North Dakota Hunting License: Cost, Online Purchase & Deer Draws (2026)

North Dakota's hunting license year is August 1 through March 31 for most licenses. All hunters must first purchase the General Game & Habitat license ($20 resident and NR) and the Fishing/Hunting/Furbearer Certificate ($5 resident and NR) — two separate required base credentials before any species-specific tag can be issued. House Bill 1470, effective August 1, 2025, raised most North Dakota hunting fees significantly: resident deer tags increased from $30 to $35, NR deer from $250 to $350, NR small game from $100 to $150 for a 14-day period, and NR waterfowl from $100 to $120. These were the first substantial fee increases in over a decade.

North Dakota deer access is license-type specific. Resident deer tags cost $35 before the required base credentials. Nonresident whitetail bow is the main nonresident deer planning path at $350 before the certificate and General Game & Habitat license, while nonresident gun deer access is not a simple open OTC path. Applications and eligible license purchases are handled through gf.nd.gov, and preference points apply to draw categories. Elk and moose licenses in North Dakota are resident-focused, once-in-a-lifetime draws at $30 and $250 respectively.

Hunter education is required for anyone born on or after January 1, 1961. Free online course with mandatory in-person field day. Youth under 16 receive reduced fees; $10 youth deer tags. Residents 65+ also receive reduced fees. Disabled veterans with 100% disability receive free licenses and tags. Active duty military stationed in North Dakota hunt at resident rates. North Dakota's landscape — the Red River Valley, Coteau du Missouri, and Missouri Plateau — offers diverse hunting terrain ranging from agricultural cropland in the east to rugged badlands in the west.

North Dakota sits at the heart of the Prairie Pothole Region — the most productive waterfowl nesting habitat in North America. The state has over 800,000 wetland basins that support an estimated 60–80% of North America's migratory duck population during breeding season. Waterfowl hunting in North Dakota is considered among the best in the country for puddle ducks (mallards, teal, gadwall, wigeon) and divers (bluebills, ringnecks, canvasback). The NR Waterfowl license costs $120 plus the $20 General Game & Habitat and $25 Federal Duck Stamp. Most hunting occurs in the central and eastern counties where pothole density is highest.

North Dakota has strong pheasant populations, particularly in the south-central and southwestern counties where row crop agriculture and CRP grasslands intersect. The pheasant season runs October 11 through January 4. Daily limit is 3 roosters with no season limit. Sharp-tailed grouse season runs concurrently with a daily limit of 3 and no season limit. The state's PLOTS (Private Land Open To Sportsmen) program enrolls millions of acres of private land for public hunting access — similar to walk-in programs in neighboring states. PLOTS maps are available free at gf.nd.gov.

Canada goose hunting in North Dakota benefits from the state's position as a major migration corridor and nesting area. The state has both early and regular goose seasons, with resident populations of Canada geese in the Red River Valley. Snow goose hunting under the Conservation Order extends the season with liberal bag limits to help control overabundant populations. North Dakota's Garrison Reservoir and Lake Sakakawea attract large concentrations of diving ducks during the fall migration. Combined, the waterfowl hunting opportunities — from the productive wetlands of the Coteau to the reservoir diving duck action — make North Dakota a destination for serious waterfowl hunters from across the country.

North Dakota's deer population includes both white-tailed deer (dominant in the eastern agricultural zone) and mule deer (concentrated in the western badlands and Missouri Plateau). The gun season runs November 7–23 with a muzzleloader season November 28–December 14. The 17-day firearms season aligns with peak rut activity and consistently produces quality harvest across the state. Deer unit maps divide the state into specific management units with different tag allocations for whitetail vs. mule deer vs. either-sex tags.

The Theodore Roosevelt National Park area and Little Missouri National Grassland in western North Dakota provide a badlands backdrop for mule deer hunting. The rugged terrain of Slope, Bowman, Adams, and Hettinger counties can produce good mule deer opportunity, but nonresident access depends heavily on license eligibility, unit allocation, and current Game and Fish rules rather than a universal OTC deer tag. Hunters should confirm whether they are planning resident gun, resident muzzleloader, resident bow, or nonresident whitetail bow access before budgeting a trip.

Elk hunting in North Dakota is available through a once-in-a-lifetime resident-only draw. Approximately 1,062 elk licenses are allocated for fall 2026, primarily in the western badlands units where the state's elk herd has recovered significantly. The elk tag costs just $30 — the most affordable elk tag in the US for resident hunters lucky enough to draw one. Non-residents are generally not eligible for North Dakota elk licenses. Bighorn sheep ($250 resident / $3,000 NR) is an extremely limited once-in-a-lifetime draw. Moose tags ($250 resident) are also once-in-a-lifetime and resident-priority, with very few NR permits available by special allocation.