For the time being, there will be fewer deer hunters striding the fields of North Dakota this fall. •
Armstrong signed SB 2137 allowing“ baiting” on private land. Baiting is considered a strong link to CWD, as the disease is spread through deer among saliva in feeding piles. Biologists see no turnaround in the continuing spread of CWD, which once contacted, is fatal.
In an interview in a recent issue of North Dakota Outdoors, newly appointed agency deputy director Casey Anderson, said land practices continue to change.
“ North Dakota’ s landscape has shifted,” Anderson said.“ While private landowners have to make business decisions on the landscape, there’ s no mistaking that the overall habitat base, where 93 percent of land in the state is privately owned, has shifted.”
Anderson said he sees no change of diminishing habitat in the near future.
“ We’ re lost habitat across North Dakota,” he continued.“ We’ ve seen this, maybe more than with anything else, with our deer population. We’ ve been getting into more conservative deer license numbers-- maybe not conservative enough for some people-- with the intention of letting that population rebound as much as possible with the habitat we have left.”
Anderson added something that causes particular concern.
“ That’ s kind of the kicker,” he said.“ There’ s only so far they’ re going to be able to rebound before they’ re either causing too many conflicts on the landscape because there isn’ t enough habitat to spread them out, or they just can’ t reproduce beyond a certain point because of available habitat.”
He cited the need for ongoing extensive work to maintain and expand relationships between hunters, landowners and officials.
For the time being, there will be fewer deer hunters striding the fields of North Dakota this fall. •
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www. dakotacountrymagazine. com Dakota Country, September 2025, Page 75