Commission will consider big game hunting recommendations

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider staff recommendations for 2025 deer, antelope and elk hunting seasons when it meets April 18 at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park.

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. Central time at Crete Carrier Lodge within the park at 28500 W. Park Hwy., Ashland.

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 10 general either-sex and 30 general doe/fawn antelope permits,
• removing eight bull and 44 antlerless elk permits,
• reducing available November Firearm permits by 2% and Antlerless Only Season Choice permits by 4%,
• reducing River Antlerless permits by 33% and reducing the area open for hunting with River Antlerless permits by 37%.

In other business, staff will recommend Commission approval:

• to reorganize Nebraska Game and Parks Commission regulations by amending Nebraska Administrative Code Title 163 by creating new titles 164-168 for the current chapters 2-6, Administration Regulations will remain in Title 163, and the sections of current chapters would change to chapters in each title. The reorganization would not make other substantive changes within the regulations.  
• to change the location of the October 2025 Commission meeting from Omaha to Niobrara State Park.

The commissioners also will hear reports about:

• the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan and results of the Generalized Outdoor Recreation Survey.
• the Nongame Bird Research Project overview.
• a trails update, including Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail and related 30^th anniversary events, as well as the Platte River State Park’s Stone Creek Falls Trail.
• a summary of Fisheries Division district meetings.

To view a complete agenda, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and search for Public Notices.