Commission reminds public of landowner resources for those with wildlife damage

LINCOLN, Neb – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is proactively working with landowners who have encountered wildlife damage to their crops and property.

Landowners who experience wildlife damage should contact their district Commission office. They can discuss options such as scare devices, damage control permits and opening lands to public access for hunting. Contact information for district offices is available at OutdoorNebraska.org/locations. Landowners also may contact the Commission about wildlife damage issues at OutdoorNebraska.org/depredation by filling out a Landowner Assistance Form.

The Commission is working to increase antlerless deer harvest by 30 percent in the Frenchman West Unit in southwest Nebraska. To reach this goal, the Commission will increase antlerless deer permits by 25 percent and offer an increased number of damage permits.

As an additional tool for landowners, the Commission is working on a program that would connect deer hunters with landowners. Similar to the agency’s popular Deer Exchange, this program would include a database in which landowners could search for hunters to harvest antlerless deer on their property.

The Deer Exchange, which began in 2008, 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 allows hunters and potential venison recipients to join a database and search for other participating parties in their area. Parties will work out the details of the transfer. While the venison cannot be sold, recipients may pay for the processing or butchering of the meat. Donors and recipients can register online for free.

Landowners and hunters are important to managing wildlife; together with the Commission, they are the driving force for wildlife conservation in Nebraska. Landowners provide habitat and access for hunting game species. Readily available permits and long seasons provide tremendous opportunities to harvest deer in Nebraska, especially antlerless deer.

Hunting has an annual $848 million economic impact in Nebraska and supports nearly 9,000 jobs. Hunters, anglers and park-goers travel from around the world to take advantage of Nebraska’s mixed bag opportunities for hunting and to watch wildlife.

The Commission is charged with managing all wildlife in the state. It strives to find a balance between healthy wildlife populations, opportunities for hunting, and keeping deer and all game populations at socially acceptable levels.