Hunting in North Dakota: 9 Animals To Hunt in the Winter

Winter hunting brings thoughts of big game tracked through the cold, crisp air and North Dakota has all that. The falling snow can even aid hunters in tracking their prey.

From moose to muskrat, here are nine animals to hunt in the winter:

1. White-tailed Deer and Mule Deer
These deer may be hunted with bows from early September to early January. Gun season lasts for only part of November, just before the official start of winter, though muzzleloading weapons can be used from late November through mid-December.

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However, licenses must be applied for by early June. The deer page on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website contains online applications, maps, requirements, and information on the deer population.

2. Moose
Moose season begins and ends in early fall in most of the state, but lasts from mid-November to mid-December in the east-central and southeast parts of North Dakota. Licenses are granted by lottery. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department website contains lottery information, results, and maps.

3. Elk
The regular elk-hunting season begins in early October in the northeast and west-central parts of the state and early September elsewhere. It ends in late December. Licenses are awarded by lottery, and lottery applications and information are available on the state Game and Fish Department site.

4. Mountain Lion
As in the early-season summer hunt, only state residents may hunt for mountain lions, which are classified by the state Game and Fish Department as a fur animal. There is a limit of one lion per season per hunter.

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The late season lasts from late November though the end of March in the extreme west and southwestern parts of the state, known as Zone 1, and from the end of August through the end of March in the rest of North Dakota. For 2014-15, there was a harvest quota of seven lions, with the season ending as soon as the quota was reached.

Lions killed by federal or state wildlife officers, or private landowners defending livestock; lions killed to protect humans; or lions killed accidentally do not count toward the quota; nor do lions killed on Native American lands, according to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

5. Other Furbearing Animals
Bobcats can be hunted with bows or guns from November to mid-March (North Dakota residents only). Minks and muskrat can be shot from late November through late April. Weasels can be shot from late November through mid-March. There are restrictions on the type and caliber of weapons that can be used on some animals, under state law.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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