LINCOLN, Neb. – Emily Eilers of Wayne hit 35 of 40 targets to win the overall championship Sept. 28 at the Nebraska Youth Smallbore Silhouette Invitational at Pressey Wildlife Management Area south of Broken Bow.

High Boy winner Gavin Carrizales of Scottsbluff had the second-highest score of the day at 34. High Girl winner Megan Vrbka of Staplehurst had a 33.

The overall team championship went Western Nebraska Shooting Sports 4-H team of Scottsbluff, which hit 119 of 160 targets. Team members are Carrizales, Austin Rahmig, Danika Bohl and Laney Bohl.

The 89 competitors fired 40 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition with a rifle unsupported and off hand at steel silhouette targets. Each shot 10 shots at targets that were 43, 66, 84 and 109 yards in distance. The annual event is open to all Hunter Education graduates who are at least 11 years old and have not graduated high school.

The results are:

Individual Awards

State Champion – Emily Eilers, Wayne, 35 of 40

High Girl – 1. Megan Vrbka, Staplehurst, 33; 2. Danika Bohl, Mitchell, 30; 3. Lilly Hanley, Lincoln, 30

High Boy – 1. Gavin Carrizales, Scottsbluff, 34; 2. Wyatt Hebbert, Ashby, 33; 3. Braden Hiser, Seward, 33

Class B – 1. James Simpson, Wayne, 33; 2. Cort West, Merna, 30; 3. Ethan Wooldrik, West Point, 30

Light Scope – 1. Colby Harris, Broken Bow, 28; 2. Troy Kirkpatrick, Broken Bow, 27; 3. Shawn Zellmer, Pierce, 27

Senior Division – 1. Andrew Borgelt, Wisner, 29; 2. Nicklaus Busse, St. Paul, 29; 3. Kaitlynn Pavel, York, 29

Unclassified – 1. Laney Bohl, Mitchell, 27; 2. Courtney Kastens, Anselmo, 25; 3. Blake Schroeder, Kearney

Heavy Scope – 1. Sadye Glendy, Broken Bow, 27; 2. Dylan Glendy, Broken Bow, 27; 3. Risken Dawson, O’Neill, 27

Junior Division – 1. Austin Rahmig, Gering, 28; 2. Andrew Enns, Holmesville, 28; 3. Taggett Nilsen, Hazard, 27

Light Iron – 1. Matthew Dailey, Thedford, 17; 2. Tanner Kudera, Battle Creek, 14; 3. Ethan Pepiernik, Ord, 10

Novice Division – 1. Jacee Christian, Omaha, 16

Novice Light Scope – 1. Joel Finney, Merna, 11

Heavy Iron – 1. McKenna Darby, Pleasanton, 22

Novice Light Iron – 1. Matthew Koelling, Ord, 9

Team Awards

Overall High Score – Western Nebraska Shooting Sports, Scottsbluff (Austin Rahmig, Danika Bohl, Gavin Carrizales, Laney Bohl), 119 of 160

4-H Division – 1. 10X, Seward (Braden Hiser, Cabe Schluckebier, Megan Vrbka, Zack Vrbka), 113; 2. Cuming County Sharpshooters, 104; 3. Wayne County Sharp Shooters, 98

School Division – 1. 50-50 Glendy Homeschool Academy, Broken Bow (Bereket Glendy, Dylan Glendy, Eyerusalem Glendy, Sadye Glendy) 91; 2. Anselmo-Merna, 91; 3. Litchfield No. 2, 51

Open Division – 1. Open No. 1 (Kaitlynn Pavel, Wyatt Anderson, Wyatt Benzel, Wyatt Hebbert), 85; 2. Spectacular Shooters, 85; 3. Custer County, 83

Special deer hunts at Mahoney SP, Platte River SP, Schramm Park SRA

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is offering special antlerless deer hunting opportunities within Eugene T. Mahoney and Platte River State Parks (SP), as well as Schramm Park State Recreation Area (SRA).

