Hunting Licenses & Fees
Deer Hunting License Fees |
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Resident Deer Bow (16 years of age and older) |
$30 |
Resident Deer Bow (under 16 at time of purchase) |
$10 |
Nonresident Deer Bow |
$250 |
Youth Deer (residents 15 and younger at time of application) |
$10 |
Resident Deer Gun or Muzzleloader (16 years of age and older) |
$30 |
Resident Deer Gun or Muzzleloader (under 16 at time of application) |
$10 |
Nonresident Deer Gun, Muzzleloader or Landowner |
$250 |
Upland Game, Migratory Bird and Furbearer Hunting & Trapping License Fees |
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RESIDENT LICENSES |
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PREREQUISITE FOR ALL HUNTING LICENSES |
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Fishing, Hunting, Furbearer Certificate (need only purchase one per year) |
$1 |
PREREQUISITE FOR ALL HUNTING LICENSES EXCEPT FURBEARER |
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General Game and Habitat License (need only purchase one per year) |
$20 |
COMBINATION LICENSES |
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Combination License (age 16 or older) – includes fishing, general game and habitat, small game and furbearer licenses. |
$52 |
Veteran Combined Hunting (requires 100% service-related disability) includes general game and habitat, small game and furbearer licenses. |
$3 |
SMALL GAME |
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Small Game License (age 16 or older) – required for pheasant, partridge, grouse, squirrel, geese, ducks, mergansers, coots, swan, sandhill crane, crow, snipe, dove and woodcock. |
$10 |
EARLY CANADA GOOSE |
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Early Canada Goose – required of all hunters regardless of age for early Canada Goose season – ages 16 and older also need small game license and beginning September 1 a federal waterfowl stamp. |
$5 |
SANDHILL CRANE |
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Sandhill Crane Permit – small game license also required for those age 16 and older. |
$10 |
SWAN |
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Swan – Swan tags will not be mailed until other required licenses are purchased. |
$10 |
FURBEARER |
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Furbearer (age 16 or older) |
$15 |
FEDERAL MIGRATORY BIRD HUNTING AND CONSERVATION STAMP (DUCK STAMP) |
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Required beginning September 1 for all hunters ages 16 and older to hunt ducks, geese, swans, mergansers and coot. Exception: Not required to hunt during spring light goose conservation order. A Federal e-stamp is valid for the duration of the Federal duck stamp issuance year. |
$25 |
HARVEST INFORMATION PROGRAM (HIP) REGISTRATION |
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All hunters regardless of age must obtain a new Harvest Information Program registration number each year for each state in which they hunt ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, coots, cranes, snipe, doves and woodcock. |
Free |
NONRESIDENT LICENSES |
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PREREQUISITE FOR ALL HUNTING LICENSES EXCEPT SPRING LIGHT GOOSE AND EARLY CANADA GOOSE LICENSES |
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Fishing, Hunting, Furbearer Certificate (need only purchase one per year) |
$2 |
PREREQUISITE FOR ALL HUNTING LICENSES (EXCEPT FURBEARER, NONGAME, SPRING LIGHT GOOSE AND EARLY CANADA GOOSE) |
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General Game and Habitat License (need only purchase one per year) |
$20 |
SMALL GAME |
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Small Game – required for pheasants, partridge, grouse, squirrel, dove, snipe, woodcock and crow. A nonresident must choose between a 14-consecutive-day or two 7-consecutive-day license periods. May purchase more than one license per year. Nonresidents under age 16 can purchase licenses at resident prices. |
$100 |
SPRING LIGHT GOOSE |
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Spring Light Goose – required for all nonresidents for the spring light goose order. Nonresidents under age 16 can purchase licenses at resident prices. Spring light goose license does not count against the 14-day regular season license. |
$50 |
EARLY CANADA GOOSE |
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Early Canada Goose – required of all hunters regardless of age for the early Canada goose season. Ages 16 and older also need a federal waterfowl stamp beginning September 1. Nonresidents under age 16 can purchase license at resident prices. Early Canada goose license does not count against the 14-day regular season nonresident license. |
$50 |
SANDHILL CRANE |
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Sandhill Crane – small game or waterfowl license also required. |
$30 |
SWAN |
