By Gerry Gilmour

New Century Press

North Dakota’s gun deer season opens at noon Nov. 4. Minnesota’s opens the next day.

Hunter preparation began months ago.

Jon Claus is one hunter getting ready. The 26-year-old Moorhead man last season harvested a 4-by-4 buck during gun season and another 4-by-four during muzzle-loader season. Claus hunts near Carrington, sometimes along the James River.

He and thousands of fellow North Dakota and Minnesota deer hunters are gathering their gear, gadgets and guns for another fall foray into the field.

Northern holiday

North Dakota and Minnesota deer hunting seasons are much like a holiday in terms of work days taken off and school days missed.

Doug Leier, a biologist with the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish, says 90,000 people will take to the fields in North Dakota during the season, which runs through Nov. 20.

“You don’t have to go too far to find somebody who is a deer hunter in North Dakota,” Leier says.

If there is an X-factor in this year’s hunt it’s what has taken place with the state’s rivers and creeks. From the Red to the Souris to the Missouri to the Maple to any and all waterways in between, there was flooding.

And not short-term spring flooding. This was flooding where the water rose and stood. In many places, the riverbottoms and creek beds, common deer habitat in the state, never recovered to green up as a source of food, and shelter for deer.

Dress for success

Jason Sayler, hunting and clothing manager at Scheels All Sports on 45th Street South in Fargo says hunters should not forget the basics: Wool socks, two pair of gloves, underArmor or other light fabrics that can be worn in layers.

A hunter should also carry a good, sharp buck knife, decent binoculars and water-resistant, warm boots. Danner Pronghorn boots are an example of a reliable boot on the market, Sayler says.

Popular selling items this year include the Sagen Saw, used to cut a deer’s pelvic bone, and blaze-orange backpacks. The newest gadget selling is a digital game scale that reads in both pounds and kilograms. Also selling well: drag harnesses for getting the game from the field to the vehicle.

Bring along a gallon of water for cleanup, too, Sayler says.

Western warning

North Dakota wildlife officials say a disease that kills white-tailed deer appears to be present in a large part of western North Dakota.

Game and Fish Wildlife Chief Randy Kreil says the department received isolated reports of deer deaths from the disease known as EHD in August, and reports have continued to come in. He says more than 13,000 white-tailed deer hunting license holders are eligible for refunds. Game and Fish is suspending the sale of remaining licenses in some hunting units. HD is spread by midges. It is almost always fatal to white-tailed deer but not to mule deer. It is not known to affect people.

North Dakota had not had significant deer deaths from the disease since 2005.