Earlier this month I wrote about a debate that was expected for this legislative session over the presumption of access to unposted private land. Currently hunters and others can go on land that’s not posted. If land is posted, they have to obtain permission. That status quo put the onus on land owners, requiring that they…
North Dakota Property Owners Shouldn’t Have to Post Their Land to Control Access
There were hundreds of arrests made during the violent protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline a couple of years back, but I’m sure you readers noticed that the charges behind many of those arrests didn’t stick. That’s because the bulk of those charges were related to trespassing, and North Dakota has some very antiquated trespass…
Doug Leier: Good North Dakota Fishing Is Here To Stay
The well documented and discussed wet cycle and expansion of fisheries is not new to most anglers, or even people who don’t fish. Anyone over the age of 25 can attest to the continuing growth and expansion of water and fisheries in North Dakota. While the slow accumulation of new water on the landscape has…
Doug Leier: Catch And Release Fishing Has Become More Common
In a day and age where society kicks out new acronyms about as fast as smartphone apps, it’s no wonder that people start to forget what FFA or KFC even stand for anymore. In some ways, when CRP is synonymous with habitat and ANS is quickly associated with threats to aquatic habitat, the goal of…
Doug Leier: Boat Ramp Tips And Courtesy
I’ve always found it interesting how some skills in life stay with us no matter how many years of rust we allow to accumulate. Things like riding a bike or driving a manual transmission vehicle, or perhaps water skiing, tying a hook on a line or filleting a fish, are once-used physical or mental practices…
Doug Leier: It's Summer Time, And The Fishing Is Cheap
There’s a cross-section of people with whom I really connect this time of year – those folks who are participants in summer sports, and those folks who fish. While I am an avid sports fan, I don’t golf and haven’t played softball in nearly 20 years, but I connect with the people who do participate…
Doug Leier: Want Kids To Like Fishing? Take Them Fishing
Over the years I’ve detailed my successes and failures of getting my kids “hooked on fishing.” Call me a bit disconnected, but I don’t see how kids cannot enjoy fishing. And I’ve never heard my kids say they don’t want to go fishing. It’s actually the complete opposite, as no matter the day or weather,…
Doug Leier: Are Slot Limits Needed For North Dakota Fisheries?
I’m no master angler, but I do understand how anglers will successfully use a technique, lure or presentation on one lake, and then try that same strategy on another body of water. In similar fashion, fisheries managers often hear from anglers who fish in other states who wonder why specific regulations are applied in those…
Doug Leier: Think About Your Bait
In 1988 I was a sophomore in high school, I was more than happy to catch a few perch, walleye or northern pike, and sometimes even bullheads. It seems I never had a problem finding the yellow-bellied, numerous-yet-undesirable fish, even when the number of fishing waters was half what it is now. At that age…
Doug Leier: Statewide Minimum Length Limit For Walleyes Not Needed
When you’re talking fishing, it really doesn’t matter where you’re at. Bait shop, coffee shop, boat landing or campfire, there’s plenty of stories, from forgetting to put the plug in, to a storm brewing up from out of nowhere, to the one that got away. A lot of times, when the people involved in the…