Commission will consider big game hunting recommendations

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider staff recommendations for 2026 deer, antelope and elk hunting seasons when it meets April 17 at Chadron State Park.

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. Mountain time at the Group Lodge within the park at 15951 U.S. Hwy. 385, Chadron.

A public hearing is scheduled for proposed amendments to Commission orders pertaining to permit quotas, season dates, bag limits, permit quantities and areas open for deer, antelope and elk hunting. The proposed changes will help the agency meet management goals for big game populations. Management goals take into consideration population and harvest data, as well as input from hunters, landowners, and the public, with the goal of maintaining long-term opportunities and access for hunters.

Staff will recommend, among other big game proposals:

• removing 80 general either-sex and 142 general doe/fawn antelope permits,
• removing 10 bull and 12 antlerless elk permits overall, expanding the bull season to include Dec. 16-31, and adjusting the boundary between units 4 and 10,
• restructuring buck deer permits to a Season Choice format,
• removing the Mule Deer Conservation Area name,
• reducing available November Firearm permits by 6% and Antlerless Only permits by 13%, and adjusting the unit boundary between Plains and Pine Ridge units at Box Butte Reservoir, and
• restructuring River Antlerless into four units/permits: Niobrara, Lower Platte, Blue, and Lower Missouri, and reducing River Antlerless permits by 31%.

In other business, staff will recommend Commission approval to amend the Sherman County Reservoir Operating Agreement and Conservation Easement with Loup Basin Reclamation District to remove the Trail 12 Cabin Area currently subleased by Game and Parks to cabin owners on approximately 75 acres of leased land. 

The commissioners also will hear reports about:

• the Soldier Creek Restoration Project at Fort Robinson State Park,
• the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year presentation, and
• trout fishing opportunities in northwestern Nebraska.

To view a complete agenda, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and click on Public Notices. Search “Regulations” to view the 2026 Big Game Recommendations.