Waterfowl hunter feedback sought on duck and goose zones

From Nov. 1-30, Nebraska Game and Parks is seeking input from waterfowl hunters on potential changes to duck zones and dark (Canada) goose unit boundaries.

Hunters with a Harvest Information Program number will be notified via direct mail and/or email about the opportunity to provide input via OutdoorNebraska.gov, by searching for “waterfowl rezoning.”

Hunters will be asked to download the boundary change maps, indicate their proposed changes, provide their contact information and mail in the completed form for their feedback to be considered.

Suggestions will be evaluated and considered for modified zones map proposals. These will be shared for a second round of public feedback in January 2025.

“It is just as important to indicate your satisfaction with the current duck zone or dark (Canada) goose unit boundaries as it is to suggest a potential change,” said John McKinney, Game and Parks waterfowl program manager, “so we would like to hear from as many hunters as possible.”

Only feedback on the zone boundaries is requested and only written comments will be accepted. Feedback on hunting season dates will occur in August 2025.

Find additional criteria for zone change requests on the Waterfowl Rezoning Process webpage.

Zone boundaries are assessed and updated based on new federal criteria from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service once every five years; the process occurs over a two-year period.

Nebraska has four duck zones — the maximum permitted — which are developed based off from hunter preferences, habitat types and waterfowl migration patterns. View an interactive map of these zones and units at OutdoorNebraska.gov/Guides-Maps/Maps; select “Waterfowl zones”.

Any changes made to Nebraska’s waterfowl zones would go into effect beginning in October 2026. Other dates to note include:

• April 2025: Proposed new zone boundaries are presented to the Commission for approval.
• August 2025: Zone boundaries are submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for approval.
• March 2026: After the Fish and Wildlife Service approves new zones, Game and Parks proposes new season dates per zone to the Commission for approval.