From teal to light goose, Nebraska has a diversity of opportunity for the next great waterfowl hunt for you.
Nebraska is blessed with a variety of wetland habitats that ducks and geese use both during fall and spring migration. The variety of wetland habitats also provide for different hunting opportunities throughout the season and across the state.
With teal season beginning in September, the light goose conservation order in February and the regular duck and goose seasons in between, Nebraska offers many waterfowl hunting opportunities.
As part of a process that adjusts waterfowl boundaries in conjunction with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Flyway Councils criteria, hunters were asked for their input on proposed new waterfowl zone boundaries in November 2024 during the first two input surveys.
Learn about the requirements for waterfowl hunters in Nebraska, find waterfowl zones, and more utilizing our checklist for hunters.
Nebraska has entered a new duck hunting pilot program with South Dakota. New regulations in both states in March 2021 created two bag-limit categories, or “tiers,” for hunters to select from when obtaining their Harvest Information Program numbers.
Each fall, Nebraska duck hunters have the opportunity to harvest more than 15 different species of ducks that migrate through the state. Primary species typically harvested are mallard, blue- and green-winged teal, gadwall, northern pintails, American Wigeon, northern shovelers and wood ducks, with the occasional redhead, ring-necked duck or canvasback.
Not only can Nebraska duck hunters encounter a number of different duck species, the diversity of habitats, from Sandhills lakes, Rainwater Basin wetlands, to Platte River sandbars offer a set of unique experiences as well as offering a long hunting season. However, proper identification is key when hunting waterfowl.
Few animals can signify the arrival of fall, but a “V” of honking Canada geese overhead reminds us that winter is not far off. Once rare in the state, restoration efforts in Nebraska and across North America have brought populations back to where resident birds can be observed year-round.
Migration into Nebraska from northern areas begins in late November with peaks of population in early January. Close to 100,000 Canada geese are harvested in Nebraska each year, and hunting opportunities exist in every corner of the state.
If Canada geese signal the arrival of fall in Nebraska, then white-fronted geese (also referred to as specks, specklebelly) are the harbinger of spring. As they head to breeding grounds in the Arctic, flocks of white-fronts transition through Nebraska in February and March.
Less common in the fall, white-fronts are a considered a trophy bird – both for their relatively rarity and their desirability as table fare – when one is harvested. The Rainwater Basin area of south-central Nebraska is the primary area to both observe and harvest a white-front.
The spectacle of a swirling, barking mass of a large flock of light geese – Snow, blue and Ross’s geese – into a marsh or field is one that few forget. Opportunities to harvest and observe light geese in the fall are somewhat limited, but that changes during February and March when millions stop and stage in Nebraska.
The Rainwater Basin and Platte River regions in the central part of the state, with eastern Nebraska and the Missouri River corridor being the best places to pursue light geese.
Learn from additional resources Nebraska Game and Parks produces for waterfowl hunters.
Nebraska Game and Parks pumps some wetlands to improve hunting conditions, provide habitat for migrating water birds, spread out their distribution to reduce the possibility of disease outbreak and provide areas for people to observe wildlife.
Surveys of hunters, waterfowl population numbers, peak migration times and other information are compiled, analyzed and used to inform season dates. Find reports going back to 2016.
Rainwater Basin wetlands are of international importance and annually host millions of springmigrating ducks and geese. Approximately 90% of the mid-continent population of greater white-fronted geese, 50% of the mid-continent population of lesser snow geese, 50% of the midcontinent population of mallards, and 30% of the continent population of northern pintails use the Basins during spring migration. Surveys have identified that a minimum of 300,000-500,000 shorebirds represented by 40 different species migrate through the Basins during the spring. Over 257 species of birds have been recorded in the Rainwater Basin, and the wetlands are regularly used by the federally endangered whooping crane. In addition, these wetlands are important sources of groundwater recharge, help to improve water quality, and provide recreational opportunities.
If the Rainwater Basin landscape was unaltered, pumping would probably not be as necessary. But the Rainwater Basin landscape has been highly modified, with nearly 90% of the wetlands destroyed or highly degraded, and the hydrology of the remaining wetlands greatly altered. This means that natural runoff no longer makes it to many of these wetlands and therefore ponding frequency and duration are greatly reduced. Adding supplemental water via pumping provides a direct benefit to meet the needs of the millions of migrating waterfowl and other water birds that use this region.
Several factors influence the decision of when to begin pumping. In August and early September, hot weather leads to high evaporation rates and plants that are still actively growing lead to high transpiration (water loss through growing plants). In most years, this makes pumping in August or early September less efficient, especially considering the low capacity of some of the pumps on public areas.
Soil moisture conditions are another factor to consider in deciding when or if to pump. A wetland that has been dry for a longer period of time can develop large cracks through the clay soils. This reduces the cost effectiveness of pumping because first the soil needs to be hydrated in order to seal the cracks so the wetland will pond water. This can take a long time and use a lot of water.
In addition, there are strong concerns within the farming community about pumping ground water into wetlands, so sensitivity concerning when water is used, and the amount pumped into wetlands is needed. Ground water pumping into wetlands only occurs during the non-irrigation season to help address these concerns. In some areas, the rates charged for electricity are reduced after September 1st, so delaying turning on the electric pumps saves money.
