Hunting News

Special landowner deer season adopted

Special landowner deer season adopted

By Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

The Game and Parks Commission adopted wildlife regulations that enacted a Special Landowner Deer Season and allowed the purchase of a bonus or a preference point with regard to big game hunting at its Jan. 13 meeting in Lincoln.

The special landowner season and bonus or preference point purchase were created when LB126 and LB287 were passed during the Nebraska Legislature’s 2020 session.

The Special Landowner Deer Season will allow a qualifying landowner as many as four permits to designate themselves or immediate family to hunt on his or her property on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the opening of the November firearm deer season. No more than two permits will be issued to persons older than age 19 and two permits to persons younger than 19.

Points are awarded when hunters are unsuccessful in several of Nebraska’s big game drawings. Preference point based drawings allow hunters with the most points the best chance at drawing permits. Bonus point drawings give hunters an additional entry in the drawing for each point or year that they were unsuccessful in drawing.

Allowing the purchase of a bonus or a preference point will allow hunters to accumulate points in years that they do not want to draw.

Additional wildlife regulations adopted at the meeting clarify draw units, how forfeited permits may be handled, staggering the sale of over-the-counter permits, and alter the residency qualifications for one auction elk permit.

During the meeting, staff presented an update on efforts nationwide and in Nebraska to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters, shooters and anglers.

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd