Tag Archives: Open Fields and Waters Program

Got a couple of news items which I want to spread: Summit Lake SRA event celebrates improvements Celebrate the completion of recent improvement projects at Summit Lake State Recreation Area near Tekamah on June 10. A ribbon cutting for a new playground will take place at 11 a.m. Enjoy archery, fishing and kayaking for free from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with provided equipment. A fish fry is scheduled at noon; meals are $12 for adults, $8 for age 12 …

Wheat and milo stubble left tall following harvest provides excellent cover and hunting opportunities for pheasants and other wildlife. The 2022-2023 Stubble Access Guide displays these and other adjacent habitats open to public, walk-in hunting across portions of western Nebraska. Through the Open Fields and Waters program, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission works with landowners to increase public hunting, trapping and/or fishing access on private lands. Tall wheat and milo stubble fields are enrolled in Open Fields and Waters …

There are more than a million acres of publicly accessible lands throughout Nebraska. The recently published 2022-2023 Public Access Atlas identifies and consolidates these public access resources for the benefit of Nebraska’s hunters, trappers and anglers. Printed copies of this year’s atlas are available at Nebraska Game and Parks Commission headquarters and soon will be available in its district offices and service centers, as well as wherever hunt and fish permits are sold. The Public Access Atlas also is available …

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is looking to provide additional hunting and fishing opportunities on private lands through its Open Fields and Waters Program. Landowners willing to allow public, walk-in access for hunting or fishing can receive annual, per-acre payments through the program. Participating landowners are afforded liability protection through the Nebraska Recreational Liability Act. Additional financial incentives often are available for habitat improvements, such as Conservation Reserve Program enrollment or management upgrades. Game and Parks primarily is seeking …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Bird dogs and blaze orange returned to the fields across rural Nebraska on Oct. 30, the state’s season opener for pheasant quail and partridge. According to field reports, hunter success for pheasants was highest in the Northeast (0.62 birds per hunter), with some of the better reports coming from the northernmost counties in the district. Pheasant hunters also had relatively good success on public lands in the Rainwater Basin region in south-central and southeastern Nebraska – with …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is looking to provide additional hunting and fishing opportunities on private lands through its Open Fields and Waters Program. Landowners willing to allow public, walk-in access for hunting or fishing can receive annual, per-acre payments through the program. Participating landowners are afforded liability protection through the Nebraska Recreational Liability Act. Additional financial incentives often are available for habitat improvements, such as Conservation Reserve Program enrollment or management upgrades. Game and Parks …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hunters are advised to be cautious and avoid heavy equipment performing wetland restoration work at Marsh Duck Wildlife Management Area in York County. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission urges the public to stay at least 200 yards from all equipment on the area for their and the equipment operator’s safety. Equipment also will be crossing County Road V adjacent to the Open Fields and Waters Program site just west of Marsh Duck. This project will improve …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hunters should expect to find pheasants in numbers similar or slightly higher than last year when the Nebraska pheasant, quail and partridge seasons open on Oct. 31. Pheasant counts were up 5% statewide, according to the July Rural Mail Carrier Survey. Notable increases were observed in the southwest and Panhandle, which should offer the best pheasant hunting opportunities and abundant public access. Quail counts during the July survey and the Whistle Count Survey were 14-16% lower compared …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska is the mixed-bag capital of the Great Plains, and another fall of diverse upland bird hunting opportunities awaits hunters. The Southwest and Panhandle regions will provide the best hunting opportunities for pheasants this season, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Upland Game Bird Hunting Outlook. These regions, along with the Northeast, had notable increases in counts during this year’s July Rural Mail Carrier Survey. Statewide, pheasant numbers were 5% higher compared to 2019, and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Private landowners have until June 19 to enroll their land in the Open Fields and Waters Program, in which they can earn additional income for allowing walk-in hunting, trapping and/or fishing access on their properties. Landowners with property offering hunting or fishing potential may be offered annual, per-acre payments from 50 cents to $15, depending on habitat type and location. Additional financial incentives may be possible to enhance the habitat on enrolled acres. Participating landowners are afforded …