Commissioners to consider 2022-2023 waterfowl recommendations

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider 2022-2023 waterfowl hunting season recommendations at its March 23 meeting in Nebraska City.

The meeting begins at 8 a.m. in the Lied Lodge Terrace Room, 2700 Sylvan Road.

Staff will recommend opening duck season in zones 2 and 4 a week earlier than the 2021-2022 season. Waterfowl recommendations are developed balancing hunter preferences with chronology of migration, hunter harvest, and hunter participation. Goose hunting dates in the North Central Unit start concurrently with duck season, which was strongly preferred by waterfowl hunters in Zone 2.

The full 2022-2023 Nebraska waterfowl recommendations are:

Early Teal:

Low Plains – Sept. 3-18

High Plains – Sept. 3-11

Daily bag limit – six; Possession limit – 18

Youth Hunt:

Zone 1 – Oct. 8-9

Zone 2 – Sept. 24-25

Zone 3 – Oct. 15-16

Zone 4 – Oct. 15-16

Daily bag – Tier 1: six ducks, with restrictions; Tier II: three ducks, any species, any sex; Possession limit – three times the daily bag limit

Duck and Coot:

Zone 1 – Oct. 15-Dec. 27

Zone 2 – Oct. 1-Dec. 13 and Jan. 4-25 (High Plains)

Zone 3 – Oct. 22-Jan. 3 and Jan. 4-25 (High Plains)

Zone 4 – Oct. 22-Jan. 3

Daily bag – Tier 1: six ducks, with restrictions; Tier II: three ducks, any species, any sex; Possession limit – three times the daily bag limit

Dark Goose:

Platte River Unit – Oct. 28-Feb. 9

Niobrara Unit – Oct. 28-Feb. 9

North Central Unit – Oct. 1-Jan. 13

Daily bag limit – five; Possession limit – 15

White-fronted Goose:

Statewide – Oct. 1-Dec. 11 and Jan. 25-Feb. 9

Daily bag limit – two; Possession limit – six

Light Goose Regular Season:

Statewide – Oct. 1-Dec. 28 and Jan. 25-Feb. 9

Daily bag limit – 50; Possession limit – none

Light Goose Conservation Order:

East Zone – Feb. 10-April 15

West Zone – Feb. 10-April 5

Rainwater Basin Zone – Feb. 10-April 5

Daily bag and possession limits – none

Crow:

Statewide – Oct. 15-Dec. 15 and Jan. 13-March 14

Daily bag and possession limits – none

Falconry:

Concurrent with teal, youth and regular duck season dates, plus,

Zone 1 – Feb. 25-March 10

Zone 2 – Low Plains: Feb. 25-March 10; High Plains: Concurrent with all duck season dates in High Plains Zone

Zone 3 – High Plains: Concurrent with all duck season dates in High Plains Zone

Zone 4 – Feb. 25-March 10

The commissioners also will consider staff recommendations to amend wildlife regulations to create additional purchase periods for big game permits. The result would allow resident hunters to buy deer and antelope permits in non-draw management units before nonresidents, giving residents preference over nonresidents.

Staff will give a review of the state’s first river otter harvest season, which closed in January.

A complete agenda is available at OutdoorNebraska.gov/publicnotices.