LINCOLN – A Halloween Families on Target Archery Night is scheduled for Oct. 29 at the Lincoln Archery Range. This free event will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Archery equipment will be provided, and yardage, 3-D and aerial targets will be available. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Enter the archery range through the Lincoln Trap and Skeet Club entrance (4855 N. 48th St.) and drive west to the parking lot.

LINCOLN, Neb. – Tom Ferry of Ponca was the highest bidder for Nebraska’s first mountain lion auction permit on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Nebraska Big Game Society banquet and auction at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park. Ferry bid $13,500. On Oct. 9, 15-year-old Holden Bruce of Franklin drew the state’s first mountain lion lottery permit. Ferry and Bruce will be allowed to hunt mountain lions with dogs during Season 1, Jan. 1-Feb. 14, 2014, in the Pine Ridge Unit. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Walgren Lake State Recreation Area (SRA) in Sheridan County will reopen Oct. 17 following an agreement between the community group Friends of Walgren Lake and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The group will keep open and maintain the SRA through April 30, 2014, after which Game and Parks will resume operation and maintenance. On Aug. 30, Game and Parks announced the temporary closure of all services and vehicle access at 24 state recreation areas – including …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners will consider a recommendation to create three additional multispecies hunt permits when they meet Oct. 18 in Nebraska City. Those potential multispecies lottery permits are: – One Super Tag (elk, antelope, deer and turkey) for residents or nonresidents, with multiple $10 entries per person allowed. – One combination (antelope, deer and turkey) for residents, with one $10 entry per person allowed. – One combination (antelope, deer and turkey) for …

LINCOLN, Neb. – While many anglers associate October with rainbow trout stocking in Nebraska, other fish are being stocked, as well. The Calamus and North Platte fish hatcheries have raised 7- to 9-inch walleye and 12-inch northern pike. These species are typically stocked at fingerling size, but they were grown to an advanced size to increase chances of survival. Advanced walleyes have been stocked in Branched Oak Reservoir, Buckskin Hills Lake, Cottonmill Lake, Holmes Lake, Leigh Lake, Maskenthine Reservoir, Morman …

LINCOLN, Neb. – According to a news release issued today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Waterfowl Production Areas will remain open. In the announcement, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that due to the ongoing lapse in Congressional appropriations, the decision was made to close all facilities and lands to public use. The closure came at an extremely difficult time with hunting seasons just underway, fall migratory bird migrations at their peak, and hundreds of communities forced to …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The fall stocking of catchable-size rainbow trout in Nebraska has begun. These 10-inch fish are being stocked in urban and park waters across the state to provide fishing opportunities throughout the winter. “These rainbow trout that are being stocked are relatively easy to catch and are in waters easily accessible to a lot of youth and beginning anglers,” said Daryl Bauer, fisheries outreach program manager with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “We encourage experienced anglers to …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The access road to the boat ramp at Wagon Train State Recreation Area in Lancaster County will reopen Friday, Oct. 11 and the ramp will be available. Crews have cleaned up those areas after an Oct. 3 storm downed numerous trees and destroyed structures. The other areas closed due to the storm will remain closed while cleanup continues.

LINCOLN, Neb. – A 15-year-old Franklin resident drew the state’s first mountain lion lottery permit on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Holden Bruce will be allowed to hunt mountain lions during Season 1, Jan. 1-Feb. 14, 2014, in the Pine Ridge Unit. As the first lottery permit holder, Bruce will be allowed to hunt mountain lions with dogs during Season 1. The 100 other lottery permit holders, which also were drawn Oct. 9, will hunt during Season 2, Feb. 15-March 31 in …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Youth ages 15 and younger are encouraged to participate in special youth pheasant hunts at nine wildlife management areas (WMA) across Nebraska during the Oct. 19-20 statewide youth pheasant, quail and partridge season. Rooster pheasants will be released at all designated sites before the special youth hunt season. The special hunts are open to the public, and the number of participants is not limited. No registration or special permit is required but special regulations will be in …