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Swan – waterfowl license also required. Swan tags will not be mailed until other required licenses are purchased. |
$30 |
NONGAME |
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Nongame – allows taking unprotected species such as prairie dog, skunk, rabbits and ground squirrels. |
$15 |
FURBEARER AND NONGAME |
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Furbearer and Nongame – allows taking unprotected species and for hunting fox and coyote. |
$40 |
Nonresident Reciprocal Trapping License – North Dakota offers a reciprocal trapping (includes snaring) license to nonresidents whose home state allows North Dakota residents to trap. Nonresidents having this license may not take bobcats, mountain lions, fishers or river otters. |
$350 |
WATERFOWL |
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Waterfowl – required for duck, goose, swan, mergansers and coots. May purchase only one waterfowl license per year. Nonresidents under age 16 can purchase license at resident prices. |
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1) A statewide license, allows hunting statewide for two 7-day periods or one 14-day period. |
$153 |
2) A zone-restricted license that requires selection of hunting zones (see zone map) according to the following restrictions: |
$103 |
A nonresident must select Zone 1 or Zone 2 for one 7-day period and Zone 3 for the other 7-day period or; Zone 3 for the full 14 days or two 7-day periods or; Zones 1 and 3 concurrently for the same 7-day period or zones 2 and 3 concurrently for the same 7-day period. This option effectively reduces the license to 7 days only, as the two 7-day periods are run at the same time. |
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FEDERAL MIGRATORY BIRD HUNTING AND CONSERVATION STAMP (DUCK STAMP) |
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Required beginning September 1 for all hunters ages 16 and older to hunt ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, brant and coot. Exception: Not required to hunt during spring light goose conservation order. A Federal e-stamp is valid for the duration of the Federal duck stamp issuance year. |
$25 |
HARVEST INFORMATION PROGRAM (HIP) REGISTRATION |
|
All hunters regardless of age must obtain a new Harvest Information Program registration number each year for each state in which they hunt ducks, geese, swans, mergansers, coots, cranes, snipe, doves and woodcock. |
Free |
License Information
Deer Hunting Licenses
General – No person may transfer, give away, barter or sell an issued license.
Deer bow – All resident licenses, and nonresident licenses for white-tailed deer only, may be purchased at the Department’s Bismarck office, website, or at participating license vendors. Nonresident any-deer licenses are issued only from the Department’s website. It is illegal to buy more than one regular deer bow license per season.
Antlerless white-tailed deer – Ages 11, 12 and 13. Licenses are issued online through the Department’s website.
Youth deer – Ages 14 and 15. Licenses are issued online through the Department’s website.
Deer gun – Licenses are issued by a weighted lottery. Any remaining licenses are also issued by lottery, or on a first-come, first-served basis.
Muzzleloader – Licenses are issued by a weighted lottery.
Resident Gratis and Nonresident Landowner – Licenses are available to residents and nonresidents who own, or residents who lease for agricul -tural purposes and actively farm or ranch, at least 150 acres of land located in an open hunting area. These licenses are valid only upon land described on the license. The license consists of the tag and the copy of the application returned to the landowner/lessee (both need to be in possession while hunt -ing). The resident gratis or nonresident landowner license may be used during the deer bow, deer gun or muzzleloader seasons until the license is filled. Res-ident gratis and nonresident landowner licenses are issued only through the Department’s Bismarck office and are subtracted from the maximum number of deer gun licenses available (nonresident landowner from the 1 percent alloca -tion), for each unit. A resident who holds a valid lottery license to hunt deer may hunt the same species and sex of deer, for which that person’s license is valid, on land in an adjoining unit for which that person would be eligible for a resi -dent gratis deer license. A person, that person’s spouse, and their children who have a gratis deer license may hunt together on any qualifying land described on any of their licenses provided they hunt within the same unit in which their described land is located. No other licenses are required for resident gratis licensees. Applications received by the application deadline were issued an any-legal-deer license. Applications received after the deadline will be issued licenses based on availability after the initial lottery.
