# Some info on NR hunting license sales



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Bismarck Tribune

Nonresident small-game licenses draw interest

Our recent spate of balmy - for January, at least - weather meant plenty of hunters were afield for the closing weekend of the upland bird seasons and the deer bow seasons.

That same warm weather might have led to more nonresident sales of small-game licenses, which are required to hunt pheasants and sharp-tailed grouse in North Dakota.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department sold 146 nonresident small-game licenses electronically over the eight days that hunting seasons were open in January.

Not only was the weather nice, but "some areas had lots of pheasants," said Paul Schadewald, chief of administrative services for NDGFD.

The January sales raised the total of nonresident small game licenses sold electronically to 22,624, more than 2,200 more than the 2004-05 upland season. Nonresidents bought 20,409 small game licenses electronically last season.

Whether those numbers indicate an increase in out-of-state license sales, more licenses sold on the NDGFD Web site or both is unknown at this point, Schadewald said.

"We'll know in a little while," he added.

That's when vendors throughout the state, who sell nonresident small game licenses in paper form, start returning the license booklets to NDGFD.

Schadewald expects to have final sales numbers sometime this spring.

For the 2004-05 upland season, NDGFD sold 29,777 nonresident small game licenses either electronically or through vendors.

Electronic sales are licenses sold through the NDGFD Web site, by telephone or through some sporting goods stores equipped to sell licenses electronically.

More duck hunters

Nonresident waterfowl hunters, who must buy licenses electronically or by telephone, purchased 25,455 last season, compared to 24,375 licenses in 2004.

Of the 2005 license sales, 19,615 hunters bought zone licenses, which limited their time in either of two areas that seem to decoy flocks of duck hunters. Another 5,840 nonresidents purchased the so-called "zone-buster" waterfowl licenses. Although more expensive, those licenses allowed hunters statewide access without the restrictions of the zones.

Last year was the first time North Dakota offered statewide nonresident waterfowl licenses.


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

So much for higher fees affecting the number of licenses sold. The key to the equation is the bird population and the availibility of land to hunt.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

The only good thing about a zonebuster license is that $233,600 more dollars went into PLOTS.


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## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

Ken,

Ya gotta love more money in PLOTS. Does anyone know if the state has ever considered an additional fee to hunt PLOTS? For instance, Colorado at one time required a $20 licens stamp to hunt on their version of PLOTS land.


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

Ken,

You keep rootin for them der Gophers (varmits) Then you should have to buy non-res license :lol: :beer: :rollin:


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Zog....I grew up in Minnesota....big gopher's fan.....living in ND doesn't change that...... :beer: :bart:


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