LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will certify youth fishing instructors in Lincoln and North Platte this fall. Workshop participants will receive training and tools to conduct youth fishing clinics. These volunteers will have access to Nebraska Game and Parks Commission loaner fishing equipment and educational materials for events. They also will receive program incentives. Instructors are a key part of Game and Parks’ Youth Fishing Program, and they are encouraged to volunteer for such Game and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Another fall of diverse upland bird hunting opportunities awaits Nebraska hunters. The Southwest and Panhandle regions will provide the best hunting opportunities for pheasants, with more publicly accessible lands – primarily Open Fields and Waters – available in the Southwest, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s 2019 Upland Gamebird Hunting Outlook. Overwinter survival was relatively high for pheasants this year but the cool, wet conditions that persisted into May and June likely had a negative …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved the authorization of one lottery permit for the 2020 bighorn sheep season when it met Aug. 28 at Fort Robinson State Park. The Commission also approved a Bighorn Sheep Management Plan that has a goal of establishing a self-sustaining, free-ranging bighorn sheep population in all areas of suitable habitat in Nebraska. There are many challenges facing bighorn sheep, including disease, predation, and habitat loss or fragmentation. In response, the Commission …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will offer several hunter education courses across the state specifically for women this fall. This classes, which are presented as part of the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program, give women the chance to learn the basics of hunter safety and gain hands-on firearm and archery experience in a fun, safe environment among like-minded women. All courses will be led by women who are experienced hunters and certified volunteer hunter education instructors. “Women’s …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hunters again are challenged to go afield with family and friends and harvest four upland birds this fall to complete the Nebraska Upland Slam. The challenge of the Upland Slam, a partnership between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Pheasants and Quail Forever, is to harvest a ring-necked pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, greater prairie-chicken and northern bobwhite (quail) in Nebraska this season. Successful hunters then go online to upload a photo of each harvested bird and provide …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission events and important dates in September. Get more event details at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes. Sept. 1 – Hunting seasons open for cottontail, jackrabbit, dove, snipe, grouse, rail, raccoon and opossum Sept. 1 – Archery, River Antlerless Private Land Only, Antlerless Only Season Choice, Whitetail Statewide Buck, Youth, and Landowner deer hunting seasons open Sept. 1 …

LINCOLN, Neb. – A new health alert for harmful algal blooms, also known as toxic blue-green algae, has been issued at Kirkman’s Cove in Richardson County. Alerts continue at Rockford Lake in Gage County, Wagon Train Lake in Lancaster County and Willow Creek Reservoir in Pierce County. During water testing earlier this week, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy detected elevated toxin levels produced by blue-green algal blooms in Kirkman’s Cove, Wagon Train and Willow Creek. The alerts there …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Access to Dead Timber State Recreation Area (SRA) in Dodge County now is available via County Road B off U.S. Hwy. 275. The area’s electrical campsites are available, as well. Dead Timber was damaged by the flooding of the Elkhorn River in March. Areas of the SRA remain walk-in only, and no vehicle traffic is allowed beyond any barricades. A park entry permit is required.

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, along with Ducks Unlimited, is thrilled to announce a new challenge for waterfowl hunters – the Nebraska Duck Slam. The Nebraska Duck Slam challenges hunters to harvest a teal (blue-winged or green-winged) of either sex, as well as drakes of three other species: an American wigeon, a mallard and a northern pintail. All ducks must be harvested in Nebraska, and hunters must upload a photo of each harvest at OutdoorNebraska.org/DuckSlam. Those …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Dove hunting season begins soon and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has some reminders for those hunters, as well as recommendations for areas to hunt. Doves may be hunted statewide. The season is Sept. 1 – Oct. 30, with daily bag and possession limits of 15 and 45, respectively. Bag and possession limits are for mourning, white-winged and Eurasian collared doves in aggregate. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. Nebraska residents 16 years …