According to a press release from the North Dakota Game and Fish, the majority of people who hunt, fish, and boat in North Dakota are following the rules and regulations.  That would be the good news.

However, there are certain violations that continue to be broken year after year.

More on those in a moment.  Did you know that the state of North Dakota only has 30 field Game Wardens in the entire state?  Each one of them is responsible for roughly 2,000 square miles.  That leaves a lot of space for unlawful people to get away with things.

That's why the North Dakota Game and Fish depends on its law-abiding citizens to report all violations and poachers.  They recommend that you never confront a person committing a violation but instead call the Report All Poachers phone line at 701-328-9921.

All money collected from violations goes to the County Clerk of Courts and into the general school fund.

Here's a summary of 2023's biggest violations in each category.

Hunting:

#1 Hunting without a license.

#2 Failure to carry a license on a person.

#3 Using a gun capable of holding more than 3 shells.

#4 Failure to leave identification or sex on game.

#5 Hunting on posted land without permission.

Fishing:

#1 Exceeding the limit.

#2 Fishing without a license.

#3 Failure to follow the aquatic nuisance species fishing regulations (water in the livewell, not pulling plugs, etc).

#4 Fishing with illegal bait.

Boating:

#1 Not enough life jackets on board the boat (personal flotation device).

#2 Failure to display boat registration.

#3 Use of an unlicensed or unnumbered boat.

The Top 5 Counties where citations were given out in North Dakota.

Ramsey-262

Williams-141

Benson-131

Barnes-129

Mountrail-114

5 North Dakota State Fish Records That May Never Be Broken

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