Nebraska-Application Period Underway for Deer, Elk and Antelope Draw Units

Remaining Permits On Sale July 11.  Bighorn and Super Tag Lotteries Now Open.  Landowner Elk permits Are Included in Draw Application Period.

The calendar says May, and your hand may be holding a fishing pole, but it's time for some advance thinking about your fall hunting activities.  Nebraska residents may currently apply for: one deer permit in any draw unit (Republican Whitetail, Republican Mule Deer and Desoto December Muzzleloader season units), one elk permit, and one buck or either-sex antelope permit in available units.  (One application is allowed per person per species.)  Landowners interested in elk permits should contact their district Nebraska Game and Parks office for application forms at this time.    In addition, two big game lotteries are presently underway for Nebraska hunters: a Bighorn Sheep Lottery and a Super Tag Lottery.  Both lotteries are open to Nebraska residents only, have a $25 application fee and can be entered online.  The winner of the bighorn sheep lottery will receive a historic hunt for a bighorn ram in the rugged Pine Ridge, with four nights lodging and guide service provided by Nebraska Game and Parks.  The recipient of the Super Tag lottery wins a permit with a bag limit of one elk, one antelope, one deer and two turkeys. This permit is valid during 2011 and 2012, meaning the winner has two years for fill it.  Once-in-a-lifetime bull elk permit holders are eligible to participate in this lottery. Both resident and nonresident hunters will want to mark July 11 on their calendars; it's the day when all remaining permits go on sale.  A complete list of opening dates and application periods can be found on our website, and our 2011 Big Game Guide will be posted there as soon as it becomes available. Hunters in search of big game animals will find that Nebraska's populations and hunting opportunities are about the best they have ever been in modern times. Record numbers of deer and turkey exist throughout the state, and even our elk population is thriving.  Permits for deer and turkey are easy to obtain, and our $5 youth permits make hunting affordable for aspiring young hunters.  According the staff biologists, the 20-year trend of increasing numbers of older bucks should continue in 2011.  Data from 2010 indicates that 75% of harvested whitetail bucks and 83% of harvest mule deer bucks were age 2 or older.  Thousands of acres of private land have also been opened up for hunting through ourOpen Fields and Waters program, which provides incentives to landowners in return for opening up areas of good habitat to public hunting and fishing use.  These lands will be included in the 2011 Public Access Atlas, which is generally available in August each year.  So as you are reeling in that largemouth or casting for walleye, be thinking about all the great ways you can extend your adventures in the Nebraska outdoors.  We are here to help you with that, so visit our website for frequent updates or follow us onFacebook or Twitter.  And as always - we'll See You Out There! Click here to buy your permits online.