NGPC News

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will release rooster pheasants at 10 wildlife management areas in time for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The 10 areas are: Oak Valley (Madison County), Wilkinson (Platte County), Sherman Reservoir (Sherman County), Pressey (Custer County), Branched Oak (Lancaster County), Yankee Hill (Lancaster County), Twin Oaks (Johnson County), Hickory Ridge (Johnson County), Cornhusker (Hall County), and Peru Bottoms (Nemaha County). Wilkinson and Peru Bottoms are non-toxic shot only, but otherwise all normal regulations apply. …

LINCOLN – Hunters are reminded that Father Hupp Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is temporarily closed effective immediately due to the presence of six endangered whooping cranes. The closure will be lifted once the cranes have left the area, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Father Hupp WMA is located 2½ miles west of Bruning in Thayer County. The closure is a standard procedure for the Commission once whooping cranes are confirmed on a property owned or managed by …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission wants to remind hunters about the River Antlerless permits that remain available. These $10 permits allow the harvest of 2 antlerless whitetail deer in the state’s river corridors on private lands. The permits are designed to help control deer populations in those areas where they are the highest and lead to landowner concerns. When Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) impacted Nebraska’s deer herds in 2012, whitetail deer in southwest Nebraska were minimally affected. …

LINCOLN – The west entrance to Lake Wanahoo State Recreation Area near Wahoo will be closed to public access beginning on Nov. 18 while the entrance road to the park is paved. During this time, the campground and boat ramp will also be closed for public use. The paving project is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete, weather permitting. If the weather delays construction for more than two weeks, the paving contractor will open a temporary access road …

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking information involving the killing and wanton waste of 25 antelope. The antelope were illegally shot and left lay near Broadwater in Morrill County. During the week of Nov. 12, reports of dead antelope lying in a winter wheat field northeast of Broadwater were investigated by Nebraska conservation officers. The investigation revealed 25 adult and fawn antelope that were shot and left in the field. Some of the animals were drug …

LINCOLN – The opening two days of the Nebraska’s firearm deer season saw more hunters fill their tags than last year, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The season opened Nov. 14. “Although final harvest figures won’t be available until after the season closes on Nov. 22, hunters got off to a great start this weekend,” said Scott Taylor, the Commission’s wildlife division administrator. Mild weather, dry roads, higher deer numbers, and widely-available deer permits are thought to …

LINCOLN – Father Hupp Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is temporarily closed effective immediately due to the presence of six endangered whooping cranes. The closure will be lifted once the cranes have left the area. Father Hupp WMA is located 2½ miles west of Bruning in Thayer County. The closure is a standard procedure for the Commission once whooping cranes are confirmed on a property owned or managed by the agency. “We value the outdoor opportunities our properties provide to hunters …

LINCOLN – Nebraskans have more opportunities to learn or hone shooting skills as the Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln is now open six days a week. The indoor complex is now open Thursday through Tuesday. The outdoor complex is open 365 days a year. The new business hours are: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from noon to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The center, located at 4703 N. 44th St. …

LINCOLN – The fungus known to cause white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats, a disease that has decimated bat populations in the United States and Canada, was recently discovered for the first time in Nebraska. The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans – or P. destructans – was detected in samples sent to researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz for testing. The samples were collected in 2015 from bats hibernating in a mine in Cass County in eastern Nebraska. Northern long-eared …

LINCOLN – As hunters prepare for the Nov. 14 opening of the firearm deer season, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has two reminders for them: know their permit bag limit and know that the animal they are preparing to take is legal to harvest. Game and Parks says it is important that hunters know the restrictions that may come with a permit, especially since those restrictions may change from year to year. Every deer permit has species and location …