Successful applicants will be issued a special access permit that allows them to hunt antlerless deer in designated areas of a park on certain dates, using specific equipment. Successful applicants and interested alternates must attend an orientation session in order to receive the access permit.

Applications, limited to one per person, will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Oct. 31. If more applications are received than can be accommodated, a drawing will be held Nov. 5.

Hunters may obtain an application at OutdoorNebraska.org or by calling Mahoney SP at 402-944-2523, ext. 7122, Platte River SP at 402-234-2217, Schramm Education Center at 402-332-3901 or the Lincoln district Game and Parks office at 402-471-5431. Individual, mentor and buddy applications are available.

Legal equipment at Mahoney and Platte River State Parks are archery and muzzleloaders. The legal equipment at Schramm Park SRA is archery.

In addition to the appropriate deer permit and habitat stamp, hunters must have the access permit, as well as a park entry permit for each vehicle entering the park.

The following are the hunting opportunities, with park, legal equipment and dates:

Mahoney SP, Platte River SP – archery, Dec. 2-5, Dec. 9-12, Dec. 16-19

Mahoney SP, Platte River SP – muzzleloader, Jan. 6-9, Jan. 13-15

Schramm Park SRA – archery, Dec. 2-5, Dec. 9-12, Dec. 16-19, Jan. 6-9, Jan. 13-15

Successful applicants will be assigned a hunting period at a park, according to their preference. Hunting sites for the disabled hunters will be available at Mahoney SP.

Only antlerless deer will be allowed for harvest. Appropriate deer permits for archery hunters are: statewide archery, antlerless-only Season Choice Wahoo or statewide youth. Muzzleloader hunters must have either an antlerless-only Season Choice Wahoo or a statewide youth permit. Some permits are limited and may sell out prior to these park hunts.

Orientation sessions will be Nov. 26 at the Schramm Education Center for archers and Dec. 17 for muzzleloaders. Both begin at 7 p.m. For more information, contact the Lincoln district office or the parks.

Tower at Mahoney State Park to close temporarily

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Walter Scott Jr. Observation Tower and surrounding trails at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park will be closed temporarily due to construction starting Oct. 1.

The temporary closure will accommodate the painting of the tower and Riverview Event Center construction, a Venture Parks project scheduled for completion in the fall of 2020. The tower and trails will reopen at completion of the construction projects.

For information about Mahoney State Park and upcoming activities, visit OutdoorNebraska.org.

Rainbow trout to be stocked in Panhandle

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will stock rainbow trout in the Panhandle in early October.

Stockings of trout from the Rock Creek Fish Hatchery in Dundy County are scheduled for Oct. 2 at Morrill north (1,350 trout), south (400) and middle (450) ponds, Oct. 3 at Alliance’s Laing Lake (1,500), and at Bridgeport State Recreation Area’s northwest lake on Oct. 3 (500) and Oct. 8 (900). The Scottsbluff zoo pond (900) also will be stocked Oct. 8.

Lakes in other parts of the state will be stocked later as water temperatures cool.

To view Game and Parks’ fish stocking reports, go to OutdoorNebraska.gov/FishStockingReports/.

Game and Parks and Pfanny’s Farm to host nature journaling workshop Oct. 12

LINCOLN, Neb. – Explore a unique way of enjoying the outdoors at a beginner’s nature journaling workshop Oct. 12 at Pfanny’s Farm in Randolph, Nebraska.

"Keeping a nature journal is about discovery, or even rediscovery,” said wildlife educator Jamie Bachmann. “There are no rules to keeping a nature journal.”

This free class will be held from 1-4 p.m. for anyone ages 8 and older. Registration is limited to 20 people. Journals will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring their own.

Pfanny’s Farm is located 2½ miles north of the Highway 81-20 junction, at 86765 U.S. Highway 81 in Randolph.

The event is held by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in partnership with Northern Prairies Land Trust. For more information or to register, contact Jamie Bachmann at Jamie.bachmann@nebraska.gov or 402-370-3374.