Preliminary results from the 2024 Nebraska November firearm deer season show statewide harvest was down 2% from 2023 and down 24% from the 2019-2023 average.

This was more successful than expected for the Nov. 16-24 season as November Firearm permit quotas were reduced 13% from 2023 in response to declining deer populations.

Mule deer buck harvest increased 9% from 2023, while whitetail buck harvest fell 2%. Antlerless mule deer harvest declined 10% from 2023, while antlerless whitetail increased 2%. All harvest levels are down significantly from the five-year average. Total deer harvest for the firearm season has declined each year since 2019.

“Nebraska Game and Parks significantly reduced permit quotas, intending to reduce harvest this year, due to lower numbers of deer,” said Luke Meduna, Game and Parks’ big game program manager. Deer populations in Nebraska have been declining in recent years due to drought conditions, severe winters and increased permit quotas in 2019 and 2020.

“Despite those lower deer populations and permit quotas, many Nebraska hunters found success and created great memories in the field this season,” he said.

Overall, November Firearm permit success was 2% higher at 40% this year, compared to 38% in 2023.

Final harvest results will be available following the close of all deer seasons. Archery season closes Dec. 31, while muzzleloader season is Dec. 1-31. The late antlerless season is Jan. 1-15, while the River Antlerless late season is Jan. 1-15.

Hunters are invited to learn more about the 2024 season, big game research, management and more at the big game public meetings scheduled in person and online beginning Dec. 9. Find a meeting at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov.

Find additional information about deer management, harvest success and other hunting opportunities at OutdoorNebraska.gov. Hunters wishing to donate venison through the Deer Exchange or Hunters Helping the Hungry programs can also find more details there.

Expanded mountain lion season to kick off 2025

Nebraska’s mountain lion country will ring in the new year with the busiest hunting season to date for the species, including the first regulated hunt in the Wildcat Hills region.

The mountain lion season is divided into three units and begins Jan. 2. The season ends immediately in each unit when its limit, or a sub-limit of females, has been met or when the season closes at the end of February. If the limits aren’t met, an auxiliary season will be conducted March 15-31.

It will be Nebraska’s largest harvest to date if hunters are successful. Most of the action will occur in the Pine Ridge of northwestern Nebraska, where a harvest limit of 12 cats, with a sub-limit of six females, has been set. The Wildcat Hills unit along the Platte Valley of the western Panhandle has a limit of three and the Niobrara Valley of north-central Nebraska four, each with a two-female sub-limit.

The limits for each unit were set to help the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s objective to maintain resilient, healthy, and socially acceptable mountain lion populations that are in balance with available habitat and other wildlife species over the long term.

“The goal of this year’s harvest is to reduce the population in the Pine Ridge, and slightly reduce the population in the Wildcat Hills and maintain stable numbers or slow growth in the Niobrara Valley. The number of permits issued and a possible auxiliary season, will allow the harvest limit to be met while decreasing the likelihood of exceeding it,” said Sam Wilson, furbearer and carnivore program manager for Game and Parks.

A total of 1,520 permits were available to Nebraska residents by a drawing — 960 in the Pine Ridge Unit, 320 for the Niobrara, and 240 for the Wildcat Hills. If an auxiliary season — which allows the use of tracking dogs — is needed, one permit for each animal remaining in the limit for that unit will be issued.

Mountain lions are native to Nebraska but were extirpated from the state in the early 1900s. They moved back into the state from South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado as populations of prey species increased. Mountain lion presence in Nebraska was confirmed in the early 1990s, and in 1995 the state legislature classified them as game animals.

Since then, the cats have established reproducing populations in Nebraska’s most rugged terrain: the Pine Ridge, Wildcat Hills and Niobrara Valley with occasional confirmed presence in other parts of the state. Hunting seasons have occurred seven times in the Pine Ridge beginning in 2014, and the Niobrara Unit had its first season in 2024.

The cats of the Pine Ridge, where the population is highest and longest established, have been the subject of extensive research. The methods include genetic surveys and tracking collars.

Population estimates from 2023 indicate about 70 total mountain lions, adults and kittens, were present in the Pine Ridge at the time of the survey, up from an estimate of 33 in 2021. Wilson said the number is above the agency’s objective for the Pine Ridge.

In 2023, 27 mountain lions were documented in the Niobrara Valley and 24 in the Wildcat Hills.

Game and Parks continues researching the mountain lion population. As of early December, the agency had working GPS collars on 14 mountain lions in the Pine Ridge, Wildcat Hills and Niobrara Valley.  

In May and June of 2024, the agency conducted genetic surveys, which includes collection and DNA analysis of scat, in the Niobrara Valley and Wildcat Hills. Results from those efforts will help inform management decisions and harvest limits for the following season.

Use caution near areas of migrating birds

People are encouraged to use caution as avian influenza is affecting waterfowl and other bird species throughout Nebraska and adjacent states.

Nebraska Game and Parks officials said waterfowl die-offs and sick birds have been reported at water bodies from Niobrara to Alma recently. About 300 dead or dying snow geese have been collected at Harlan County Reservoir and additional ones at locations in northeast and southeast Nebraska. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has been confirmed in two cases.

Due to the widespread nature of the die-offs and that reservoirs attract waterfowl, gulls, bald eagles and other migrating birds, additional birds may be affected or found.

Though the risk of infection to people is low, officials said the public should avoid all contact with sick or dead birds and report them to their local conservation officer or Game and Parks office. Find contact information at OutdoorNebraska.gov.

Waterfowl hunters or domestic bird owners should take the following precautions:

• Do not harvest or handle birds that appear sick or are dead.
• Wear personal-protection equipment, such as disposable gloves, masks and eye protection, while cleaning your harvest or interacting with birds. Always clean and process birds outdoors.
• Double bag the remaining carcass and dispose of it properly; do not leave the carcass behind for other animals to scavenge.
• Wash your hands immediately after cleaning or handling birds.
• Disinfect all equipment, including hunting gear.
• Cook the meat thoroughly.
• Do not let your dog or other domesticated animals come into contact with sick or dead birds.
• If your animals become sick after interacting with sick or dead birds, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Avian influenza is widespread in wild and domestic birds worldwide, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and has been detected in every state across the U.S. Nebraska Game and Parks continues to monitor and test dead waterfowl as appropriate.

Learn more about the disease or make a disease report at OutdoorNebraska.gov; search for “avian influenza.”

Nebraska Fish Art Contest open for entries

Students in kindergarten through 12^th grade can discover the outdoors by participating in the Nebraska Fish Art Contest.

The 2025 contest, sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Wildlife Forever and Bass Pro Shops, is accepting entries through Feb. 28, 2025. Enter at theartofconservation.org/fish-art-contest.

This free international art and writing competition gives young people the opportunity to highlight their artistic talents while learning about fish, fishing and aquatic conservation. Participants can win prizes and recognition in Nebraska and internationally.

Young artists create an original illustration of any wild fish species in natural habitats and submit a one-page creative writing detailing their species habitat and efforts to conserve it.

Entries are categorized in four grade levels: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Writing is not required for grades K-3. Educators nationwide use Fish On!, the State-Fish Art Lesson Plan, integrating the disciplines of science and art. Winners will be announced in May.

“The Nebraska Fish Art Contest annually is a popular event with young, enthusiastic students, and we look forward to seeing what creative, beautiful pieces of art they produce this year,” said Larry Pape, Game and Parks aquatic education specialist.