Outdoor notes: Special Youth Hunt another success in 2023

Nebraska youth got to experience a pheasant hunt as adult mentors took them afield for the state’s Special Youth Hunt on Oct. 21-22.

The hunt took place on 19 sites, including wildlife management areas, where Nebraska Game and Parks released 9,110 roosters Oct. 20.

In total, 435 adult mentors accompanied 475 youth hunters on the hunt this year. Youth and their mentors harvested 53 wild and 839 released roosters.

“We are thrilled to see so many kids out in the field harvesting pheasants, and we are so grateful for the mentors and parents who are taking them out to enjoy a safe hunt,” said Bryan O’Connor, Game and Parks’ upland game program manager.

Pheasants were released at the following WMAs: Arrowhead (Gage County), Kirkpatrick Basin North (York), Cornhusker (Hall), George Syas (Nance), Wilkinson (Platte), Oak Valley (Madison), Powder Creek (Dixon), Randall W. Schilling (Cass), Rakes Creek (Cass), Peru Bottoms (Nemaha), James N. Douglas (Johnson), Hickory Ridge (Johnson), Yankee Hill (Lancaster), Branched Oak (Lancaster), Sherman Reservoir (Sherman), Pressey (Custer), Arnold Trupp (Morrill), Bordeaux (Dawes). Pheasants also were released at N-CORPE east tract (Lincoln).

The highest harvest success rates were at Pressey, Oak Valley and Sherman Reservoir.

The special hunt, which takes place annually during the statewide youth pheasant, quail and partridge season, was for youth ages 15 and younger. Youth could take two rooster pheasants per day while adult mentors were allowed to harvest one per day. Only one adult mentor per youth was allowed to hunt.

This was the 12th year of the pheasant releases during the special youth season, which is intended to increase youth participation in upland game hunting.

The statewide pheasant, quail and partridge season is Oct. 28 – Jan. 31, 2024. Permits are available at OutdoorNebraska.gov.