Elk, moose, and bighorn sheep hunting applications are now accessible online via the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website. The deadline for submitting applications is March 26.
This year, a total of 960 elk licenses will be issued, marking an increase of 127 from the previous year. A new unit, E7, has been established following discussions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, landowners, and hunters to manage a growing elk herd near the J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge. Hunters on this refuge must use nontoxic ammunition. Holders of general lottery licenses from E7 can hunt in unit E1W starting November 24.
The number of licenses in units E2 and E3 has risen due to stable or increasing elk populations. Meanwhile, license numbers in units E1W, E4, and E6 remain unchanged. In unit E1E, the number of any licenses remains constant but there will be fewer antlerless licenses compared to 2024.
For moose hunting, there are 296 licenses available this year, up by 54 from last year. Licenses in units M10 and M11 have increased slightly to match observed population levels. The number of licenses in units M6, M8, and M9 remains steady as these areas report stable moose populations with good hunter success rates. However, licenses in M5 have been reduced slightly. Moose units M4 and M1C will stay closed due to low population levels.
A bighorn sheep hunting season is tentatively planned for 2025 but depends on the outcome of summer population surveys scheduled for September 1. Unit B2 has been created by adjusting the boundaries of units B3, B4, and B5 to promote selective harvesting of certain sheep populations.
