There’s Still Time to Go Pheasant and Quail Hunting

Upland bird hunters will be happy to know Nebraskas pheasant and quail hunting season will be open through Jan. 31, which means there is still time to spend a couple of weekends out pheasant and quail hunting. Experienced hunters will tell you that the late season is often the very best time to hunt. That’s because hunting conditions are good, crops have been harvested, much of the heavy cover has been knocked down. Hunters and dogs perform much better than when it was hot and dry, permission to hunt on private property is easier to obtain than earlier in the season, there are few hunters in the field and still enough birds to make an enjoyable hunt ..... somebody stop me when I get to the bad part. It’s no wonder that many serious pheasant and quail hunters, those experts who have hunted upland birds for years and have a real passion for the activity, hunt through the last day of the season. They do this even though the birds have become more edgy, more elusive and more difficult to hunt, but by moving slowly, quietly, and deliberately they still put birds in their bag. The most successful hunters avoid slamming truck doors and tailgates, shouting instructions to each other, and yelling at their dogs. Instead, they hunt quietly, move through the fields slowly and deliberately They know excessive noise drives late-season pheasants out of the field even before the hunt begins. The tag-end of the season is the perfect time for one or two hunters and a close-working dog to hunt small patches of cover. The idea is to approach the cover quietly, following along as the dog works its way through the field in random fashion. Hunting into the wind is another good way to reduce the noise made by walking through the cover which makes it easier to get within shotgun range before the birds flush. Experienced late-season hunters would rather eat quiche for dinner every night for a week than miss a morning in the field after an over night snowfall. When it snows birds often congregate in low areas of thick cover seeking protection from the cold and wind. A little snow also provides a chance for the hunter to track birds and learn where they concentrate when it’s cold. If you are hesitant to go pheasant and quail hunting because you don’t know where you can hunt, here are a few suggestions that will help you find a good spot to hunt. If you know a landowner who owns property you’d like to hunt, simply ask him for permission to hunt there. But, don’t assume that because you know the landowner it’s OK to hunt there, the law says you must have permission to hunt on private land whether it is posted or not. If you don’t know any landowners and don’t like asking strangers for permission to hunt on their property, consider hunting Conservation Reserve Program-Management Access Program (CRP-MAP) lands or public hunting areas. Nebraska’s CRP-MAP is a hunting access program in which landowners enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) are paid for allowing public walk-in only access for hunting and trapping. The program opens some 180,000 acres of privately owned CRP land across the state to public hunting. The land is plainly marked so hunters and trappers can easily identify it. Each CRP-MAP tract is shown on maps in the 2008 CRP-Management Access Program Atlas, available free at commission offices and at permit agents across the state. This information is also available on the Commission’s Web site at www.OutdoorNebraska.org. There are also about 800,000 acres of public hunting land on some 300 state and federal areas scattered across Nebraska. Included in those areas are 215 commission-owned and managed wildlife management areas and about half of them hold pheasants. Hunting is allowed in season on all state wildlife management areas and federal waterfowl production areas unless otherwise posted. Special regulations apply on federal refuges and on national forest lands. A complete listing of all of Nebraska’s public hunting areas is included in the 2008 Nebraska Guide to Hunting and Public Lands, available free from any Nebraska Game and Parks Commission office or any of 900 permit agents across the state. The same information is also available on the Commission’s Web site. Some local areas are better than others, but generally, if you are willing to get out and walk the fields, and concentrate on spots where there is good habitat, you will probably be rewarded with some shooting opportunities and maybe a bird or two. The hunter who expects to park his truck, walk thirty yards across a picked field and come back with a limit of roosters or bobwhites will probably be disappointed.

