Nebraska offers long seasons and abundant opportunities to harvest furbearers and coyotes throughout the state.

These animals are common in Nebraska, and most are found statewide. Regulated harvest of these mammals provides an excellent outdoor opportunity and is an important management tool for controlling populations to reduce problems they can cause people and property.

Hunting and trapping seasons typically are designed to allow furbearer harvest during the fall and winter, when the pelts are prime, and the animals are less likely to have dependent young. This gives hunters an opportunity to earn extra income, play a role in wildlife management and enjoy time outdoors.

Nebraska has three furbearers that may only be trapped – muskrats, beavers and river otters. Raccoons and opossums have an early hunting-only season. Those two species, along with bobcats, badgers, mink, long-tailed weasels, red fox, gray fox and striped skunks, also have seasons where they may be hunted or trapped.

Hunting and trapping are permitted statewide, except where closed by federal, state or local laws or regulations. Hunters and trappers must get permission before hunting or trapping on private land that is not part of a public access program.

River otters have a season bag limit of one for each harvester with no overall limit. For other furbearers, there is no bag limit for Nebraska residents. Nonresidents may harvest up to 1,000 furbearers, with an additional fee to harvest more.

For residents ages 16 and older, a fur harvest permit and habitat stamp are required to hunt or trap furbearers in Nebraska; no permit is needed for residents to harvest coyotes. Nonresidents need a nonresident small game permit to pursue coyotes, and a nonresident fur harvest permit and habitat stamp to harvest furbearers.

Residents may buy fur harvest permits at OutdoorNebraska.gov, but nonresident permits only may be purchased at Nebraska Game and Parks’ Lincoln office. Call 402-471-5457.

Find more information on furbearer hunting and trapping in the Nebraska Small Game and Waterfowl Guide. It is available wherever permits are sold or online at OutdoorNebraska.gov. Search for “Guides.”

The 2025-2026 Nebraska furbearer seasons are:

Trapping

Muskrat and beaver – Nov. 1, 2025-March 31, 2026

River otter – Nov. 1, 2025-Feb. 28, 2026

Hunting

Raccoon, Virginia opossum – Sept. 1-Oct. 31, 2025

Hunting and trapping

Badger, mink, long-tailed weasel, raccoon, Virginia opossum, red fox, gray fox – Nov. 1, 2025-Feb. 28, 2026

Bobcat – Dec. 1, 2025-Feb. 28, 2026

Striped skunk – year-round

Coyote – year-round

Expectations high for state’s pheasant opener

Upland bird hunters across the state will go afield Oct. 25 for Nebraska’s pheasant season opener.

Nebraska’s diverse habitats and variety of opportunity continue to make Nebraska’s upland hunting seasons attractive to hunters and set it apart from other states.

Expectations for the 2025 pheasant and quail season are optimistic as field reports are frequent and surveys show positive pheasant numbers in locations across the state, according to Nebraska Game and Parks Commission surveys.

Those surveys showed this spring that the Panhandle and Southwest regions supported relatively high pheasant densities, and the Central, Northeast and Sandhills regions all saw increases in densities compared to 2024. However, some areas of the state could see lower-than-expected production.

View the complete survey results at OutdoorNebraska.gov by searching for “wildlife surveys,” or read the upland hunting forecast at OutdoorNebraska.gov/hunt/game/upland.

Preseason scouting is recommended as dry conditions early in the year triggered emergency haying and grazing eligibility on Conservation Reserve Program lands in 92 of Nebraska’s 93 counties this summer and fall. This will affect cover on some CRP fields, including some Game and Parks Open Fields and Waters Program sites. Learn more at OutdoorNebraska.gov by searching for “Haying and Grazing.”

Those seeking places to hunt should view the 2025-26 Public Access Atlas, which displays more than 1.2 million acres of publicly accessible lands throughout Nebraska. In addition to state, federal and conservation partner lands, 470,000 acres of private lands are enrolled in Open Fields and Waters and are featured in the atlas.

For hunters pursuing upland birds in western and south-central Nebraska, the Stubble Access Guide displays an additional 33,400 acres of tall wheat or milo stubble fields and adjacent habitats open to public hunting access.

Both publications are available at OutdoorNebraska.gov/guides-maps/public-access-atlas.

Hunters are reminded to obtain permission prior to accessing privately-owned (non-OFW) lands in Nebraska regardless of whether the property is posted or not.

Other reminders:

  • The upland bird season is an opportunity to pursue an Upland Slam, a partnership between Game and Parks and Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever of Nebraska. The Slam challenges hunters to harvest a pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, greater prairie-chicken and northern bobwhite in Nebraska during the season. Visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and search “Upland Slam” for more information.
  • Grouse hunters are reminded of a required special permit to hunt in the East Zone (east of U.S. Highway 81).  See the 2025-2026 Small Game and Waterfowl Guide at OutdoorNebraska.gov for details.

