Explore every episode of the podcast ND Outdoors

In this episode of NDO Podcast, we visit with Bruce Stillings, Department big game management supervisor, and Jason Smith, Department big game management biologist, about the once-in-a-lifetime moose and elk hunts, the importance of hunter harvest information and some tips for being prepared for these coveted hunts.

In this episode of NDO Podcast, we visit with Dan Murray, dog trainer, breeder and boarder, about gun introduction, basic obedience, crate training and our own dog training struggles and successes.

In this episode of NDO Podcast, we visit with Jesse Kolar, Department upland game management supervisor, and RJ Gross, Department upland game management biologist, about this year’s high pheasant crowing counts, historical comparisons to the glory days and how deer don’t have wings.

In this episode of NDO Podcast, we visit with Department volunteers, John Paulson and Phil Mastrangelo, both happily retired from USDA Wildlife Services, about the upcoming fur harvester education course, the benefits of furbearer hunting and trapping and the sweet smell of skunk essence.

In this episode of NDO Podcast, we visit with Beth Hill, North Dakota Forest Service outreach and education manager, about all the NDFS programs, the 1994 family forest, and the importance of getting kids outside.

In this episode of NDO Podcast, we visit with Jeb Williams, director, and Scott Peterson, soon-to-be-retired deputy director, about the 2025 legislative session, upcoming changes for sportsmen and women, and the third thing you shouldn’t talk about at Thanksgiving.

In this episode of NDO Podcast, we visit with Jackie Lundstrom, enforcement operations supervisor, and Jonathan Peterson, Devils Lake district game warden, about safe boating laws and best practices, incident reporting requirements and some cautionary tales from the water.

In this episode of NDO Podcast, recorded in the new Jamestown aquatic nuisance species lab, we visit with Ben Holen, Department ANS coordinator, and Mason Hammer, ANS biologist, about ANS in North Dakota, the impacts to our lakes and rivers, and the Department’s extensive prevention measures.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Bob Frohlich, Department fisheries development supervisor, and Wesley Erdle, fisheries development project manager, about identifying and prioritizing facility projects, how a boat ramp actually gets constructed and what new projects are slated for 2025.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Jackie Ressler, Department marketing specialist, about her experience as a new hunter, Cayla and Jackie’s turkey escapades from last spring, and why mentoring a new hunter is so important and rewarding.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Brett Wiedmann, Department big game biologist, about the history of bighorn sheep in North Dakota, current status of the state’s population, stories from a career spent in sheep country and his favorite day of the year.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Levi Jacobson, Department wildlife resource management supervisor, and Jens Johnson, Department private land biologist, about preparing, planting and managing food plots and grass plantings, programs available to assist landowners and the benefits to wildlife.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Amber Kologi, Valley City State University fisheries and wildlife undergraduate student, and Alec Christensen, North Dakota State University conservation sciences graduate research assistant, about their career paths so far, what inspired them and what advice they have for other young conservationists.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Jennifer Kross, Ducks Unlimited outreach biologist, and Seth Owens, Pheasants Forever education and outreach coordinator, about the importance of conservation education, the unique events both organizations have upcoming, and how you can get involved.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Scott Gangl, Department fisheries management section leader, and Paul Bailey, Department south central district fisheries supervisor, about some of the unique characteristics of North Dakota fish species, why that is and how this information can be useful to anglers.

In this episode of NDO Podcast Casey and Cayla talk about the main takeaways from the Habitat and Hunting Access Summit and possible pathways forward.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Rep. Todd Porter, district 34, about the North Dakota legislative process and how and why sportsmen can get involved.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we celebrate the season by visiting with Scott Peterson, deputy director, and Greg Link, conservation and communications division chief, about Christmas traditions growing up in smalltown North Dakota, holiday meals, and a few gift ideas for the outdoorsy people in your life.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Kevin Kading, Department private land section leader, about the upcoming Habitat and Hunting Access Summit and the challenges facing the future of our hunting heritage in North Dakota.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Stephanie Tucker, Department game management section leader and furbearer biologist, about bounties, fur market, fisher pregnancies, the wildlife health laboratory, trapping regulations, and the time Steph came face to face with a mama mountain lion.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Ryan Melin, fire management officer with the North Dakota Forest Service and Hunter Noor, NDFS wildland fire operations assistant fire management officer, about the historic wildfires in western North Dakota and the coordination, on-the-ground efforts and support involved in wildland firefighting.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Russ Kinzler, Department Missouri River System fisheries management supervisor, about the history of North Dakota’s salmon stocking program, the spawning process and some tips for anglers hoping to pursue salmon.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Michael Szymanski, Department migratory game bird management supervisor, about the process of developing waterfowl regulations; from monitoring efforts, to state and national collaboration, to federal approval and what it all means for hunters.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Matt Olson, forest stewardship manager for North Dakota Forest Service, and Brian Prince, Department wildlife resource management supervisor, about managing North Dakota’s rare, but unique, native forests to meet the needs of the wildlife and people who inhabit them.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Jesse Kolar, Department upland game management supervisor, about the state of our four grouse species, an additional sharp-tailed grouse hunting opportunity open this year and our favorite upland game bird recipes.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Rhett Hall and Jason Babinchak, founders of the North Dakota Tracking Dog Group, about the process of legalizing the use of dogs in the recovery of big game, what it takes to train these dogs and, of course, some good tracking stories.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Josh Wert, watershed management program manager for North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, and Emilee Novak, DEQ nonpoint source pollution management program coordinator, about harmful agal blooms, mitigation efforts and what to be on the lookout for when recreating this summer and fall.

In this episode of NDO Podcast we visit with Greg Gullickson, Department outreach biologist, live from the Conservation and Outdoor Skills Park at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot. We also snag a few fairgoers and a volunteer to talk fishing, fair food and their favorite things to do.

In this episode of NDO Podcast Casey and Cayla talk R3, hunter and angler recruitment, retention and reactivation plus national and state trends, all while Cayla struggles to accurately recall expressions.