North Dakota Sets 2025 Deer Season with Fewer Licenses as Herd Recovery Continues
First published by ND Game and Fish
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has finalized details for the 2025 deer season, announcing that 42,300 licenses will be available to hunters—7,800 fewer than last year. The drop reflects ongoing efforts to help the state’s deer population recover following recent environmental challenges.
Muzzleloader licenses have also been reduced slightly, down by 150, while the number of restricted youth antlered mule deer licenses remains unchanged.
Casey Anderson, wildlife division chief at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, explained that multiple factors including harvest data, aerial surveys, and field reports point to a deer population that is generally stable but declining in some regions.
“The state’s deer population continues to recover from the 2021 EHD outbreak and the severe winter of 2022–23, which limited population growth despite reduced gun licenses during the 2023 and 2024 hunting seasons,” Anderson said. “Modest license allocations are intended to maintain hunting opportunities while encouraging population growth.”
A key challenge to that recovery is the availability of quality habitat. Anderson noted that North Dakota continues to see a decline in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage. If current trends continue, the state will have lost 85% of the 3.4 million acres of CRP that existed in 2007 by the year 2026.
This year’s spring mule deer survey adds to the concern, showing a 14% decline in the western population compared to 2024 despite lighter harvests and two consecutive mild winters.
Key Dates and Application Information
The 2025 deer gun season will open at noon on November 7 and run through November 23. Hunters can apply for regular deer gun, gratis, youth, and muzzleloader licenses online at gf.nd.gov. The application deadline is midnight on June 4.
Hunters who accrued points last year should be aware: failing to apply this year or at least purchase a point will result in the loss of those accrued preference points.
Under current state law, residents aged 11, 12, and 13 are eligible to receive antlerless licenses, with the exception of units 3B1, 3B2, and 4A through 4F, where mule deer doe licenses are restricted.
How License Numbers Are Set
The total number of deer licenses issued each year is based on a combination of data and feedback. This includes harvest success rates, aerial and ground surveys, landowner input, depredation reports, hunter observations, public comments, and the expertise of Game and Fish field staff.
As North Dakota continues balancing conservation with opportunity, the state’s approach to license allocations remains a critical tool in managing wildlife health and ensuring sustainable hunting seasons for years to come.
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Trevor Hubbs
Trevor is the Communications Manager and Editor for the Mule Deer Foundation and Blacktail Deer Foundation. He grew up hunting and fishing the Ozark Mountains for quail, ducks, and bucks. Now he ventures west for mule deer as often as possible.