Game and Parks also remind hunters to do their part to prevent wildfires by taking the following precautions:

  • Restrict driving to established roads and trails.
  • Avoid parking vehicles in tall vegetation.
  • Dispose of cigarettes and other flammable objects appropriately.
  • Ensure your vehicle, trailers, and other equipment are well-maintained.
  • Make sure no chains are dragging from your vehicle.
  • In the morning, before driving and while the exhaust/catalytic converter system is cool, inspect underside of vehicle to confirm no debris is clinging to exhaust system.
  • Carry a fire extinguisher in your vehicle.

Driving vehicles or parking on dry, tall grass is a primary threat. Grass can ignite within seconds of contacting a hot surface, such as a vehicle’s exhaust/catalytic converter systems.

Stay safe this upland bird season

With Nebraska’s pheasant, quail and partridge seasons quickly approaching, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reminds upland hunters to be safe in the field.

Game and Parks offers the following safety tips for upland bird hunters going afield this fall:

  • Treat every firearm as if it is loaded, and never assume it isn’t.
  • Always point the muzzle of your shotgun in a safe direction, away from people, structures, vehicles, roadways and any direction that could cause injury or damage.
  • Be sure to identify your target, what’s beyond it, and what’s in front of it.
  • Remember your safe zones of fire and don’t swing your muzzle on game outside of your zone.
  • Keep your finger off the trigger and safety until you are ready to fire.
  • Plan your hunt and hunt your plan; put a game plan together with your group before your hunt so everyone knows where each other is during your hunt.
  • Never cross a fence, ditch, waterway or other obstacles with a loaded shotgun. Be sure to unload your shotgun, action open, and safety on before handing it to someone else.
  • Be sure you, your group and dogs are wearing hunter orange on your head, chest and back. Hunter orange has reduced hunting incidents by 80% since the 1970s and helps you and other hunters identify unsafe shooting scenarios in the field.

“Upland bird hunting is time-honored annual activity enjoyed by Nebraskans for decades, but every hunter should remember safety comes first,” said Kyle Gaston, Nebraska hunter education coordinator. “Safe hunting is no accident.”

The youth season is Oct. 18-19, and the general season opens Oct. 25.

Hunters ages 12-29 are reminded that they must carry proof of successful completion of a hunter education course while hunting. Proof can be in the form of a valid permit containing the hunter’s hunter education number, or a hunter education card or certificate issued by another state.

Those ages 12-29 who have not completed a hunter education course may find a course at HuntSafeNebraska.org or purchase a $5 Apprentice Hunter Education Exemption Certificate that provides novice hunters an opportunity to hunt while accompanied by an experienced hunter before completing a hunter education course.

For more information on hunter education requirements and exemptions, visit HuntSafeNebraska.org.

To learn more about hunting in Nebraska, or to purchase a permit, go to OutdoorNebraska.gov.

Hunters should expect farm equipment on roads

With the crop harvest ongoing and hunting seasons continuing to open, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reminds hunters to be courteous.

Hunters should expect to encounter farm vehicles and equipment on country roads and make room for them when they do so. Large equipment can need extra room on the road, so hunters, whether hunting on private land or public land, should park in provided lots and not along public roadways.

As a reminder, no person may hunt on private land without the explicit permission of the landowner. A hunter of private land should follow the landowner’s rules, treat the property with respect and follow all hunting regulations.

To learn more about hunting in Nebraska, or to purchase a permit, go to OutdoorNebraska.gov.

Rainbow trout stocking schedule updated

Some updates have been made to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s annual fall rainbow trout stocking schedule as anglers across the state are reaping the rewards of the effort to enhance fishing opportunities.

The stockings at Fort Robinson State Park’s three Grable Ponds, originally planned for the week of Oct. 6, have been rescheduled for the week of Oct. 20.

The stocking at Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area’s Lake No. 18, initially set for the week of Oct. 13, now will take place the week of Oct. 20. Additionally, a previously unscheduled stocking took place at Fremont’s Lake No. 2 on Oct. 17, when 2,000 rainbows were released.

Anglers can visit OutdoorNebraska.gov/trout-stocking for the most up-to-date trout stocking information. The webpage provides detailed stocking schedules and reports, as well as additional resources for anglers planning their next trip.

Game and Parks also invites anglers to share their thoughts through the Trout Stocking Program Survey, available at the same link. Feedback from Nebraska’s fishing community plays an important role in shaping the future of the state’s trout stocking program.