LINCOLN, Neb. – Hunters may begin applying for 2020 big game draw permits June 8. Residents and nonresidents may apply for one deer permit, residents may apply for one elk permit, and residents and eligible landowners may apply for one antelope permit.

The application period begins at 1 p.m. Central Time on June 8. Paper applications must be received by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission by 5 p.m. CT – or by 11:59 p.m. for online applications – on June 26.

Only a nonrefundable application fee is due at the time of application. Drawing results will be available by July 3. Successful applicants will have until July 17 to complete the purchase of their awarded permits. Awarded but unpaid permits will result in applicants losing preference or bonus points and forfeiting the permit. Any forfeited draw permits, as well as unsold draw permits and buy-unit permits, will be sold over the counter on a first-come basis beginning Aug. 3.

Applicants who supply valid email addresses will be notified when the draw is complete. Applicants not providing valid email addresses will be responsible for monitoring their status online at OutdoorNebraska.org.

Applications will be accepted:

• Online at OutdoorNebraska.org;

• Via U.S. Postal Service mail: Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 N. 33rd St., Lincoln NE 68503;

• By calling 402-471-0641;

• Dropped off at any Game and Parks permitting office. A drop box or an Iron Ranger will be provided near the building.

While Game and Parks offices still are closed to the public, customer service is being provided via telephone. See a list of office phone numbers at OutdoorNebraska.gov/locations.

Draw units are established to provide equal opportunity to obtain permits in those units. They are determined by the overall demand on a unit’s permits. Residents get preference over nonresidents when these permits are drawn.

Details regarding drawings and permits may be found in the 2020 Big Game Guide, which is available at OutdoorNebraska.org or wherever permits are sold. Drawing statistics from previous years may be found at OutdoorNebraska.gov/drawresults.

To download an application form, regulations and hunting unit descriptions, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov/huntingseasons.

Winners announced in Nebraska Fish Art Contest

LINCOLN, Neb. – Youth from all across the state were winners in the 2020 Nebraska Fish Art Contest, which brings together youth, art and aquatic conservation.

In the contest, young artists create an original illustration of any official state-fish – Nebraska’s state fish is the channel catfish. They also submit a written description of that species’ behavior and habitat, and efforts to conserve it.

The artwork of the top three placers can be viewed at StateFishArt.org. Nebraska’s top three finishers in each age group, including the fish species depicted in the art, are:

Grades 10-12 – First place: Margaret Olivia Hoff, Alliance, channel catfish; Second place: Caleb Cockborn, Emerson, channel catfish; Third place: Carter Luber, Emerson, channel catfish

Grades 7-9 – First place: Christopher Neuharth, Crofton, channel catfish; Second place: Eleanor Wehr, North Platte, Florida saltwater sailfish; Third place: Sally Joyner, Humboldt, sailfish

Grades 4-6 – First place: Sunflower Cardinale, Omaha, Atlantic sailfish; Second place: Tzeitel Wehr, North Platte, Colorado cutthroat trout; Third place: Trevin Klein, Merna, largemouth bass

Grades K-3 – First place: Kiersten Hans, Bloomfield, channel catfish; Second place: Julia McNamara, Papillion, Atlantic sailfish; Third place: Gunner Johnson, Springview, rainbow trout

"The Nebraska Fish Art Contest is an amazing way to connect with young people and highlight the incredible natural resources our state has that are waiting to be explored,” said Larry Pape, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission aquatic education specialist.

Landowners have until June 19 to enroll in Open Fields and Waters

LINCOLN, Neb. – Private landowners have until June 19 to enroll their land in the Open Fields and Waters Program, in which they can earn additional income for allowing walk-in hunting, trapping and/or fishing access on their properties.

Landowners with property offering hunting or fishing potential may be offered annual, per-acre payments from 50 cents to $15, depending on habitat type and location. Additional financial incentives may be possible to enhance the habitat on enrolled acres. Participating landowners are afforded protection through the Nebraska Recreation Liability Act, and properties are regularly patrolled by conservation officers. Once enrolled, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologists post boundary signs and properties will appear in the Nebraska Public Access Atlas, which is available at OutdoorNebraska.org/PublicAccessAtlas.

In 2009, Game and Parks initiated the Open Fields and Waters in an effort to increase public access opportunities on private lands. Nebraska is more than 97 percent privately owned, and obtaining access to private lands continues to be one of the major challenges facing hunters, anglers, and outdoor users.

Due to a growing demand for more places to hunt, trap and fish, the program has grown substantially in recent years. Since 2016, enrollment has increased by over 112,000 acres, a 48% increase. Currently, there are 750-plus participating landowners in Nebraska who provide public access opportunities on over 346,000 land acres, 42 ponds/lakes, and 44 stream miles. Game and Parks and its partners hope to expand the program in coming years. This will be aided by a recent $3 million grant award through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program.

For more details and a list of frequently asked questions, visit OutdoorNebraska.org/OFW. Private landowners interested in enrolling should contact their nearest Game and Parks district office and ask to speak to a private lands biologist: Lincoln (402-471-5561), Norfolk (402-370-3374), Alliance (308-763-2940) or North Platte (308-535-8025).

