North Dakota hunting license

How much is a North Dakota hunting license?

A resident North Dakota hunting license for small game costs $42 all in: the $20 Small Game License, the $20 General Game and Habitat License and the $2 Fishing, Hunting, Furbearer Certificate. Those prices are as listed by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for the current license year. The habitat license and the certificate are bought once per year, then every other license you add rides on them.

That layering is the thing to understand here. The General Game and Habitat License is required for every hunting license except furbearer, so a resident who later draws a deer gun license pays only that license fee on top. Deer, turkey, elk and the rest are always separate licenses.

Some quick math shows how it works in practice. A resident who hunts only pheasants and grouse pays the $42 total once. If that same hunter later draws a deer gun license, the extra cost is just the deer license itself, because the habitat license and certificate are already paid for that year. That is why the habitat license is best thought of as an annual entry fee rather than a species license.

Residents who hunt and fish often take the Combination License instead: $62 plus the $2 certificate. It bundles fishing, general game and habitat, small game and furbearer privileges into one purchase. The table below shows how the pieces add up.

Who needs hunter education for a North Dakota hunting license?

Anyone born after December 31, 1961 must pass a certified state or provincial hunter education course before buying a license. If you were born in 1961 or earlier, you are exempt. Two other groups are exempt too: children under 12, and people who hunt only on land they own or operate.

North Dakota offers two formats. The traditional in-person course is free, and students must turn 11 by the end of the calendar year to enroll. The hybrid course costs $24.95, combines online study with two in-person sessions, and is for students who turn 12 that year. Find classes on the hunter education page.

Not certified yet? Hunters 12 and older can get an apprentice hunter validation. It lets them hunt small game, waterfowl included, and deer for one license year, only alongside a licensed adult. It is a one-time option in a lifetime.

Where can you buy a hunting license in North Dakota?

Licenses are sold online at gf.nd.gov, in the NDGF mobile app, in person at a Game and Fish Department office, and at retail license vendors. Online and app purchases are the fastest way to get licensed the same day you decide to hunt.

Every license runs April 1 to March 31, so a purchase in late March only lasts days. Questions go to the department at 701-328-6300, and the licensing page lists exemptions and residency rules.

Before checking out, decide whether you will fish this year. If you will, compare the Combination License against buying small game and fishing separately, since the combination already includes the habitat license and furbearer privileges.

1. Finish hunter education if you were born after 1961, or add an apprentice hunter validation.
2. Buy online at gf.nd.gov, in the NDGF app, or at an office or vendor.
3. Add the certificate and General Game and Habitat License, then your Small Game License or a Combination License.
4. Apply in the lotteries for deer gun, elk, moose, pronghorn or turkey before each deadline.

Buy a North Dakota hunting license on the official site

How do North Dakota deer and big game lotteries work?

Demand runs ahead of supply, so licenses for bighorn sheep, elk, moose, pronghorn, tundra swan, turkey, white-tailed deer and mule deer are allocated by lottery. Deer gun licenses use a weighted lottery, and any licenses left after the first drawing go to unsuccessful applicants in a second round. Resident deer bow licenses are the main over-the-counter option.

The 2026 lottery deadlines were spread through the year: elk, moose and bighorn sheep on March 25; deer gun, youth deer and muzzleloader on June 3; pronghorn on Aug. 5; and fall turkey on Sept. 2. The season dates page lists each deadline next to its season. Missing a date usually means waiting a full year, so put them on the calendar early.

If you are new to the lottery, remember that you need the certificate and General Game and Habitat License in place for the license year, and that resident deer bow licenses can be bought over the counter while you wait on draw results. Nonresident bow licenses are more limited, so visitors should apply rather than count on walking in.

Can kids hunt in North Dakota without a license?

No. There is no minimum age for small game, waterfowl or furbearers, but anyone under 15 who is afield with a firearm must be licensed and under the direct supervision of a parent, guardian or authorized adult, close enough to talk without aids.

Youth under 12 may hunt if they hold the right licenses, and they are exempt from hunter education while supervised. Resident youth 15 and under pay just $10 for deer gun, deer bow and other big game licenses, plus the habitat license and certificate, which makes a first deer season very affordable.

Teens 12 and older who have not taken the course yet can use the apprentice hunter validation for one license year, hunting small game and deer beside a licensed adult. It is a one-time option, so plan to finish hunter education before the following season.

What do nonresidents pay to hunt in North Dakota?

A nonresident Small Game License is $150, plus the $20 General Game and Habitat License and the $5 certificate, so a visiting upland hunter spends $175 before any waterfowl add-ons. Here is the catch: it is good for 14 consecutive days or two 7-day periods, not the whole season. You may buy more than one in a year, which helps if you plan an early trip for grouse and a later one for pheasants.

Waterfowl hunters buy the separate $153 nonresident waterfowl license, also limited to two 7-day periods, with zone limits. Big game is mostly a lottery for visitors: deer gun is $355 (including a $5 application fee) and deer bow is $350. Hunter education rules apply to nonresidents the same way.

Because the clock is short, plan your 14 days around the birds you want. Splitting them into two 7-day trips lets you come back later in the fall without paying for a second license.

Heading across a border? Compare the Minnesota hunting license or the South Dakota hunting license guides.

Other North Dakota license rules to know

Keep your license with you whenever you hunt. See every state side by side on our hunting license by state page.

• Orange: during deer gun season, hunters must wear a hat and an outer garment above the waist totaling at least 400 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange. Bowhunters must wear it too, and camouflage orange is not legal.
• Landowners: residents, and family members living with them, may hunt small game and trap on land they own or lease without a license, following all other rules. The exemption covers small game only.
• Veterans and military: residents with a service-related disability of 50% or more can buy the $10 Veteran Combined Hunting license, and active-duty residents on leave may hunt small game without a license.