Commissioners approve changes to start of spring turkey season

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved wildlife orders that move the start of the spring turkey season at its meeting June 12 in North Platte.

The change to orders will:

• Move the start of the spring archery season from March 25 to the Saturday closest to April 8.
• Move the start of the spring youth shotgun season from the Saturday closest to April 8 to the Saturday closest to April 15.
• Move the start of the spring regular shotgun season from the Saturday closest to April 15 to the Saturday closest to April 22.

Delaying harvest at the start of the spring turkey season will reduce the likelihood of harvest negatively affecting reproductive success. The later start will better align the seasons with the timing of turkey dispersal from their winter flocks and breeding and nesting activities.

Commissioners amended the recommendation to reduce the nonresident spring season personal permit limit to one. It remains at two.

In other business, commissioners indefinitely tabled the recommendation to change the personal deer permit limit regarding antlered deer.

In addition, commissioners also tabled recommendations for mountain lion regulation changes for the 2027 season until the August meeting so that landowner permit regulation recommendations could be included.

Commissioners approved wildlife orders that moved the close of squirrel season from Jan. 31 to the last day of February to align it with other seasons.

In addition, the commissioners approved:

• changing the agency responsible for boundaries of State Game Refuges from the Department of Natural Resources to Game and Parks.
• an interlocal agreement between Game and Parks and the Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council to continue to purchase Zoom software.
• a permanent 10-foot-wide utility easement to Mountain Tower and Land, LLC, on the property of Game and Parks’ northeast district office in Norfolk, to allow for the installation of 1,300 linear feet of conduit, ground vaults and fiber.

The commissioners also recognized all the Game and Park staff who responded to the spring wildfires in western Nebraska.

To view the proposed regulations and orders, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and search “Regulations.”