charts. I requested the number NR GRATIS applicants per unit per year. Loook at 2E any antlered deer and see how many NR landowner applicants there was?
And also take this into consideration (this was also part of my data request):

View attachment 233266

They aren’t going to give a lot on info regarding gratis tags - the gf does not mess with gratis tag holders much . Basically they won’t give you any info - and in unit 2E tons of the NR landowners bought the land for duck hunting but have now turned into deer hunting land also

 

[Blackcats06]

One year I asked for the number of nonresident gratis applicants for a couple specific units and was given the information. They were all whitetail units and the main one I was interested in had more gratis apps than tags available which lead me to believe There will never be a tag available.

 

[8andcounting]

One year I asked for the number of nonresident gratis applicants for a couple specific units and was given the information. They were all whitetail units and the main one I was interested in had more gratis apps than tags available which lead me to believe There will never be a tag available.

Yes . Basically if your a NR buy a otc whitetail archery tag

 

[HUNT7503]

ND gives a statewide mule deer tag to one lucky winner of a raffle, I believe they usually start selling them in Feb? They send me tickets because I’ve purchased in the past. Doesn’t matter if you’re res or nonres.

It’s through Mule Deer Foundation I believe, but the recipient of the raffle drawing may change year to year. I also may be confusing this with the statewide elk tag that they raffle too….and the statewide pronghorn tag…..

Regardless, another (albeit small) chance at a MD tag in ND

I like the fact in ND i have had a deer tag every year. I am not picky buck or doe better than having to wait like i did when i lived in Utah.