Peace Garden News

North Dakota's 2025 deer season has been established, with 42,300 licenses available for hunters. This marks a decrease of 7,800 licenses compared to the previous year. Muzzleloader licenses have also seen a reduction by 150, while restricted youth antlered mule deer licenses remain unchanged.

Casey Anderson, chief of the wildlife division at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, commented on the state's deer population trends. "The state’s deer population continues to recover from the 2021 EHD outbreak and the severe winter of 2022-23, which limited population growth despite reduced gun licenses during 2023 and 2024 hunting seasons," Anderson stated. He further explained that "modest license allocations are intended to maintain hunting opportunities while encouraging population growth in the state."

The scarcity of high-quality deer habitat is a concern affecting potential population recovery. Anderson noted that if Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts continue to expire, up to 85% of what was once 3.4 million acres in 2007 could be lost by next year.

A spring survey revealed that western North Dakota's mule deer population is down by 14% from last year despite efforts such as reduced harvests and mild winters over consecutive years.

The upcoming deer gun season will commence on November 7 at noon and will run through November 23. Interested applicants for regular deer gun, gratis, youth, and muzzleloader can submit their applications online via the Game and Fish Department's website at gf.nd.gov until midnight on June 4.

It's important for those who did not apply last year to either apply or purchase a point this year; otherwise, they risk losing any accrued points.