Game and Parks has resources for landowners with wildlife damage

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is proactively working with landowners who have encountered wildlife damage to their crops and property.

“Crop and livestock damage can be a serious issue for many landowners,” said Game and Parks Director Jim Douglas. “We understand this and need to let landowners know what tools we have to help them, and listen to their ideas about other ways to resolve these problems.”

Game and Parks believes the best way to manage big game populations is by hunting. In 2020, the agency has:

• increased antlerless deer tags across the state by 6% from 2019 quotas and 25% since 2017;

• increased doe/fawn antelope tags by 42%, adding a bonus doe/fawn tag to all landowner doe/fawn permits;

• increased antlerless elk tags by 40%; and

• lengthened antlerless elk season to Aug. 1, 2020 to Jan. 31, 2021 and added areas in every unit for landowner opportunity.

In 2019, antlerless deer units Frenchman and Loup East had lengthened seasons and met management goals of increasing antlerless harvest. This success is due largely to landowners allowing access to their land.

Landowners experiencing wildlife damage should contact their district Game and Parks office. A list of offices is available at OutdoorNebraska.org/locations. They can discuss options such as scare devices, damage control permits or opening lands to public access for hunting. Landowners also may contact the agency about wildlife damage issues at OutdoorNebraska.org/depredation by filling out a Landowner Assistance Form.

Landowners, hunters and Game and Parks working together are the driving force for wildlife conservation in Nebraska. Landowners provide habitat and hunting access while hunters fund conservation by buying permits and stamps. Those funds are invested back into programs for private landowners that benefit wildlife and provide access for recreational opportunities, big game research, and maintaining 289 wildlife management areas that encompass 190,884 acres.

Game and Parks is charged with managing all wildlife in the state. It strives to find a balance between healthy wildlife populations, hunting opportunities, and keeping deer and all game populations at socially acceptable levels.

Hunting has an $848 million annual economic impact in Nebraska and supports nearly 9,000 jobs. Nebraska offers extraordinary mixed bag opportunities for hunting and watching wildlife.

Join the Great Park Pursuit for a Nebraska outdoor adventure

LINCOLN, Neb. – Enjoy an outdoor adventure with family or friends. Join the Great Park Pursuit for a chance to visit Nebraska’s many park areas, engage in healthy recreation – and possibly win prizes.

As a safety measure, the start of the traditional Great Park Pursuit was delayed until it aligned with Directed Health Measures. With travel restrictions lifting, the program now has opened to receive submissions, and the deadline has been extended to Oct. 31, 2020.

The Great Park Pursuit is a free program encouraging participants to visit up to 20 official sites across the state, consisting of community, regional, state and federal parks. Participants register a team of up to 10 people online and then follow clues from the website or Great Park Pursuit mobile app to find a program post located somewhere within a park area. Once they find the post, the team can use the mobile app to mark their visit, or make a pencil impression of the post to prove they were there.

A number of prizes are up for grabs, including Nebraska state park entry permits for 2021, an iPad, and the grand prize, an outdoor recreation package valued at $1,500. Prizes and entry into drawings are based on the number of post impressions that teams collect, or the number of park visits they mark on the mobile app.

The goal of the Great Park Pursuit, a partnership between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Recreation and Park Association, is to promote active lifestyles while increasing awareness of the state’s nature-rich outdoor recreation opportunities. Sponsors of the Great Park Pursuit include The Nebraska Chiropractic Physicians Association, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District and the Nebraska Association of Resource Districts.

The participating parks are: Arnold Recreation Area, Arnold; Brickyard Park, Hastings; Central Park Fountain, Alliance; City of Indianola Park – Pawnee Woman's Grave, Indianola; Conestoga State Recreation Area, Denton; Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area, Merriman; Davis Creek Recreation Area, North Loup; Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, Ashland; Graves Park, Wakefield; Heron Haven, Omaha; Hickman Main Park, Hickman; Indian Cave State Park, Shubert; Johnson Lake State Recreation Area, Elwood; Ponca State Park, Ponca; Sherman Reservoir State Recreation Area, Loup City; Smith Falls State Park, Valentine; Swanson Reservoir State Recreation Area, Trenton; Ta-Ha-Zouka Park, Elkhorn; Toadstool Geologic Park, Crawford; Windmill State Recreation Area, Gibbon.

For more information and to register, visit negpp.org. The Great Park Pursuit app is available at the Apple iStore and on Google Play for Android.

Meat processors may apply for Hunters Helping the Hungry

LINCOLN, Neb. – Meat processors have until July 1 to apply for participation in the 2020 Hunters Helping the Hungry program, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

The program pays participating processors to accept deer donated by hunters. The ground venison produced is picked up by charitable organizations and donated to Nebraskans in need.

The application form and program guidelines are available at OutdoorNebraska.gov/hhh under Participating Processors. Processors can apply to participate in any or all of the Nebraska 2020-2021 deer hunting seasons.

Contact Teresa Lombard at 402-471-5430 or [email protected] for more information.