2017 North Dakota Hunting Seasons
A tradition for many families, hunting is an exciting escape into nature. Your reward of patiently waiting in a tree stand or hunting blind is the satisfaction of taking responsibility for your own food, or finally bagging that trophy buck. Discount Ramps has all the hunting dates for North Dakota, and the necessary hunting equipment to ensure a successful year.
This is a general guide to season dates. Dates are subject to change. For more information, visit the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website.
Badger
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular/Firearms, traps, archery equipment, pursue with dogs | Open Year-round | |
| Regular/Cable Devices | Nov. 21, 2016 | Mar. 15, 2017 |
Beaver
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular/Firearms, traps, archery equipment, underwater cable devices | Open Year-round | |
| Regular/Cable Devices on land | Nov. 21, 2016 | Mar. 15, 2017 |
| Regular/Cable Devices on land within 50 ft. of water | Mar. 16, 2017 | May 10, 2017 |
Bighorn Sheep
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | B1, B3, B4 | Oct. 27, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Bow Only | B1, B3, B4 | Oct. 20, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Bobcat
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Regular - Firearms, Traps, Archery Equipment | South and West of the Missouri River only | Nov. 5, 2016 | May 15, 2017 |
| Regular/Cable Devices, Pursue with Dogs | South and West of the Missouri River only | Nov. 21, 2016 | May 15, 2017 |
Canada Geese
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Early Season | Statewide | Aug. 14, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Early Season | Missouri River Zone | Aug. 14, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Resident Only | Statewide | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Resident Only | Missouri River Zone | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | Statewide | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | Missouri River Zone | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Coot
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Regular - Resident Only | High Plains Unit | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | High Plains Unit | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | Low Plains Unit | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular | High Plains Unit | Dec. 9, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Resident Only | Low Plains Unit | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Coyote
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular/Firearms, traps, archery equipment, pursue with dogs | Open Year-round | |
| Regular/Cable devices | Nov. 21, 2016 | Mar. 15, 2017 |
| Hunting at any Hour/Firearms | Nov. 21, 2016 | Mar. 15, 2017 |
Crow
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Spring - Regular | Mar. 11, 2017 | Apr. 23, 2017 |
| Fall - Regular | Aug. 19, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Doves
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Sep. 1, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Ducks
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Regular - Resident Only | Low Plains Unit | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Resident Only | High Plains Unit | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | Low Plains Unit | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | High Plains Unit | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular | High Plains Unit | Dec. 9, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Youth Waterfowl Season | Statewide | Sep. 16, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Elk
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Bow Only | E1, E2 | Sep. 1, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular | E1, E2 | Oct. 6, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular | E3, E4 | Sep. 1, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular | E5 | Sep. 1, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Fisher
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Open areas only | Nov. 21, 2016 | Nov. 27, 2016 |
Fox (Red and Gray)
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular/Cable devices | Nov. 21, 2016 | Mar. 15, 2017 |
| Hunting at Any Hour/Firearms | Nov. 21, 2016 | Mar. 15, 2017 |
| Regular/Firearms, traps, archery equipment, pursue with dogs | Open Year-round | |
Greater Prairie Chicken
| Notice |
| There will be no pinnated grouse (greater prairie chicken) season this year due to low populations. |
Ground Squirrel
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Open Year-round | |
Hungarian Partidge
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Sep. 9, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Light Geese
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Spring Conservation | Feb. 18, 2017 | May 4, 2017 |
| Regular - Resident Only | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Mergansers
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Regular - Resident Only | Low Plains Unit | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Resident Only | High Plains Unit | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | Low Plains Unit | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | High Plains Unit | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular | High Plains Unit | Dec. 9, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Mink
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular/Traps | Oct. 22, 2016 | May 10, 2017 |
| Regular/Cable devices, firearms, archery equipment | Nov. 21, 2016 | May 10, 2017 |
Moose
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | M8, M9, M10 | Oct. 6, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular | M5, M6 | Nov. 17, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Bow Only | M5, M6, M8, M9, M10 | Sep. 1, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Mountain Lion
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Early Season/Firearms, archery equipment | Zone 1 | Sep. 2, 2016 | Nov. 20, 2016 |
| Late Season/Firearms, archery equipment, and pursuing with dogs | Zone 1 | Nov. 21, 2016 | Mar. 31, 2017 |
| Conditional Season/Firearms and archery equipment | Zone 1 | Mar. 31, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular/Firearms and archery equipment. Beginning November 21, mountain lions may also be harvested by pursuing with dogs | Zone 2 | Sep. 2, 2016 | Mar. 31, 2017 |
Mule and White-tailed Deer
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Bow | Statewide | Sep. 9, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Gun | All Units | Nov. 10, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Muzzleloader | Statewide | Dec. 1, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Youth Season | Statewide | Sep. 15, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Muskrat
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular/Traps | Oct. 22, 2016 | May 10, 2017 |
| Regular/Cable Devices, firearms, archery equipment | Nov. 21, 2016 | May 10, 2017 |
Pronghorn
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Bow Only | 1A, 2A, 2B, 3A, 4A, 4C | Sep. 1, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular | 1A, 2A, 2B, 3A, 4A, 4C | Oct. 6, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Rabbit
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Open Year-round | |
Raccoon
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular/Firearms, traps, archery equipment, underwater cable devices, pursue with dogs (raccoon only) | Open Year-round | |
| Regular/Cable devices on land | Nov. 21, 2016 | Mar. 15, 2017 |
| Regular/Cable devices on land within 50 ft. of water | Mar. 16, 2017 | May 10, 2017 |
Ring-necked Pheasants
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Oct. 14, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Youth Season | Oct. 07, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Ruffed Grouse
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Bottineau, Rolette, Cavalier, Pembina and Walsh counties. Also that portion of the J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge in McHenry County lying South of the Upham-Willow City Road is open to ruffed grouse hunting. | Sep. 9, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Sage Grouse
| Notice |
| There will be no sage grouse season this year due to low populations. |
Sandhill Crane
| Hunt Type | Units | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Unit 1 | Sep. 16, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular | Unit 2 | Sep. 16, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Sharp-tailed Grouse
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Sep. 9, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Tree Squirrel
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Sep. 9, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Tundra Swan
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Turkey
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Spring Regular | Apr. 8, 2017 | May 14, 2017 |
| Fall - Regular | Oct. 14, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Youth Spring Season | Apr. 8, 2017 | May 14, 2014 |
Weasel
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular/Traps | Oct. 22, 2016 | Mar. 15, 2017 |
| Regular/Firearms, cable devices, archery equipment | Nov. 21, 2016 | Mar. 15, 2017 |
White-fronted Geese
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular - Resident only | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
| Regular - Nonresident | Sep. 30, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Wilson's Snipe
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Sep. 16, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Woodcock
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Sep. 23, 2017 | Tentative - Not Published |
Prairie Dog
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Open Year-round | |
Skunk
| Hunt Type | Opens | Closes |
| Regular | Open Year-round | |
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