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Hunters will be heading for their Uncle Buck’s ranch or Grandma Gertie’s farm this weekend for the opening of ring-necked pheasant seasons in Nebraska and Iowa.
Most hunting is done on private land, which comprises about 97 percent of Nebraska’s landscape. Trespassing is prohibited by law and hunters must get landowner permission before hunting.
Hunters who don’t have access to private land have a public option.
There are about 800,000 acres of public hunting land on about 300 state and federal areas scattered across Nebraska. Hunting is allowed in season on all state wildlife management areas and federal waterfowl production areas, unless otherwise posted. Special regulations apply on federal refuges and on national forest lands.
“We rely on our private landowners to help us keep our citizens involved in outdoor recreation by providing opportunities to hunt and fish,’’ said Rex Amack, director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
In Nebraska, about 156,000 acres of private upland game and grassland habitat enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program are open to the public for walk-in hunting without the requirement of landowner permission.
These tracts are identified with yellow and black signs tagging them as enrolled in CRP-MAP, the Game and Parks Commission’s Conservation Reserve Program-Management Access Program.
Nebraska’s CRP-MAP is a hunting access program in which landowners enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program are paid for allowing public hunting and trapping.
State wildlife management areas and grassy CRP-MAP areas may be popular this weekend because much of Nebraska’s corn crop has not been harvested.
Hunters should scout areas before hunting to make sure that areas available last year are still available. Some landowners have taken their grassland out of the federal reserve program to put it back into crop production.
Iowa manages more than 356,000 acres of wildlife management land that is available for public hunting.
A complete listing of all of Nebraska’s public hunting areas is included in the 2009 Nebraska Guide to Hunting and Public Lands and in the 2009 Nebraska Public Access Atlas. Both booklets are available free from commission offices and permit agents across the state. The information also is available on the commission’s Web site at www.OutdoorNebraska.org.
Nebraska’s pheasant season may start in five days, but folks in Broken Bow and Beatrice are aiming for the next weekend.
The 49th annual Nebraska One Box Pheasant Hunt is Nov. 5 to 7 at Broken Bow in central Nebraska. Among hunters making up teams will be Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy, officials of the National Rifle Association and others from across the country.
The hunt is based on team competition. Seven five-person teams are allowed only one box of shells (25).
The annual Nebraska Governor’s Celebrity Pheasant Hunt is set for Nov. 6 and 7 at Beatrice in southeast Nebraska.
Coordinator Rick Clabaugh of Beatrice said slots remained for more individual hunters or teams. The entry fee is $250 per gun for either a standard or European hunt. The fee includes dogs, guides, reception, breakfast and awards banquet. Clabaugh can be reached at 402-223-3591.
Expect good pheasant hunting in Nebraska
Nebraska pheasant hunters should find good wing shooting when the rooster season opens Saturday. Iowa’s outlook is less optimistic.
Nebraska wildlife surveys in the spring and summer indicated a statewide increase in ring-necked pheasant abundance compared to 2008, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. A generally mild winter, then a warm spring, provided favorable conditions for the over-winter survival and subsequent pheasant production.
Rural mail carrier surveys found pheasant numbers the highest in the southwest, northeast and Panhandle. The population in the southwest was particularly good.
Habitat and weather determine pheasant populations and neither has been kind to Iowa ringnecks recently. Last season, Iowa’s pheasant harvest fell to 383,000 — the lowest ever recorded.
The northwest quarter of Iowa is expected to provide the best hunting this fall, according to Pheasants Forever. Larger public lands in this area should hold good numbers. A statewide harvest is expected in the 300,000 to 350,000 range.
Iowa’s season ends Jan. 10, 2010. The daily bag limit is three birds and the possession limit is 12.
Nebraska’s pheasant season ends Jan. 31, 2010. The daily bag limit is three birds and the possession limit is 12.
All Nebraska pheasant hunters, except for residents under age 16, are required to have a state hunting license and a habitat stamp. An annual permit costs $14 for residents and $81 for nonresidents. The annual habitat stamp is $16. All hunters must obtain permission to hunt on private land.
Contact the writer:
444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com
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