LINCOLN, Neb. –Nebraskans are urged to check boats, boat lifts and docks for invasive species when removing them from water bodies for the winter. Aquatic hitchhikers like zebra mussels can live up to two weeks out of water, and several lakes across the Midwest are first noticed to be infested by people removing boats, lifts and docks for the winter. Young zebra mussels – or veligers – are invisible to the naked eye and can be spread through drops of …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Game and Parks Commission offices will be open to serve deer hunters seeking permits on three days otherwise closed in November. Offices will be open for permit sales Nov. 6, the Saturday of the Special Landowner Deer Season; Nov. 11, Veterans Day; and Nov. 13, the first Saturday of November Firearm Deer Season. The headquarters in Lincoln, district offices in Norfolk, North Platte and Alliance, and service centers in Schramm Education Center near Gretna, Kearney and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Two Nebraska Game and Parks Commission public land managers recently were honored for their work in quail restoration and management. Mike Remund and Brad Seitz each were presented the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative’s National Fire Bird Conservation Award at Game and Parks’ Oct. 22 meeting in North Platte. The NBCI, according to its website, is a unified effort involving numerous state fish and wildlife agencies — including Game and Parks — and conservation organizations aimed at restoring …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hunters from around the country will take to the fields this Saturday for Nebraska’s pheasant, quail and partridge season opener. According to surveys, the Southwest and Panhandle regions should offer the best pheasant hunting opportunities again this fall. Pheasant counts during this year’s July Rural Mail Carrier Survey were down compared to 2020, but field reports suggest dry conditions likely inhibited roadside observations in some areas. “This is always an exciting time of year and we hope …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Game and Parks Commission educators have scheduled interesting and engaging events for the curious in November. Here are a few opportunities: Little Saplings early childhood series presents Fall Colors LINCOLN, Neb. – The Little Saplings early childhood nature discovery program will have the program, Fall Colors, in its monthly series at Schramm Education Center at 9 a.m. Nov. 3. The series, which is designed for children ages 2-5 and their adult caregiver, will bring nature themes …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Excitement is building for Nebraska upland bird hunters as the Oct. 30 opener of the pheasant and northern bobwhite season approaches. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reminds hunters of the following safety tips when pursuing upland game: • Always keep the shotgun’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction. • Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. • Properly identify your target and what lies beyond it before pulling the trigger. • Know where …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will accept lottery applications for mountain lion permits Nov. 1 – Dec. 8, 2021, for the 2022 hunting season. Permits are available only to Nebraska residents, who may have one permit per calendar year. The bag limit for each permit is one mountain lion of either sex. The 2022 Season 1 in the Pine Ridge Unit will be Jan. 2-Feb. 28. Before Feb. 28, the season will close immediately if either …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission amended its wildlife regulations to create the Free-earned Landowner Elk Permit Program at its Oct. 22 meeting in North Platte. In the program, a person who owns or leases at least 80 acres of farm- or ranchland for agricultural purposes qualifies for an either-sex elk permit following the verification of 10 general antlerless elk harvests; immediate family members are eligible for the permit. The free-earned landowner elk permit was created during …

LINCOLN, Neb. – With the Nebraska firearm deer season just around the corner, now is the time to sight in that rifle or handgun. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission cooperates with shooting range partners across the state to coordinate and promote sight-in dates. “As hunters, it is our responsibility to have our equipment and ourselves ready for the hunt,” said Jeff Rawlinson, assistant division administrator for Game and Parks. “Sighting in a rifle or pistol for accuracy, even if …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Kyle Charron knew he had a chance to be the first hunter to complete the Duck Slam this season. The 35-year-old Broken Bow man hunts the playa wetlands every October, typically harvesting multiple duck species each year. This year, he and his friends were hunting them on private land in Custer County on Oct. 9, opening day, when he harvested a mallard and a teal. “We knew there was the potential because we’d shot all of those …