Commissioners to Meet Jan. 16 in Lincoln

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners will consider recommendations to amend some wildlife and fishing regulations during their meeting in Lincoln on Jan. 16. They also will address other issues at their 8 a.m. meeting in the Commission’s Lincoln headquarters. The following public hearings are on the agenda: 8:30 a.m. – There will be a hearing to amend fishing regulations. Those are in regard to commercial put-and-take fisheries; nonresident fish dealers and exportation, importation and possession; commercial fishing; aquaculture; bait collecting and dealers; and special fishing permits for residents who are severely physically or developmentally disabled and who require assistance in angling. 8:45 a.m. – There will be a hearing to consider amending wildlife regulations. Those are in regard to personal quotas for big game permits, allowable weapons, legal possession of meat, wildlife damage control program, and fur harvesting. 9 a.m. -- There will be a hearing to consider amending wildlife regulations regarding governing administration and use of property. Also on the agenda are: a recommendation to hold a public hearing at the next meeting to consider amendments to administration regulations regarding setting lottery application fees for a season choice statewide buck permit and a combination antelope, deer, elk and turkey permit; a recommendation to hold a public hearing at the next meeting to amend some boating regulations; a recommendation to hold a public hearing at the next meeting to consider amendments to wildlife regulations regarding antelope, deer and elk; a recommendation to hold a public hearing at the next meeting to consider amendments to wildlife regulations regarding endangered and threatened species; a recommendation regarding approval of funding for the 2009 Land and Water Conservation Fund apportionment; a recommendation regarding approval of funding for the 2009 Recreational Trails Program grant applications; a recommendation regarding acquisition of an 888-acre tract of wildlife land located in Scotts Bluff County; a recommendation regarding revisions to the Hunter/Bowhunter Education Program policy manual; and an update on the status of the Commission’s hunter and angler RDR (recruitment, development and retention) activities.

Permits Available for 2009 Spring Turkey Hunting

Permits for the 2009 spring turkey hunting seasons now may be purchased, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Hunters will have more opportunity to use them, too. The seasons have been extended by a combined 10 days. The 2009 hunting seasons are: archery and youth archery, March 25-May 31; youth shotgun, April 11-May 31; and shotgun, April 18-May 31. Spring turkey hunting permits, which are valid statewide, may be purchased through May 31. Each hunter may purchase up to three permits for the spring seasons. The three-permit limit may be any combination of shotgun and archery tags. Resident permits are $24 and nonresident permits $91. Permits may be purchased online at OutdoorNebraska.org. The bag limit is one male or bearded female turkey per permit. There is no minimum age requirement for hunting turkeys. Those hunters under the age of 12, when hunting with a shotgun permit, must be accompanied by a person 19 years of age or older who has a valid Nebraska hunting permit. According to a spring 2008 rural mail carriers’ survey, the state’s turkey population has increased 500 percent since 2002. The turkey population and extended seasons provide a good opportunity for all hunters, including youth and first-time hunters. Hunters in Nebraska harvested a record 19,896 turkeys last spring.

12 Hunting-Related Incidents Reported in Nebraska During 2008

There were 12 hunting-related incidents in Nebraska during 2008, including one fatal incident, according to Nebraska Hunter Education Coordinator Mike Streeter. The fatal incident occurred Nov. 20 in Platte County, when a 50-year-old man died after falling from a tree stand while hunting deer. He was found dead at the base of the tree. “Hunting incidents that result in injury or death are extremely rare in Nebraska,” Streeter said. “It is common that the injury rate per 1,000 hunters is lower than .01 percent. The average number of persons who participate in hunting in Nebraska is around 170,000 each year, and the last 10-year average of incidents where a hunter was injured of killed is around 12 per year.” Streeter said the incidents occurred because one or more participants did not follow safety rules. Three of the incidents occurred when the victim was out of sight of the shooter. Two of the incidents were due to the shooter not paying attention to what was beyond the target. The other seven hunting-related incidents last year each were caused by different unsafe practices. They were discharging a firearm in or on a vehicle; failure to identify the target; removing or placing a loaded firearm into a vehicle; a ricochet; shooter stumbled and fell; failure to use fall arrest system; and dog knocked firearm off rest. Streeter said: “All of these incidents were preventable if the simple rules of safety had been followed.” The shooters in the incidents included five age 10-19, one age 20-29, one age 40- 49, two age 50-59, one over 60 years, and the age of another was unknown. There was one victim age 10-19, two age 30-39, two age 40-49, three age 50-59, one over 60 years and the age of one other victim was unknown. Streeter said through the years the most common cause of a hunting incident in Nebraska has been the shooter swinging on game and not paying attention to what is behind their target when the gun is fired, resulting in hitting a hunting companion with shot from a shotgun. “The age of the person firing the firearm is three times as likely to be in the age group 10 through 19 as any other age group, he said. “Hunting safely is everyones responsibility and Nebraska hunters do an excellent job of hunting safely each year,” Streeter said. “Safe hunting is no accident. You are responsible for safety while afield. Follow the rules of safe hunting and enjoy the great outdoors and hunting opportunities in Nebraska.” For more on Hunter Education, go to the Commissions Web site at www.OutdoorNebraska.org. Click on Hunting, then pull down on the Hunting Programs menu and click on Hunter Education.