NGPC News

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Game and Parks Commission customer service offices will be open on Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 10. That also is the day before the nine-day firearm deer season opens. That means hunters will be able to purchase permits at Game and Parks offices in Lincoln, Omaha, Norfolk, Kearney, North Platte, Alliance, Bassett and at the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium. The offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hunters also may purchase permits or donate to the …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Busy schedules around the holidays can make it easy to forget to purchase Nebraska Game and Parks Commission permits for the new year. Nov. 1 is the time to start buying 2018 annual hunting, fishing, fur harvest and park permits. While buying a permit for yourself, consider purchasing one as a holiday gift for a friend or family member. These permits are valid Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2018. Age and residency restrictions apply to some permits. Stamps also …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in November. Get more event details at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes. Nov. 1 – Late doe/fawn antelope season opens Nov. 1 – Raccoon, opossum, long-tailed weasel, mink, red fox, gray fox and badger hunting and trapping seasons open Nov. 1 – Muskrat and beaver trapping season opens Nov. 3 – Wildlife and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Deer are more active this time of the fall. Crops are being harvested and deer breeding season is in full swing. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has suggestions to help drivers avoid deer-vehicle accidents and lessen the risk of injury or vehicle damage. — During the breeding season, bucks become more active searching for does with which to breed. Bucks are bolder, less wary and more susceptible to collisions with vehicles. Deer movement peaks each day …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission adopted a mountain lion management plan Oct. 20 at its meeting in Omaha. Mountain lions are an important component of the state’s biodiversity, and the mountain lion management plan is intended to guide management decisions based on the agency’s mission, as well as on the goals and principles stated in the plan. Following a public hearing, the commission rejected a staff recommendation to change shooting hours for small game, including pheasant, …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska will have a statewide teal hunting season on a full-time basis beginning in 2018. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently approved a September teal season in the northern part of the state, ending a four-year experimental season. Since 2014, the USFWS has allowed Nebraska to have an experimental September teal season in northern Nebraska as long as hunters properly distinguished teal from other duck species. Hunters were monitored to determine the rate at which …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Fort Kearny State Recreation Area (SRA) dump station will be closed for approximately 30 days for renovation and repairs beginning Oct. 23. Park visitors can use the Windmill SRA dump station located at the Gibbon exit off Interstate 80. Water still will be available at Fort Kearny SRA and campers can utilize the hydrants throughout the park to fill their fresh water tanks. Fort Kearny is located southeast of Kearney. A park entry permit is required …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraskans wanting to donate or receive harvested deer can participate in the Deer Exchange. This program is designed to accommodate the additional harvest of deer. It brings together hunters who have a surplus of deer with recipients willing to accept the deer meat. The Deer Exchange, which is available annually from Sept. 1 through March 1, allows hunters and potential venison recipients to join a database and search for other participating parties in their area. Parties will …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The 2017 Southwest Nebraska Stubble Access Guide, which details more than 24,000 acres open to public hunting and trapping access, is now available. Published annually as an addendum to the Public Access Atlas, which provides maps of all land open to public hunting and trapping access in Nebraska, the Stubble Access Guide provides maps of wheat and milo stubble fields recently enrolled in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Open Fields and Waters Program. Tall, undisturbed stubble …

CRAWFORD, Neb. – World War II was beginning in Europe, “Gone with the Wind” was a hit at the box office and the soldiers at Fort Robinson enjoyed a Christmas dinner of turkey, pork loin, oyster soup and an array of sides and fixings. The 200 attendees of the 23rd annual Christmas Dinner at Fort Robinson State Park on Dec. 2 will be treated to the same menu as that one in 1939, when Fort Robinson was a quartermaster remount …