Big Game Guide

Unit Buck Permits Season Choice format – Permits that previously were titled November Firearm permits have been converted to Season Choice format and are valid for the open season with the legal weapons and are now called Unit Buck Permits. Bag limits vary by permit and include buck only and either sex. See the Unit Buck permit table for details.

River Antlerless – The boundaries and the format of the River Antlerless permit has changed considerably. Instead of a single unit, River Antlerless has been divided into four units to distribute permit use as deer populations have declined.

Pine Ridge-Plains Unit boundary change – The boundary between the Pine Ridge and Plains deer management units at Box Butte Reservoir Wildlife Management Area/State Recreation Area has changed. The new boundary follows the northern boundary of the WMA/SRA, so now the entire area is included in the Plains unit and those who hunt Box Butte Reservoir WMA will need a Plains permit. Pine Ridge permits are no longer valid on the area.

Permit quotas – There were minor adjustments to deer permit quotas and bag limits.

Nonresident permit limits – The nonresident buck permit quota was reduced from 10,000 to 9,000 to keep pace with overall permit reductions.

Statewide Archery and Statewide Muzzleloader bag limits – The bag limit for both residents and nonresidents with archery and muzzleloader permits is Any Deer, which prohibits antlerless mule deer harvest.

Unit Boundary – The boundary between units 4 and 10 was adjusted to account for elk movement across that boundary.

Permit quotas – There are minor adjustments in permit quotas.

Bull season – The bull season is expanded to include Dec. 16-31, 2026. The general draw is moving to a bonus point squared system.

Permit quotas – There are fairly significant adjustments in antelope permit quotas. See the Antelope section for details.

Muzzleloaders – For muzzleloaders used during muzzleloader season, the bullet or sabot must be loaded through the muzzle. The powder charge now may be loaded through the breech.

• Big game hunters in Nebraska must have a species-specific permit for deer, antelope, elk or bighorn sheep.
  
  
• A Nebraska hunt (small game) permit is not required for big game.
  
  
• Permits must be signed to be valid.
  
  
• All deer, elk and antelope permits must be printed and carried on your person while hunting.
  
  
• Big game hunters are required to have a Nebraska Habitat Stamp, except for landowners who are hunting on their own ground, residents younger than age 16 and residents who hold veteran or 69 or older senior permits.
  
  
• A hunter must be at least 10 years of age to hunt with a deer permit and 12 years of age to hunt with antelope, elk or bighorn sheep permits.
  
  
• Following the harvest of any big game animal, hunters immediately must punch or notch the permit or tag to indicate sex and date of kill. The canceled permit or tag must be attached to the animal or remain with the hunter if the carcass remains in the hunter’s possession until completion of the check in process.
  
  
  RESTRICTIONS: A big game permit is valid only for the species-specific season, method, unit or area for which it is issued, and to the individual for which it is issued and may not be exchanged for another permit. Permits are not transferable or refundable. Party hunting is not allowed.

• Must reside in Nebraska continuously for at least 30 days before making application for a permit and intend to become a Nebraska resident.
  
  
• Residents in school in another state or stationed outside Nebraska as part of a military assignment who have maintained Nebraska as their state of legal residency.
  
  
• Active-duty military personnel and full-time students stationed or attending school in Nebraska for a period of at least 30 days.

NOTE: A new resident should be prepared to provide documentation of residency (driver’s license, voter registration, etc.) to an officer when in possession of a permit.

It is legal to hunt big game 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes following sunset.

Notes for all big game permits

• Semi-automatic weapons may hold no more than six cartridges; fully automatic, full-metal jacket
  and incendiary bullets are prohibited.
  
  
• Slingbows and airbows are not legal for turkey or big game.
  
  
• Arrows and spears must have sharpened hunting head with a blade of at least 7/16-inch radius from the center of the arrow shaft. Arrows and spears containing poison or stupefying chemical or having an explosive tip are prohibited.
  
  
• Magnifying and variable-power scopes are allowed for hunting big game. Scopes capable of using electricity to amplify natural light and those that project a visible light beam to a target are prohibited.
  
  
• For muzzleloaders used during muzzleloader season, the bullet or sabot must be loaded through the muzzle. The powder charge now may be loaded through the breech. Any firearm where the bullet or sabot is loaded through the breech remains prohibited during muzzleloader-restricted seasons.

