The winter of 2022-23 was unforgettable in many regards. It arrived in early November and hung around until sometime in April. Some areas of the state received 100 inches of snow or more during those long six months. Without question, many deer died that winter, and the fallout was a reduction of nearly 11,000 licenses for the 2023 deer gun season.
Severe drought conditions that impacted wildlife across North Dakota last year are, thankfully, in the rearview mirror. While remaining wildlife habitat across the state’s landscape is looking good as we head into fall, fallout from hot, dry conditions in 2021 are still being felt, as the N.D. Game and Fish Department, for the first time in six years, reduced the number of deer gun licenses made available to hunters for the November season.
