1 month Ago
OUTDOORS Several changes are taking place for the 2024 deer sea-sons. Hunters should read the 2024 Big Game Guide to make sure they know all the changes. Telecheck Starting this fall, hunters have the option to electronically report their November firearm deer season harvest or take their deer to a check station.
Checking in deer is mandatory, and hunters may choose to check in their deer at a check station or through Telecheck for the first time this nine-day firearm season. In the past, hunters were required to take their harvest to a physical check station during the firearm season while deer harvests during the remainder of the year were reported through Telecheck. Chronic wasting disease surveillance still will be conducted in eastern deer management units during the firearm deer season.
Firearm hunters in the Missouri, Elkhorn, Loup East, Wahoo, Blue North-west and Blue Southeast deer management units are encouraged to report their harvest in person and voluntarily submit their deer for free chronic wasting disease sampling. However, they may opt for Telecheck, as well. Telecheck is a free service that allows hunters to check their deer from the field or at home, by telephone or online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The online option is strongly recommended for those who opt to Telecheck. It was introduced in Nebraska in 2010 to save time and fuel costs for hunters. It also was a faster way for Game and Parks to obtain harvest data.
Until now, it's only been used to report deer taken in seasons outside the November firearm season and for other species. For more information on Telecheck, to view a map of check stations, or to access the online reporting form, go to outdoornebraska.gov/hunt/telecheck .
A QR code has been added to deer permits to scan with a smartphone and take hunters directly to the Telecheck page. Deer taken during the November Firearm season must be delivered to a check station or checked via Telecheck no later than 1 p.m.
on the day following the close of the season. Deer taken outside the November Firearm season must be Telechecked within 48 hours of the kill and no later than 1 p.m.
the day after the season closes. The November firearm deer season starts Nov. 16 and ends Nov.
24 this year. The season is not always the second weekend of November but begins on the closest Saturday to Nov. 13 each year.
Hunters may purchase permits or learn more about Telecheck or CWD at outdoornebraska.gov . Bag limit changes Significant quotas have been reduced for this deer season, like bonus tags and nonresident tags, and it is likely that permits will sell out faster.
Hunters should carefully read bag limits on their permits to know what your permit is valid for. Statewide buck permits The statewide buck and restricted statewide buck permits are now a season choice format and valid for the entire season and the method of take of the current open season. This follows the whitetail statewide buck format.
River antlerless private land only permits The river antlerless private land only permits are issued for the legal method during archery, November firearm, muzzleloader and late river antlerless seasons. All federal and state lands are closed to hunting for these permits. Areas that have typically been available to hunt, particularly the North and South Platte Rivers west of the confluence near North Platte, have changed for this year and will affect those wanting to purchase permits for the private land river areas.
Hunters will need to check the Big Game Guide and view the map of the open areas available for hunting with a river antlerless permit during the 2024-25 deer seasons. Trout survey signs The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking valuable input from trout anglers, particularly those who fish putand-take lakes. Information from this voluntary survey will be used to inform future trout management and stocking decisions.
In our area, Birdwood Wildlife Management Area, known as Fire Lake, has a sign with a QR code for anglers to take after fishing the I80 lake. Game and Parks would like to know if anglers are utilizing the stocked trout, how anglers are liking the stocked trout among other questions on the survey. Watchable wildlife guides survey The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is giving its wildlife-viewing guides a makeover — with the help of the public.
These Watchable Wildlife Guides are educational resources designed to help people identify, observe and appreciate wildlife in their natural habitats. They provide species descriptions, viewing tips and conservation information, promoting responsible wildlife watching. Their purpose is to foster a deeper connection with nature and encourage environmental stewardship.
The public is encouraged to view the current guides and give feedback via a brief survey on what features and information could be included, how they used the guides and where they should be made available. "Whether you're a longtime user of our guides or new to wildlife watching, we'd love to hear your thoughts on what you'd like to see in the updated version," said Meghan Manary, a Game and Parks watchable wildlife biologist. "Your feedback will help shape the future of wildlife watching in Nebraska.
" To see the current guides and take the survey, go to outdoornebraska.gov and search "Watchable Wildlife Guides." For more information, email meghan.
manary@ nebraska.gov . Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
