Hunting

LINCOLN, Neb. – Small game, particularly squirrel, is a great way to introduce youth or novices to hunting. Skills, equipment and licensing are more basic than other types of hunting. “A hand-me-down .22 rifle or smaller gauge shotgun and almost any hardwood stand of trees can offer a successful endeavor for a new hunter,” Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Hunter Education Coordinator Jackson Ellis said. Squirrel season – Aug. 1 through Jan. 31, 2019 – is the first of Nebraska’s …

HEMINGFORD, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is reminding visitors to Box Butte Reservoir that motorized vehicles are restricted to roads, parking areas or trails designated for vehicle use. With water elevations lowered for dam repairs, many visitors to the lake have been accessing and traversing Box Butte Wildlife Management Area via the exposed shoreline and the Commission has closed some of the trails created from the traffic. The WMA includes the lake and all of the area …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will host several Learn to Hunt workshops this fall to help individuals prepare for upcoming hunting seasons. These workshops are designed to improve confidence and expand knowledge for those with little or no experience. Presenters will discuss strategies, equipment, biology and techniques. Registration at OutdoorNebraska.gov/workshops is required as space is limited. The workshop schedule is: Aug. 28 – dove hunting, Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center, Lincoln Aug. 30 – …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Zachary Welch of Ainsworth and Oren Smith of Parsons, Kansas have been drawn as lottery winners of two Super Tag multispecies big game permits. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission drew the names July 10. Frank Nemeth of Chadron and Gary West of Ridge Spring, South Carolina have been drawn as winners of the Combo multispecies big game permits. The Super Tag and Combo permits are valid in 2018 and 2019. The Super Tag bag limit is …

Its likely the sound of firecrackers and pyrotechnics at this time of year that gets me thinking about the upcoming hunting seasons.  In particular, I have a desire to dust off the ol’shotgun and break some bluerock.  It never hurts that each year I spend a few days in late June as a shotgun referee at the 4-H National Shooting Sports Championships, held in Grand Island at the beautiful Heartland Public Shooting Park.   This gives me the chance to watch …

While it might be harder to think about hunting season when summer temperatures are getting into the high 90’s, hunting season is just around the corner! Archery deer, dove, and teal seasons will kick off in less than two months and those months can skip by faster than you expect. That’s why some forethought now will make for a stress free slide into the best time of the year. Anyone between the ages of 12 and 29 hunting in Nebraska …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hunters may begin purchasing fall turkey permits Aug. 13 at 1 p.m. Central Time. Permits will be available at OutdoorNebraska.org and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission permitting offices. A fall turkey permit is valid statewide and allows a hunter to harvest two turkeys of either sex with a shotgun or archery equipment. Each hunter may have up to two permits. There is no minimum age requirement for youth. The fall turkey season is Sept. 15 – Jan. …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Hunters of migratory birds are reminded of their requirement to register for the Harvest Information Program (HIP) beginning Aug. 1. HIP registration is required of residents age 16 and older and all nonresidents who plan to hunt migratory game birds in Nebraska between Aug. 1, 2018 and July 31, 2019. These birds are doves, ducks, geese, snipe, rail, coots and woodcock. Among those who must register in Nebraska are hunters registered in another state and holders of …

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will accept applications for a 2018 bighorn sheep lottery permit through Aug. 3. Only Nebraska residents are eligible. The permit will be drawn Aug. 16. A $29 nonrefundable application fee must accompany each application. Apply at a Nebraska Game and Parks office at outdoornebraska.org. The 2018 bighorn sheep season is Nov. 27 – Dec. 22.

LINCOLN, Neb. – People interested in hunting deer at Gifford Point Wildlife Management Area (WMA) this fall may apply for access permits July 9-30, according to Neal Van Winkle of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Van Winkle, the Gifford Point WMA manager, said 200 authorization permits will be issued to allow deer hunters access to the area. To be eligible to apply, hunters must have at least one of the following valid deer permits: statewide archery, muzzleloader, youth or …