NGPC News

LINCOLN – 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 near …

LINCOLN – On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, the Lodge Restaurant at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP) will offer a holiday meal with both traditional and nontraditional menu items for the whole family. A ham and turkey carving station will be available, along with traditional holiday fixings. Hours for the meal are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost for adults is $25.95; meals for kids ages 5 to 12 are $12.95. Kids under 5 eat free. To make your …

LINCOLN – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) 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. 1 – Ladies Winchester …

LINCOLN – Prospects look good for Nebraska’s pheasant, quail and partridge hunting season, which opens Oct. 29. Conditions for upland birds are better than in recent years, and pheasant and quail abundance in Nebraska this year is higher than the five-year average over most of the state. Most of the state, which experienced a generally mild winter, received timely spring rainfall, producing abundant nesting and brood-rearing cover for pheasants. Pheasant abundance this fall should be similar or slightly lower than …

LINCOLN – Lake McConaughy-area residents are encouraged to participate in a trash cleanup day Nov. 5 at the state recreation area (SRA). The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is partnering with Keep Keith County Beautiful and Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (CNPPID) for this effort from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Commission staff will be headquartered at three locations around the SRA. Each location will provide materials such as trash bags, buckets, pickers and orange vests. UTVs will …

LINCOLN – Hunters will be able to buy firearm deer permits at Nebraska Game and Parks Commission offices on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The November firearm deer season is Nov. 12-20. Customer service will be available to sell permits at the following Game and Parks offices: Lincoln headquarters; district offices in Alliance, Norfolk and North Platte; service centers in Bassett and Kearney; Omaha office; and Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium. The offices will be closed for all other business. To view office addresses, …

CHADRON — A free workshop will help participants gain knowledge to harvest deer. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Learn-to-Hunt Deer Workshop will be at Chadron State College’s Burkhiser Complex on Thursday, Oct. 27, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Justin Powell of Alliance and Rick Arnold of Chadron, both avid deer hunters who are wildlife biologists for the Commission, will discuss a wide range of topics to help participants be successful, including strategies, proper gear and deer behavior. Tactics for both firearms …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved the Lake McConaughy/Lake Ogallala Master Plan at its meeting Oct. 21 at Ponca State Park (SP). The plan will serve as a road map for future development and desired conditions at Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala state recreation areas (SRA) for the next 20 years. Among the plans goals are to provide quality memorable experiences for users through diverse recreational opportunities, to increase visitation during non-peak periods, and to protect threatened …

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking information about two cases involving the unlawful killing of big game animals in western and north-central Nebraska. One case involves the death of four buck pronghorns. The remains of the animals, minus three of the heads and some of the meat, were found Oct. 17 on private land south of Kimball. The other case involves the death of a cow elk believed to be shot either Oct. 14 or Oct. …

LINCOLN – Great hunting opportunities are available for youth in Nebraska this weekend. Youth ages 15 and younger can participate in special youth pheasant hunts during the Oct. 22-23 statewide youth pheasant, quail and partridge season. Rooster pheasants will be released at 14 wildlife management areas 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. Special regulations posted at each …