Outdoors Question of the Week

I've always enjoyed the arrival of spring. I've lived in a number of towns and areas in just about every corner of North Dakota, and whether it’s Williston, Bottineau, Bismarck or West Fargo, each has its own special draw.

While all of us in the Midwest are fortunate to have four distinct seasons, the arrival and departure of each season certainly varies depending on your location, even within each state. For instance, if you live in Dickinson the first robins may show up following a warm south breeze around Valentines Day, but they might not appear until weeks later as the last drifts of snow melt along the shelterbelts of Grand Forks County.

In fact, though the calendar says spring started on March 20, many people have different definitions of when spring truly arrives for them. That’s the beauty of spending time outdoors. It's what we make it.

So this spring, I urge you to blow the rust off winter and get out and enjoy. You don't have to have a spring turkey license, but if you do the season starts April 12 and runs through May 18 so there’s plenty of opportunity to call in a wild turkey.

And don't be discouraged if you haven’t had a chance to hunt snow geese during the spring conservation season. It's open through May 4 and even if the big push of birds has passed by, there are usually a few straggling groups that can provide a good hunt.

If spring snow goose hunting doesn't pique your interest, it's still a great time to just get out and take a drive across the prairie. You might see a migrating eagle – the numbers of which have increased dramatically over the past couple of decades – or even a chance whooping crane. Just a couple of hundred whooping cranes make the trek north each spring, so count yourself if you catch a glimpse of one.

One thing I do know is you will not see either of these birds sitting indoors.

You probably didn’t notice it, but the spring crow season opened March 15. I've never dedicated a day to hunting crows, but if you’re looking for a new outdoor challenge and another way to enjoy spring, the spring crow season runs through April 27.

Fishing, of course, is on a lot of our minds this time of year. While North Dakota’s season is open 365 days a year, in much of the state right now is mostly a transition time between solid ice and open water. It’s a good time get your equipment ready so when the ice goes off your favorite water – if it hasn’t already – you are ready to go.

Don’t forget, April 1 marked the renewal date for a 2008 fishing license. Licensing is easily done from the Game and Fish Department’s website at gf.nd.gov. An added advantage to purchasing a license online is that you can print an extra copy for your tackle box, and if you lose that, you can simply log back on and print out a new one.

There is one fishing season that does have an opener, and that is paddlefish snagging which begins May 1. Just like sage grouse, prairie chicken and bighorn sheep, we’re fortunate to have a limited opportunity to take part in a season for these unique fish.

We’re also fortunate enough in North Dakota to make spring last perhaps from mid-February until about June. And one guarantee is, you won't have any of this fun indoors.

Doug Leier is a biologist with the Game and Fish Department. He can be reached via email: dleier@nd.gov