North Dakota sets 2026 deer season, licenses cut to 39,100

North Dakota hunters will have fewer deer licenses to chase this fall, and the squeeze is sharpest in parts of the state that matter to Stutsman County deer hunters watching the eastern herd. The state set 2026 deer licenses at 39,100, down 3,200 from last year and the lowest total in more than half a century.

For local hunters, the calendar now matters as much as the draw. The regular deer gun season runs Nov. 6-22, 2026. Resident bow season opens Sept. 4 and runs through Jan. 3, 2027. Youth deer season is set for Sept. 18-27, and muzzleloader season follows Nov. 27-Dec. 13. The application deadline for regular deer gun, gratis, youth and muzzleloader licenses is midnight June 3.

The state also cut muzzleloader licenses and left antlerless deer gun licenses unavailable in several units. That makes tag strategy more important for hunters sorting through the unit map before they apply, especially in the eastern part of North Dakota, where most gun-license reductions occurred. Units 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F remain part of the broader deer management picture, and hunters need to match their application to the unit and season they intend to hunt.

Nonresident pressure will also be tighter. North Dakota set 240 nonresident any-deer archery licenses for 2026, down 60 from last year. During the first 9½ days of bow season, nonresidents may hunt only on private land, excluding Private Land Open To Sportsmen. Starting Sept. 14, they may hunt both private and public lands.

Wildlife managers say the herd is still recovering from the lingering effects of the brutal 2022-23 winter and outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease. Bill Haase, the department’s wildlife division chief, said conservative license allocations are intended to maintain hunting opportunities while encouraging population growth. He also pointed to shrinking habitat, saying high-quality deer cover is less abundant than it once was, especially the cover needed for fawn rearing and recruitment.

That habitat loss has real consequences. The department says deer gun harvest is down 90% in some parts of the state compared with 2005, when CRP acreage was at its peak. At the same time, the spring mule deer survey showed western North Dakota’s population 31% higher than last year, a reminder that the recovery is uneven across the state.

There is one access change hunters will notice immediately: special refuge permits for gun deer hunting are no longer required at J. Clark Salyer, Upper Souris and Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuges. The agency says its license totals are based on harvest rates, aerial surveys, depredation reports, hunter observations and input from advisory boards, landowners and field staff, with habitat work such as the Governor’s Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program part of the longer-term effort to rebuild deer numbers.