North Dakota is one of the premier waterfowl destinations in North America for several reasons. North Dakota is close to the Canadian prairies, where a substantial portion of North America’s ducks are produced.
North Dakota is a duck factory in its own right. The myriad of ponds, sloughs, and marshes found in North Dakota and in South Dakota produce numbers of waterfowl that rival, and even exceed at times, the number of waterfowl produced in the Canadian prairies.
You can buy a waterfowl license over the counter in North Dakota. North Dakota doesn’t have a quota for waterfowl licenses, like South Dakota. Until recently, you could buy a waterfowl license and hunt anywhere in the state. New regulations require you to commit to hunting in a specific zone. Non-resident hunters are restricted to 14 days of hunting that can be divided into two 7-day periods. Licenses can be easily obtained online or OTC, and non-resident fees are consistent with those in other states.
Besides the abundance of ducks and geese and the ease of getting a license, waterfowl hunters flock to North Dakota for its public hunting opportunities. Up until recently, trespass laws in North Dakota allowed you to hunt on any private property that wasn’t physically posted, with some exceptions for things like livestock and unharvested crops. That changed beginning in 2019 when North Dakota began allowing property owners to post their land electronically.
“93% of the land in prairie states is private,” said Brian Hosek of the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish. “Each state is different in the way they post property, and they have different requirements. North Dakota started offering the option of posting property electronically back in 2019. By 2021, we had 3.5 million acres enrolled in the program. In 2025, we now have an excess of 14 million acres that are e-posted.”
“Things are changing regarding private property and in posting in general,” said Hosek. “There’s a new generation of land owners who never used to post their property that are considering it now. Some of those who have had a bad experience are now posting their property, and e-posting is the easiest way to do it. Others just want to know who is on their land.”
“Landowners are really busy in the fall, and many of them just don’t want to be bothered,” offered Hosek. “It seemed like in recent years, the topic of posting property came up continually and how we could make the rules easier for hunters and property owners.” E-posting also provides hunters and law enforcement with more up-to-date, clearer information and includes exact GPS coordinates and boundaries.
E-posting has several advantages for NDG&F personnel, landowners, and hunters. “E-posting is convenient for landowners. Instead of physically having to post their land, now they can do it from their computer. It also makes it much easier for law enforcement to keep track of what’s posted and what’s not.” Once properties are signed up, landowners can unpost the property between February and July 1. Landowners can also pre-date certain seasons. If landowners only want to e-post their lands for the firearm deer season, they can do that.
The bounty of opportunities for waterfowl hunting in North Dakota has naturally attracted more and more hunters. During the peak of the season, landowners can be besieged by phone calls and hunters seeking permission to hunt. E-posting eliminates the imposition to a degree. “58% of landowners who e-post their property include an e-mail address or phone number,” said Hosek. “E-posting provides a contact and will also show if the land is a partnership, an LLC, a corporation, an estate, or enrolled in a trust.” Just the basics can point you in the right direction. A local phone book can provide additional information on who to contact. It’s possible to virtually scout potential hunting opportunities before you even hit the field.
Use of commercial apps like On-X has exploded in the outdoor world. Nowhere is that more evident than in North Dakota and the evolution of e-posting. As the number of lands that are e-posted in North Dakota expands, using an app like On-X becomes mandatory. To technologically challenged waterfowlers, the app can be a bit intimidating. To others, using the app is second nature.
“E-posting is more of a nuance whose time has arrived,” stated Ben Brettingen, Hunting Marketing Manager for On-X. “If you just think back to the year 2000, when there was very little e-posting, to now, the difference is huge. There are millions of acres that are e-posted now, and the program is expanding exponentially. I honestly think that North Dakota is trying to get rid of the need for physically posting lands entirely.” E-posting has definitely changed the freelance waterfowl hunting game in North Dakota.
“If you look at it from the landowners’ perspective, it’s kind of black and white. They just want to know who’s hunting,” said Brettingen. “For users, the fact that you have a name is a good starting point. The breadth of information on On-X can be a little overwhelming at first, but even on an elementary level, it’s still helpful.”
