North Dakota’s WPAs Open for 2013 Hunting
North Dakota’s waterfowl production areas will be open to hunting on the pheasant opener after all.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday afternoon rescinded its closure of WPAs to public access, including hunting and fishing, effective immediately.
That means the WPAs in North Dakota will be available to hunters for the state’s pheasant opener on Saturday, Oct. 12.
“The waterfowl production areas are important public lands for hunters,” said North Dakota Game and Fish Department Director Terry Steinwand. “We have been working hard all week toward the goal of having these areas back open by the pheasant opener, and we appreciate Service Director Dan Ashe’s reconsideration of their closure action.”
The WPAs and national wildlife refuges in North Dakota and other states were closed to public access on Oct. 1 as a result of the federal government shutdown. National wildlife refuges in North Dakota remain closed, however, as today’s action by the Fish and Wildlife Service only affects WPAs.