For more, contact Game and Parks’ Law Enforcement or Wildlife divisions at 402-471-0641.

Any people hunting antelope, elk, mountain (bighorn) sheep, or deer under the authority of a firearm permit during an authorized firearm season must display on his or her head, chest and back at least 400 square inches of hunter orange material. Hunter orange requirements also apply while hunting under the authority of a muzzleloader permit during muzzleloader seasons.

Archery deer hunters must do the same while archery hunting during the November firearm deer season and during the late antlerless seasons. Firearm hunters during the Special Landowner Deer Season must wear hunter orange; archery hunters are exempt.

• Shooting from the road – It is illegal to shoot from a bridge or public road, including the travelled surface and right of way.
  
  
• Hunting over bait – It is illegal to hunt any big game animals or turkeys within 200 yards of a baited area. An area is to be considered baited for 10 days following the complete removal of all bait. The hunter and the animal must be outside of the baited area during the harvest or attempted harvest. A baited area is any location where grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, hay, minerals (including salt), or any other natural food materials, commercial products containing food materials, or by-products of such materials that may attract big game or turkey.
  
  The use of scents alone, normal environmental conditions, standard farming and ranching practices, forest management, wildlife food plantings, orchard management, or similar land management activities do not constitute a baited area. It is unlawful to create a baited area on lands owned or controlled by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  
  
• Carrying firearms while archery hunting – It is illegal to possess a firearm while hunting under the authority of an archery permit, EXCEPT it is legal to carry a handgun with a barrel no longer than 5 inches while hunting under the authority of an archery or muzzleloader permit. Any take or attempted take of wildlife with the aid of the handgun, other than the immediate protection of human life, is prohibited.
  
  
• Guiding for fee – It is illegal to provide guide service for a fee on state wildlife management areas.
  
  
• Weapon sights – Red-dot and illuminated reticle sights and laser rangefinder scopes are permitted. It is unlawful to possess night-vision scopes while hunting game animals and game birds.
  
  
• Custody tags – Any person transferring game, fish or parts thereof to another person must provide a custody tag.

Nebraska drone law

For all game birds and big game animals: It shall be unlawful for any person one day before or throughout any open season to spot, locate, or place under surveillance any game animal or game bird with the aid of any aircraft (to include drones) and convey information about such animal’s or bird’s location to any person or group of persons by radio or other electronic device (including photography taken from unmanned aircraft). The use of aircraft (which includes drones) any time to hunt, recover, drive, molest, chase, or harass game birds or game animals is illegal.

200-yard rule: It is unlawful to hunt any form of wild mammal or wild bird with a rifle within a 200-yard radius of an inhabited dwelling or livestock feedlot, unless permission to do so has been granted by the owner or tenant of that dwelling or feedlot.

100-yard rule: It is unlawful to hunt any form of wild mammal or wild bird with archery equipment, handgun or shotgun within a 100-yard radius of an inhabited dwelling or livestock feedlot, unless permission to do so has been granted by the owner or tenant of that dwelling or feedlot.

Registering your harvest of deer, antelope and elk is mandatory in Nebraska and must be completed before the carcass leaves the state. It is unlawful to separate a deer, antelope or elk carcass into sections smaller than quarters before completing the harvest check in process. Quartering is defined as four legs, with femur or scapula naturally attached, and loins.

• Deer harvested during the November firearm season must be delivered to a check-in location or checked via Telecheck no later than 1 p.m. on the day following the close of the season.
  
  
• Each permit holder must accompany the deer to the check station and check in their deer.
  
  
• Deer harvested outside the November firearm season and all antelope and elk must be checked via Telecheck within 48 hours of kill and before 1 p.m. on the day following the close of the season.
  
  
• Permit and check station seal number or check station verification number must be retained when transporting all or a portion of the carcass to a point of permanent storage or processing. Hunters must record the seal number on their permit.

Turkey hunting is legal during the November firearm deer season. People hunting with a fall turkey permit are required to wear hunter orange when hunting during the November firearm deer season. Legal weapons include shotgun and archery only; rifles are not allowed. Electronic calls are illegal.