“The On-X maps are broken down to public versus private,” said Brettingen. “Maps are colorized, labeled, and provide hunt-specific options. One way to advance the learning curve is to use our waterfowl masterclass app on YouTube (https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/masterclasses).” The masterclasses cover topics such as On-X 101, which provides details on learning the app as well as videos on other waterfowling topics like calling.
There are several options for getting the On-X app. You can sign up for one state, which provides all the details on land ownership, 3D maps, state-specific layers, GPS tracking and navigation, and more. You can add a second state, which is an option many waterfowl hunters opt for when planning a hunt out-of-state, or you can sign up for the national version. On-X also offers the option of signing up for the app by the month, which is perfect for those planning a North Dakota trip this fall. For more information, go to onxmaps.com.
There are some rules that hunters need to be aware of regarding physically posted property. Physically posting requires that signs be placed a maximum of 880 yards apart. 880 yards is a long way. You can drive up to a property in the middle of a section and not see any signs for a considerable distance. Resist the temptation to get out to hunt until you go to each corner of the property to check for signs. ie, personal experience. Physically posted properties will also not be shown on apps or maps. Current North Dakota law states that private lands in North Dakota are open to hunting unless posted or otherwise restricted by law. That may soon be a thing of the past.
An option for hunting other private lands is the PLOTS program. PLOTS (Private Lands Open to Sportsmen) are private property leased by NDG&F that are open to walk-in only hunting. The boundaries of PLOTS are marked with bright, yellow signs. https://gf.nd.gov/hunting/posting-land
There is also an abundance of Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) that are open to hunting. WMAs (Wildlife Management Areas) can also be found across the state and are managed by the North Dakota Game & Fish Department.
Both the WPAs and the PLOTS properties are listed in the North Dakota Hunting Atlas. Lands enrolled in the program can change from year to year. The printable maps are a godsend to technologically challenged users, i.e., old folks. Other opportunities for public hunting include national wildlife refuges, state trust lands, BLM lands, USFS properties, Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation holdings, and North Dakota Forest Service properties.
In addition to the PDF versions of the PLOTS maps (https://gf.nd.gov/plots/guide/maps#printable), users can view enrolled lands with flexible, interactive options that permit zooming in to areas of interest, changing data layers to include hunting units, adding waypoints, or printing a customized map.
A great resource is the NDG&F Avenza-Geospatial app (https://gf.nd.gov/maps/mobile-apps/geospatial-pdf). Viewers can download the free app from the Apple or Google Play store. Once downloaded, users don’t need a cell phone connection to use the app. In the field, your phone’s GPS pinpoints your location, lets you drop a pin, and allows you to zoom in. “The Avenza-Geospatial app is not as interactive as the commercial apps like On-X. It’s more of a digital version of paper maps. It’s good if you have an issue with cell service, but that is becoming less and less of an issue these days,” said Brian Hosek. Another optio[1] n for viewing PLOTS maps is the ArcGIS Field Maps. Details and instructions for using the app are available on the NDG&F website.
Whether the property is physically posted or e-posted, nothing replaces actual contact with the landowner. Apps provide the names of property owners and sometimes additional information that many hunters don’t take advantage of. Personal contact with landowners is special. It shows the landowner that you’re sincere, responsible, and someone they can trust when hunting their land. A relationship built that way stands the test of time.
Sometimes you need to employ skip tracing tactics to find property to hunt. My son Matt is good with people. He’s worked with the public his whole life.
Last year, we found a lake that was loaded with ducks and geese. The entire lake shoreline was posted. The only information provided was the property owner’s names.
We stopped at a convenience store nearby. An older gentleman was sitting there drinking coffee.
“You boys doing some hunting?” he asked. We acknowledged his question.
“Do you happen to know the guy who owns the south side of the lake over there?” as Matt pointed west.
“Ya,” said the old man. “He lives up in Bismarck. You want his number?” Matt waited until after dark to call the landowner. After a short discussion, the man said,” Ya. You can hunt ducks. Just don’t shoot any of my pheasants.” Matt thanked the man and quickly added that we were going to be there the whole week. “Would it be possible to give us exclusive rights to hunt for the week? The man responded, “Sure. No problem.”
