Hunting

LINCOLN, Neb. – The 2022 mountain lion hunting season in Nebraska’s Pine Ridge closed Jan. 6 when the harvest limit of four (three males and one female) was met. The season opened Jan. 2. Excellent snow tracking conditions likely helped hunters find success during the season. In accordance with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s management objective, the harvest of mountain lions allows the population to remain resilient and healthy, while halting growth or moderately reducing the population size. “This …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Spring turkey hunting permits for 2022 will be available from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission beginning Jan. 10. Nebraska offers birds in every county of the state. The state also offers plentiful and affordable permits, long seasons, great public access and $8 permits for youth. Wild turkey hunters in Nebraska enjoy high success rates. In the spring, hunters can purchase as many as three permits, with a bag limit of one turkey per permit. The spring …

Questions for Conservation Officer Cory Krause I had the opportunity to patrol the Elkhorn River with Game and Parks Conservation Officer Cory Krause, who is stationed in West Point in northeastern Nebraska. Shortly after getting on the water, we came upon two fishermen in a remote area of the river. As Cory predicted, they did not have valid fishing permits. Cory filled out a couple of tickets and made some calls, and just when I thought this was going to …

Waiting 50 Years to be Told The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission occasionally receives animal mounts from individuals who want or need to unload them but do not want to see them go straight to the garbage bin. These donations, if in acceptable condition, can be used for education or to spruce up a public space. Usually the mounts the agency receives possess little or no information about where the animal was harvested or collected, as most are decades old. …

Anyone who waterfowl hunts knows that movement in a decoy spread is crucial. Yeah, there are a plethora of motion decoys on the market to buy — battery-powered ones, mechanical flappers, windsocks, bags, kites, moving shells, etc. However, there is another kind of motion decoy used in waterfowl hunting by the hunter — the flag. A longtime waterfowl hunter “flags” to try to entice a flock of Canada geese off in the distance to come within shooting range in his …

Targeted conservation for ring-necked pheasants in agriculturally dominated landscapes By John Laux, NGPC Upland Game and Access Program Manager Similar to many surrounding states, Nebraska’s ring-necked pheasant populations have experienced long-term declines – a trend driven largely by continued habitat loss. Over time, changes in agricultural land-use (i.e. grassland conversion to cropland, “cleaner” farming techniques, less diverse crop rotations, etc.) have drastically reduced the amount of suitable pheasant habitat on much of Nebraska’s landscape. In recent decades, pheasants have responded …

GERING, Neb. – Nebraska’s bighorn sheep hunting season ended this week when a hunter harvested the second of two rams. Both of this year’s tag holders found success in the Wildcat Hills near Gering. Todd Nordeen, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission big game and disease research manager who supervises the hunting program, said each ram harvested this year was 8½ years old with a set of full-curl horns. Grant Smith of Fishers, Indiana, who won his tag in an …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Preliminary Nebraska deer check-in numbers indicate statewide harvest is down 12 percent compared to 2020 for the November firearm season. During the nine-day season, 37,053 deer were harvested, compared to 42,078 in 2020. While the overall statewide trend was down compared to previous years, regions of the state varied. Deer harvest in southeastern Nebraska was even with 2020, while southwestern Nebraska was down 19%. The northwestern district was down 8%, and the northeastern district was down 15% …

Many of us hunt and fish because of the people we get to hunt and fish with. Some of the best conversations I’ve had on the ice, in a duck blind or while walking through tallgrass prairie have featured topics like family, politics and religion. While stories of greenheads and big bucks fill the air, they often are replaced by more serious topics. This is when true hunting and fishing partnerships — friendships —are formed. When reminiscing through a set …

Who doesn’t want a puppy for Christmas? A hunting companion for the next several years sounds really enticing to most hunters. But finding that right puppy is not only challenging, it’s also downright confusing. The first Lab I ever owned cost me $50 and came as a referral from a friend who offered to help me train her. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I was certain that this was the dog for me. Call it …