North Dakota Game and Fish updates electronic land-posting rules for hunters, landowners

Hunters heading into Stutsman County this fall will need to check the map before they cross a fence line, because North Dakota Game and Fish has changed how electronic posting works for the 2026-27 season and shifted more of the verification burden onto the hunter.

Landowners can now choose from three electronic posting windows: Aug. 1 through July 31 for the full season, Aug. 1 through Nov. 22 for access through deer gun season, or Nov. 6 through 22 for deer gun season only. The enrollment period runs from Feb. 2 through July 1, and the department says that July 1 deadline gives it time to produce print material and digital content before hunting seasons begin in August.

For a deer hunter checking a parcel east of Jamestown, that means the old habit of looking for a sign on the gate is no longer enough. Electronic posting is tied to county tax parcel information and must be renewed every year, so the safest move is to verify the status of each tract before hunting. Game and Fish says posted private land is off-limits without permission from the landowner or lessee, while unposted private land may be hunted unless restricted by law, though the department still says asking permission is the best practice.

Landowners who enrolled last year can renew, add or modify their postings during the enrollment period. First-time users may need to create a profile in My Account on the Game and Fish website. They can also choose to let hunters contact them by email, phone or through the department’s mobile-app inbox, a feature that gives landowners another way to manage requests without relying on a gate sign alone.

Electronic posting is only one option. Landowners may still post physically with signs, and only the owner or someone authorized by the owner may designate land as posted, whether electronically or in person. Game and Fish says posting property without permission is a class B misdemeanor.

The update matters in North Dakota for a simple reason: more than 93% of the land is privately owned. In Stutsman County, where access often depends on a handshake, a phone call or a parcel line on a map, the new system puts clearer responsibility on both sides, landowners to mark property correctly and hunters to confirm permission before a shot is ever taken.