Nebraskaland Magazine
LINCOLN, Neb. – Tom Ferry of Ponca was the highest bidder for Nebraska’s first mountain lion auction permit on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Nebraska Big Game Society banquet and auction at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park. Ferry bid $13,500.
On Oct. 9, 15-year-old Holden Bruce of Franklin drew the state’s first mountain lion lottery permit.
Ferry and Bruce will be allowed to hunt mountain lions with dogs during Season 1, Jan. 1-Feb. 14, 2014, in the Pine Ridge Unit.
There were 100 additional lottery permits drawn Oct. 9. Those permit holders will hunt during Season 2, Feb. 15-March 31, in the Pine Ridge Unit. They will not be allowed to hunt with dogs.
Proceeds from the permit auction will be used by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for mountain lion management.
Beginning Dec. 16, hunters may purchase Prairie Unit mountain lion permits. That year-round season opens Jan. 1, 2014. The fee is $15, permits are unlimited in quantity, there is no harvest quota, and hunting with dogs is allowed only Jan. 1-March 31. No person may obtain more than one mountain lion permit in a calendar year.
For more information on mountain lion hunting seasons, visit www.nebraskamountainlions.org. To purchase Prairie Unit permits beginning Dec. 16, visit OutdoorNebraska.org.
