Hunting in North Dakota: 8 Things to Know Before Applying for a Hunting Permit for Adults

North Dakota brings in hunters from near and far for its variety of game, but the permit requirements can be quite specific and exceptions and waivers abound.

Here are eight helpful things to ask yourself before applying for the permits you need to hunt in the Peace Garden State:

1. Know What You Want to Hunt
As in many jurisdictions, different game animals require different permits. According to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's website, there are, for example, specific regulations and permit requirements for six species of big-game animals, three sets of rules for upland game, and four for waterfowl.

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2. Gather All Permits
North Dakota requires many kinds of permits required to hunt one animal. For example, according to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, hunting a bighorn sheep requires either a fishing, hunting, or furbearer certificate; a general game and habitat license or combination license; and a specific license for bighorn sheep.

3. Verify Residency Status
As in many jurisdictions, hunters who don't live in the state full time must get nonresident permits. However, North Dakota's tourism department aims to attract hunters to the state, and the department's website offers information and links.

4. Timing is Everything
Of course, there are specific dates each year for each species and nonresidents can't hunt on Game and Fish-managed lands during pheasant season. This doesn't apply to federally managed or private hunting lands not managed by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

5. Military Courtesy
North Dakota extends special courtesies to military members who hunt. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department notes North Dakotans who can show proof of service, and of being stationed outside

North Dakota while being a North Dakota resident, can get a deer gun license without having to participate in the lottery to issue such licenses. The license requirement, in certain situations, can be waived entirely.

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6. College Student Exemptions
Exemptions similar to those offered to military people are offered to some North Dakotan or tribal students attending college out of state, the state Game and Fish Department website says.

7. Hunter Safety Certification
Anyone born after 1961 must complete a certified hunter safety course before getting a hunting license. Children age 12 or younger need not do so, but must be with a parent or guardian while hunting.

Apprentice hunters also need not do so, but must stay with a licensed hunter. This does not apply to someone hunting on his or her own land, the state's Game and Fish Department says.

8. Don't Be Wasteful
The state-published Small Game Guide notes it's against the law to "kill, cripple, waste, destroy, spoil, or abandon" the edible parts of a migratory or upland game animal without making a "reasonable effort" to retrieve it.

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

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