Finally, there is a limited amount of money available for pumping, so it has to be spent wisely. However, if conditions are right, some early pumping may be done for the teal season. Delaying most of our pumping to mid to late September or October takes advantage of generally declining evapo-transpiration rates and saves money and water. Most areas can be pumped to huntable levels within 2 weeks (especially if the vegetation has been managed); however, there may not be an adequate depth of water for boats. The money saved by delaying pumping can be applied to pumping into later October to provide waterfowl hunting opportunities for the entire season.
In the spring pumping usually begins in mid-February to provide ponded water for the birds when they arrive.
Wetlands are not always wet. It is good for wetlands to periodically go dry, so it would not be ideal to pump all of the wetlands all of the time. However, because the Rainwater Basin landscape has been so drastically altered, the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture has an objective of providing reliable water to more basins.
There are two main reasons that more areas are not pumped or that a given wetland is not pumped more. Many existing public areas cannot be fully pumped because the USFWS or NGPC do not own enough of the basin and pumping could possibly affect the neighbor’s land in the remainder of the basin. Acquiring these “roundouts” from willing sellers would help to address this.
In addition, there may be opportunities to obtain agreements from neighbors to allow pumping and/or to pay to provide supplemental water for public/private areas. Removal of excessive amounts of culturally-accelerated sediment from the public portion of the wetland will also help to increase the number of areas and amount of water that can be pumped without impacting neighbors due to an increase in the water storage capacity of the wetland. The other reason more areas are not pumped is that it costs money to drill new wells, acquire pumps, and operate the pumps. As funds become available, new pumps and wells may be added.
The amount pumped varies greatly depending on the conditions of the wetlands. In some years almost no pumping is done. On average, with spring and fall pumping combined, approximately 2,500 acre-feet of water are pumped on public lands. To put this in perspective, this is equivalent to the amount of water used to annually irrigate crops on about 3 sections of land. We comply with all Natural Resources District and Nebraska Department of Natural Resources rules regarding wells and ground water use.
Fall pumping on state Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) is paid for with money that is budgeted for the operation of each area, totaling approximately $20,000. The funds for pumping WMAs come from the sale of state Habitat Stamps and Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration funds paid by hunters and other conservationists.
Pumping on federal Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) is paid for out of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rainwater Basin operation and maintenance budget. Federal duck stamp money is not able to be used for operation and maintenance costs such as pumping. In addition, Ducks Unlimited and the Rainwater Basin Join Venture recently established a Water Development Fund that is being used to help to fund pumping and other actions that will improve the capability of pumping areas. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Terry Kostinec with Ducks Unlimited ([email protected]).
The ability to be able to deliver water into these wetlands takes a lot of planning, funding, and work to make the projects a reality. This includes: acquiring enough land from willing sellers to allow for pumping; wetland restoration (including the removal of culturally-accelerated sediment) for the wetland to have the capacity and ability to pond water; managing the wetlands to ensure the vegetation is in the proper condition; and installing wells, pumps, and water delivery systems.
Over the past 15 years the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has completed restoration projects on 22 WMAs within the Rainwater Basin, and we have added wells/pumps/water pipelines to 18 WMAs within the Rainwater Basin and 3 WMAs/Park areas located outside of the Rainwater Basin. In addition, more projects are in the planning stages.
Many partners have helped make these projects possible, including: Ducks Unlimited, Friends of the Rainwater Basin, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nebraska Environmental Trust, North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), Pheasants Forever, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office near Funk, NE (308-263-3000) with questions about pumping of Federal areas, information is also available on the Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District page.
Contact the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s District/Area Offices or the area wildlife biologist with questions about pumping of state areas. Pumping and wetland condition updates are available on this web page. The location of state Wildlife Management Areas and news releases listing areas pumped are available on this website.
A Special Hunting Area at Clear Creek WMA, a 300 acre area, has 10 pit blinds for waterfowl hunting. The SHA is open to hunting waterfowl and other game species until the check station opens on the Monday before Thanksgiving to the end of dark goose season or as otherwise posted.
During the time when the check station is open, hunters must check in at the check station office and can only hunt within the provided blinds; view a map of their locations here. Downed birds may be retrieved from the Clear Creek Seasonal Refuge, although no firearms are allowed there. A printable map of the special hunting area, along with special regulations, is available for download.
Up to five blinds at the SHA are available by reservation. Hunters may apply for reservation dates during August and September, and a drawing is held the first Wednesday in October. Reservation applications are available online, at the Clear Creek WMA field office or at the District IV Office in North Platte. If any advance reservation dates remain after the drawing, hunters may call the District IV Office in North Platte at 308-535-8025 to reserve one.
No more than two advance reservations are allowed per individual. Remaining blinds are allocated each day by a drawing conducted 45 minutes before legal shooting hours for that day. The check station opens a half hour before drawing time.
The drawing determines the order of blind selection. Blinds not allocated in the drawing and those vacated during the day will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Hunters may hunt only with the group they registered with for the drawing.
Portions of the Clear Creek Wildlife Management Area are closed between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mountain time in late October for the annual Mentored Youth Waterfowl Hunt. The areas of closure include all of the hunting blinds, the Special Hunting Area, and everything a half mile west of the Special Hunting Area. The rest of Clear Creek WMA will remain open to the public.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in wild, captive, commercial and backyard birds. Waterfowl hunters should be aware of this disease and should take certain precautions.
Learn more here.
Hunting permits
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Season dates
With a broad diversity of species and seasons, hunters in Nebraska can have a busy year. Find our comprehensive list of season dates by species.
Rules, orders & regulations
Find the current orders, rules and regulations for Nebraska's fish, game and park spaces.