Deer Hunting License Eligibility
Who May Apply
Residents and nonresidents are eligible for deer bow, deer gun and muzzleloader seasons. Residents who turn age 11, 12 or 13 are eligible to receive an antlerless white-tailed deer license. Resident deer gun hunters who turn age 14 or 15 and who have never received a youth season deer gun license (receiving a license at age 11, 12 or 13 does not apply) are eligible to receive a youth deer license.
Hunter Education Requirement
Hunters born after December 31, 1961, must have passed a certified state or provincial hunter education course in order to purchase a North Dakota deer hunting license. Persons who hunt only on land they own or operate are exempt from this requirement. In addition, individuals who are 12 years of age and older who have not taken the hunter education course can receive an apprentice hunter validation that enables them to hunt deer for one license year.
Minimum Age
There is no minimum age for purchasing a bow license. The minimum age to purchase an antlerless whitetail deer gun license is youth who turn 11 in calendar year. The minimum age to purchase a youth deer, deer gun or muzzleloader license is youth who turn 14 in calendar year.
Nonresidents
State law allocates nonresidents 1 percent of deer gun and muzzleloader licenses available in any unit (through the second deer gun lottery). One half of the nonresident allocation of antlered white-tailed deer licenses, up to a maximum of 100 licenses, are available to licensed guides or outfitters. Nonresidents may apply for a deer gun license after the second lottery at a fee of $50. Nonresident full-time students living in North Dakota, who are attending a state or tribal college or a private institution of higher education, may qualify for nonlottery resident licenses. Contact the Game and Fish Department for details.
Military
North Dakota residents who were on federal active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces under Title 10 stationed outside of the state during the previous deer gun season and apply during the application period are eligible to purchase one white-tailed deer gun license in a unit of their choice. Applicants are required to include documentation showing their orders for deployment. Applications received after the application deadline will be issued licenses based on availability.
Upland Game, Migratory Bird and Furbearer Hunting and Trapping Licenses
Hunters and trappers are required to purchase licenses, except any resident, or member of his or her family permanently residing with him or her, may hunt small game, trap or use cable devices during the open season without a license upon land owned or leased by him or her, but otherwise is governed by seasons, limits and all other regulations.
Residents do not need a license to take unprotected species of wildlife
(prairie dogs, rabbits, skunks, ground squirrels). Nonresidents hunting only unprotected species of wildlife need only a nongame license.
A resident who is on leave and on active duty with the United States military may hunt small game or trap during the season without a license. Contact the Department for details.
Resident License Eligibility
A person who has actually lived in, or maintained his or her legal residence, in North Dakota for the past six months, may qualify for resident licenses, providing he or she does not continue to claim residency in another state. Exceptions:
- A Waiver of Residency allows a person who will be living in North Dakota for a minimum of one year or who intends to become a resident to be eligible to purchase nonlottery licenses such as fishing, small game and fur-bearer at resident prices.
- Military Exception. Military personnel in the state on duty or leave or non-resident current North Dakota national guard member are eligible for a similar waiver to the one listed above.
- Nonresident youth hunting licenses. A nonresident under age 16 need only purchase a North Dakota resident fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate and a North Dakota resident general game and habitat license to hunt small game and waterfowl except swans and wild turkeys. To be eligible, a nonresident youth may not have turned 16 before September 1 of the year for which the license is issued and must possess a certificate of completion for a certified hunter education course.
- Nonresident full-time state or tribal college students living in North Dakota and attending a North Dakota institution of higher learning under the jurisdiction of the Board of Higher Education, a private institution, or a tribal college may qualify to purchase nonlottery resident licenses.
